David before and after

I said a while back I'd post before/after surgery photos of David to show you how his eyes have healed. So without further ado...

Little guy. Here's a rare shot of his right eye "floating". Usually it was his left.

Ta da! Pretty darn straight if you ask me. 

David's first portrait! Before the eyes, nose and extremities were added he asked me, "What do you think this is?"  I guessed, "A banana?" I was wrong. "It's a monster!" Of course. He seems to have had a breakthrough moment rendering eyes, nose, mouth (actually, it's the monster's tummy says David), arms and legs. 

Nature's cruelty and family art

I've delayed sharing this news because it is so sad. Our little bird Carrie disappeared from her nest about a week ago. We searched everywhere for her, but because the gate to our back yard had been left open the night before, the nest was on the ground, and the unhatched eggs broken, we couldn't help but assume the worst. The saddest part was watching the mother and father come to the nest all morning, the mother searching and calling for her baby. Nature can be so cruel! Such a sad day that was.

On a happier note, below we have paintings by Frankie, Teresa, David and Rose (not in that order). Can you guess who the artist is for each one?

Goings on

Yesterday David learned to ride a 2-wheeler, admittedly to my surprise. Dave had confidence he was ready, and apparently he was right. Now to start working on Rose...

Our little absent-minded professor

Frankie continues expanding her rainbow-loom skills.

The most exciting 15 minutes of David's life: watching a bulldozer at work from 20 feet away. He followed it, sitting down cross-legged at times, around the perimeter of the playground as it planted trees. This park is pretty cool!

Our bird family

We decided to name the sweet cardinal family living on our back porch. The dad is Charles, the mom is Caroline, and the baby is Carrie. (Recognize them from Little House on the Prairie?)  It's fascinating to watch the teamwork between the parents; they have a system down. The father knows when the mother is leaving the nest and comes to feed the baby while she's away. Sometimes the father comes to pass some food on directly to the mother, and it looks like they're kissing. Needless to say, Charles, Caroline and Carrie have won our hearts.

Baby Carrie (who could be a Charles, we don't know...) growing feathers on her wings and taking up more space.

Taken a week or so later. She's getting all the nutrients her brother and sister would have gotten- perhaps she's growing faster than she might have. She's filling out the nest, and when she stretches out for feedings, it looks like she could topple out sometimes. Her little chirp is precious!

Rose likes to alternate between baby dolls and cars. A healthy balance I'm sure. David sure enjoys having a car buddy.

Birthday gift that keeps on giving

Want to know what Frankie's been doing all day, every day for the past week?

Looks a little uncomfortable, but hey, it's the style that matters right?

Rainbow Loom! Thanks Aunt Natalie. You provided a wonderful way for her to wile away the hours. Everyone can be expecting personalized bracelets, necklaces and rings. Teresa has asked for one for her birthday, too :)

Story of a bird

A few weeks ago we discovered a mother cardinal had laid eggs in one of our rose bushes. This rose is right next to our back porch, literally touching the screening, so you can imagine what an awesome view we had of the little cardinal abode! We all relished checking in on her and the eggs (no doubt to her dismay) to see if any had hatched. Rose even spoke in a hushed voice when going on the back porch: "I see the birdie! Quiet!"

Well, a few mornings ago I came out onto the porch to find the nest tipped on its side and empty. Rose stems were bent in half. Little feathers were scattered here and there. What a tragedy! I went out and inspected the area around the bush, only to find the three eggs scattered around its base. With the mother out of sight, I figured she had met her end. I took the eggs, put them back in their nest and brought them inside. What to do with them? Were they dead? Possibly: online, I found that eggs die very quickly if they're not kept at 100 degrees. Who knew how long they had been without their mama?

The poor eggs.

Then, I heard her. Her chirp is quite notable to our ear since she's been around so long. I rushed outside to find her inspecting the empty rosebush! I quickly put the reassembled nest back in its place and hoped she'd come back. She did!

Baby cardinal, hatched the day after the nest was restored.

Daddy cardinal feeding Mama, who feeds the baby.

My own little birdie, tormenting Mama sitting on the nest a few feet away.

Mama sitting on baby (who doesn't mind?)


The happy ending isn't without some sorrow: two of the eggs remain unhatched. They must have gotten too cold when the nest was tipped. My theory is a squirrel was trying to get to the bird-feeder, and climbed the rose bush, tipping over the nest and breaking branches. Needless to say we didn't refill the bird feeder.

What a beautiful little miracle to have observed as a family!

Birthday Girl

Frankie enthusiastically helped bake, frost and decorate her cake. I expect in two years she'll be doing everyone's cakes ...(wishful thinking?) :)

Can you tell these girls are related?

Frankie is the manang of the house. In Filipino culture, the manang is the oldest sister, and I get the sense that when manang says to do something, the younger siblings better obey; she's the alpha-dog. She's also blessed to have been born at a time of year when flowers are blooming, temperatures are warming up, and everyone is in the mood for a barbecue. We had a lovely afternoon of games, a piñata, group karaoke (to Frozen of course), pin the tale on Bonnie, and good food. Jackson even got a haircut from Uncle Dave.  What a gift to have grandparents, aunts, and cousins (and a nice neighbor friend) so close by to celebrate- thanks everyone! Her real birthday is on Wednesday, so we'll try to extend the birthday party energy til then, which won't be hard with balloons and decorations around the house. Happy birthday manang!