Last night after dinner Maggie was practicing her clarinet and Tomas espied a swan (!!!) outside our kitchen door. Apparently, it really liked her sound. It hung around as long as Maggie played, and waddled off when she stopped.

It was pretty nerve wracking, waiting for him (her?) to cross our busy street. Eventually, a neighborhood birder came by & asked if we’d seen the swan, so we pointed her to where it was by the side of the street. She explained to me & the kids that our bay has just one swan couple now, so it was extra important that we save this one. She also informed us that swans could only take off and land from water (who knew?), so I directed her to the nearest inlet (and pools), and watched her shoo the bird in that direction.

I can’t tell you how thrilled the kids were, and how they all chattered excitedly about how their friends and teachers would never believe this without pictures:

Yesterday was the perfect early spring day. The kids spent the entire day out of doors, on their bikes, playing hide-and-seek, and naturally… making huge mud puddles. Today we all have sun kissed cheeks and cheerful dispositions to go with them.

So odd to think that just a week ago we were digging out of a big snow storm.

February 28th:

March 7th:

My Mom gave me the cutest little village that she’s had forever, and I always thought was meant to decorate a mantle or something. I was so excited when I inspected them recently & discovered that they all have holes in the back big enough to poke a tree light through.

If you look closely at this pic you’ll see that all of the houses have “stained glass” windows (I’m thinking plastic or cellophane), that glow beautifully when lit from behind.

I’m thinking I’ll put a bit of effort into mending these and will put the kids to work with cardboard, colored cellophane, glue, and paints to make our own little set for next year.

My friend Candace has a great post up on Naturally Educational about National Bird-feeding Month which is under way right now where she shares a great bunch of activities to do with your kiddos.

In our house, we feed the birds year-round and have a special bird-watching corner in our kitchen that I do my best to keep clear of junk (a never ending effort). It’s one of my favorite spots in our home, especially early in the morning when the rest of the family is still asleep and I have a few minutes with my coffee or tea.

Sometimes, if I’m lucky, I catch the birds watching me

I love how independent Maggie now. The other day she was bored and instead of asking me what to do for the zillionth time, she found herself a Klutz book called Simple Embroidery, browsed a bit, and then helped herself to everything she needed to get going. The only bit I provided was a crisp white hotel napkin to work on.

This awesome bird has been joined by a ladybug and several happy flowers.

Maggie exploring on her own = a happy mommy.