Bird Love

We love bird watching all year long, but we seem to focus on it more in the Spring around here.  The excitement over all the birds coming back that we've missed all winter, and the flurry of nest making going on seems to bring out the binoculars pretty darn fast around here.  Our bird basket gets daily use right now as we excitedly call out each new bird we've spotted this year.  I'm so glad we purchased the Oklahoma birds reference guide this year, it is so much easier to quickly spot our local birds that even Kaitlyn has used it quite often.  

On one of our last visits down to visit my grandparents Kinsley was lucky enough to help Pepaw fix up some fantastic bird houses to bring home with us, and increase the bird love just a bit more.  We tried to find the perfect spots for them and have all been waiting anxiously to see if we'll get any feathered residents this year.  Meanwhile we're settling for just trying to catch a glimpse of some of the ones that come by for dinner or a quick visit.  

Can you spot the bird in this last picture?  We'll definitely be working on our bird watching and photographing skills this week.  Maybe it is a good excuse to get a new camera lens, that sound perfectly reasonable right?  Okay maybe not really.  

Aprons and egg dye

Before we dyed our eggs last weekend we thought it would be a good idea to bring out the girls' art aprons just in case they went a little overboard with the coloring.  I embroidered these little art aprons so the girls would have something to protect their clothes whenever the artistic mood might happen to strike. 

Anything with rainbow colors is sure to please the crowd around here and I just couldn't resist adding those fun little pain splatters.  A clean white canvas just begging to have bits and pieces from different projects added to it.  So far, they have stayed amazingly clean, which makes me wonder why their clothing always got so messy before this...hmm...

They take their art so seriously, these girls of mine, regardless of the canvas they may be using.  Knowing exactly what they wanted to achieve with each new creation, though really that's no surprise to us.  We did learn, though I would like to think we already knew it, that if you leave a 3 year old alone with dyes for even a couple of minutes you will come back to find her hands completely submerged and a very large grin on her face.  Thankfully she likes green and didn't mind having green hands for a day or two.  

This Moment

{this moment} A Friday ritual, inspired by Soulemama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

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Easter

While things this past week might not have gone exactly the way we wanted, we did our best to make the most out of our weekend home together.  Putting a week full of fevers, yucky feelings, and multiple trips to the doctor behind us we opted for a simple weekend close to home.  

  

Just exactly what we needed to lift our spirits and move us forward.  Thankfully everyone was feeling much better and able to enjoy some holiday festivities (and a few naps along the way).  And don't worry, she's not really sad, just concentrating on finding the eggs since they were hidden "so super tricky".  

This Moment

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 {this moment} A Friday ritual, inspired by Soulemama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

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Oklahoma weather

"If you don't like the weather in Oklahoma, wait a minute and it'll change." 
~Will Rogers

Oklahoma weather certainly does have a way of keeping us on our toes, especially in the Springtime.  So far in April we've gone from incredibly warm 80 degree days of shorts wearing suddenly stopped by below freezing temps and snow the next day.  And of course it wouldn't be a true Oklahoma Spring if there wasn't a tornado watch thrown right in the middle of that to keep things interesting.  Even I was impressed by the chaos that Mother Nature sent our way in less than 48 hours.  Well played.  Just a gentle reminder that Oklahoma weather is nothing if not predictably unpredictable.

Though after the weather and storms we all went through last year, I'm not sure we really needed a reminder.  We're all very well aware of what can happen when Spring storms start to roll in.  Understandably, a lot of people were on edge when these clouds started to roll in...  

Even still, when the storms start to roll in I often find myself drawn out towards the clouds.  I've always had a fascination with the weather, and severe weather is no exception.  It is a nearly magical and breathtaking experience to be out in the middle of nowhere and watch the clouds swirl and change around you.  The enormous and unyielding power of nature is something that everyone should take time to immerse themselves in somehow.  

Three Sisters Festival

One of our favorite ways to usher in Spring is by participating in the annual Three Sisters Festival at the Chickasaw Cultural Center.  This year the girls were exceptionally excited since we have started to learn to speak Chickasaw.  They were more than ready to immerse themselves in our heritage and hopefully discover some new things along the way.   

I always feel so at peace surrounded by all the history and beauty of this culture.  Immersing ourselves in the music and language of our ancestors is such an amazing experience, no matter how often it occurs.  Sharing the story of the Three Sisters and planting the garden is such an important part of Spring for us.  

A long time ago there were three sisters who lived together in a field. These sisters were quite different from one another in their size and way of dressing. The little sister was so young that she could only crawl at first, and she was dressed in green.

The second sister wore a bright yellow dress, and she had a way of running off by herself when the sun shone and the soft wind blew in her face.

The third was the eldest sister, standing always very straight and tall above the other sisters and trying to protect them. She wore a pale green shawl, and she had long, yellow hair that tossed about her head in the breeze.

There was one way the sisters were all alike, though. They loved each other dearly, and they always stayed together. This made them very strong.

One day a stranger came to the field of the Three Sisters - a Mohawk boy. He talked to the birds and other animals - this caught the attention of the three sisters.

Late that summer, the youngest and smallest sister disappeared. Her sisters were sad.

Again the Mohawk boy came to the field to gather reeds at the water's edge. The two sisters who were left watched his moccasin trail, and that night the second sister - the one in the yellow dress - disappeared as well.

Now the Elder Sister was the only one left.

She continued to stand tall in her field. When the Mohawk boy saw that she missed her sisters, he brought them all back together and they became stronger together, again.

This year the girls still remained on the sidelines and watched the dancing, but surprised us all by joining in on several other activities including spear throwing and a rather aggressive game of stick ball.   I think we may have found a new favorite outdoor game for our entire family.

Winter Recap

As much as these two loved all the powdery white stuff that fell on us this Winter they are more than happy to welcome in the wonderful Spring weather we've been experiencing as of late.  With temperatures reaching over 80 degrees this week it's hard to believe that some of these pictures were taken not long ago.  Though I will happily admit to hoping that we don't see more of this type of weather for several more months.  At least.