A few weeks ago while at my mom's for a family dinner, Savannah and her cousin, Chase, found a deserted baby sparrow on my mom's garage floor. For some unexplained reason, the neighborhood birds LOVE my mother's garage for nest-building. It's like a little bird subdivision, with nests tucked up into little crannies in the ceiling. During the spring months, you can almost count on finding at least one little hatchling that's fallen or been kicked out of the nest. My sister found one a few years ago, and being the compassionate nurse she is by profession, tried to nurse the poor little thing to adulthood. It lasted two days and ended badly. She cried when it died. So, when Savannah begged and pleaded to take the bird home, I knew how this story would end. And I warned her what the eventual outcome would likely be. But, Savannah, being the animal lover she is to the core of her soul, insisted she could be its substitute mama. I asked her if she was going to chew up worms, swallow them, and then throw them back up into the baby bird's mouth. She was disgusted at that suggestion.
When we returned home, Savannah and Irelynd found a little shoebox for the baby bird, whom they named Feathers, and made it cozy with grass clippings and a milk cap full of water. She even tucked him (I'm only calling it a him since we have no idea of {his} actual gender. Everything is always a him though, isn't it?) in with one of her old socks. We went to bed, not knowing what would happen in the morning. We woke up to chirping downstairs, and Savannah informing us that he had jumped out of the box, off the kitchen countertop, and was standing by the back door. He had pooped on my rug, too. We put him back in the box, got ready for church, and left. At one point during Sacrament meeting, Scott had to run home for something for the babies. When he got back he whispered quietly in my ear that Feathers had passed away. We chose not to say anything to Savannah while at church, knowing she was going to take it hard. When we came back from church, she was prattling happily on about the bird. I was surprised by
how upset she was by the birds' passing. I am
not an animal person in the
slightest, and I knew from the beginning how this story was going to end, but watching your child so heartbroken over something you can't fix is very painful as a parent! I cried with her. Savannah grieved until he was finally laid to rest, in the corner of the front flowerbed, by the house, where we knew we wouldn't be digging any time soon. I gave her the choice to take him to the mountains and bury him in his natural habitat, but she wanted him buried at home. Irelynd was so sweet, and disappeared into the craft room earlier, where I found a picture she had drawn of the event, with the heading, "my sister's pet died today. I am sad for her." That pretty much summed up the day for us.
Ok, at the risk of revealing my dorkiness, of which I'm probably just kidding myself that I'm really good at hiding but probably everyone already sees it like you can see the Great Wall of China from space, I'm posting some dorky pictures of myself and Irelynd being silly, with the goal that, when I am dead and gone, my kids will have proof that I wasn't always a serious, no-nonsense, stick-in-the-mud, slave-driver.
Irelynd's class did a crazy hair day the week before school got out. This was our rendition of it. Inspiration comes from The Grinch. Irelynd came back saying that Rachel (her friend from class) had a cup in her hair. Wow! I took Irelynd to a few stores with me later that day, and she insisted on keeping her hair exactly as it was. I explained to the cashiers everywhere we went that I'm not a weird mom. I had one lady compliment me on her hairstyle, before she found out it was crazy on purpose. It did suit Irelynd's personality immensely. And it was SO cute the next day when we undid it all. Kinky and wavy. 
The little girls had to copy, of course. It was hilarious to see them try to figure out how to do it. They instructed the littlest one (Miriam) to get on top, but she couldn't climb on, so Autumn took charge and claimed the top spot. On bottom is Miriam Keck, Jessica Ahrens, and Irelynd. Missing is my complimentor, Elizabeth, who left a little early.
Next came the hula pose. Looks a little Charlie's Angels-ish to me!
I was surprised by how much the girls enjoyed the limbo. Alex put everyone to shame on this. She is a gymnast. We also discovered that Lily's belly button is higher than Savannah's.
My specialty, the feast. We had hotdogs (plain, spidered, and our creation, snaked and skewered), chips, carrots and dip, fruit kabobs, cupcakes, and pina coladas.
And, lastly, the twins. They were so cute in their Hawaiian garb, especially Waverly. We inherited this dress from my sister Julie, who put it on her oldest daughter for a family luau. Megan is now graduating from high school. I don't know why I include this trivial detail, but I am waxing nostalgic lately... {sniff, sniff!}
First day of fourth grade.
Irelynd on the first day of kindergarten. We were late for the bus and she is scanning the street to see if she's going to make it. We didn't. She's poised to run, and this is the only picture I was able to get her to stand still for.
so he got his own picture taken where he chose to sit.
