Happy 5th Birthday Hailey!

This past Saturday was HAILEY'S 5TH BIRTHDAY! I can't believe that my little baby girl is five years old. She is growing up so fast:( She had a great party. We had a big waterslide in the back yard. I am pretty sure that all of the kids liked it because they all went down that thing hundreds of times. Hailey was so excited to have all of her friends over for her special day. On the day after the party she walked into the room and said, "Thanks Mom and Dad for my party. It was the greatest party ever!" That's what I was hoping for. Last year I was not able to have Hailey's party due to my Dad's health. She had a party at the office given to her by some of the sweet ladies that work for the company. So this year I told her that we would do what ever she wanted for her Birthday. Here are some pics.

Why?

Why do kids always put sunglasses on upside down? This is Ty after enjoying his chocolate mint from Olive Garden.


-- Post From My iPhone

Little Cousins

This is what happens when the older kids are in school. The little ones take over the toys! This video makes me miss my little sweeties Jack and Callie:(

Springtime Fun!

These are just a few picture we have taken this spring. In the first one Ty is helping his Daddy do some landscaping at Goo goo's new house. In the second pic the kids wanted to pose with Goo goo's flowers. They are so silly! And the third and fourth picture are just some pictures we took at church since we were all dressed up. We have been very busy lately. We have been trying to get things crossed off of our To Do List. We have are flower beds planted and Todd put shelves up in the garage! Both of those things were really needed and a big improvement. I have also gone through Hailey and Tyler's closets and weeded out the outgrown clothing. This weekend we are going to paint Goo goo's pool house and work on getting the pool ready for swimming. We still have a long list with our house, Goo goo's house, and the ranch. However, it does feel good to get some things crossed off. Hailey will be performing in "The Wizard Of Oz" next week with her Theater Club. She will play the parts of a munchkin and a yellow poppy. I can't wait! Tyler has been enjoying his Easter candy and hangin out with Sam. Sam has a new name for me. It is Mama Toot-toot. He is so much fun. Sam is always good for a laugh!

Wordless Wednesday

-- Post From My iPhone

Swans

I think that I have previeously posted a blog about our swans. At the ranch one day several years ago two swans showed up and they have been there since. They stay around the banks of the tank and keep their distance from us. We all really enjoy watching them. They are very pretty. We made a trip out to the ranch today just to check on things and we found a surprise.

We saw the swan sitting on the bank in the grass and I thought we should go over a check for eggs. Sure enough there was four eggs in a nest. Here is just a little information I found about the breed of swans at the ranch.

The Mute Swan is the common swan of parks and estates. It is native across Europe and Asia and has been introduced in many other areas, including parts of North America. In England, all Mute Swans were considered the property of the Crown until the 18th century. Actually, they're still considered the property of the crown, but you're no longer hung for killing one.

Mutes can be distinguished from other white swans by the triangular naked black area in front of the eyes and the black knob above the deep orange bill. The fleshy knob on the head of these swans is more prominent on the males. An adult male (the cob) can weigh 25 lb (10.5 kg) and an adult female (the pen) 21 lb (9 kg). Usually juveniles are pale gray with gray legs, which become black in adulthood, but there is a European population, known as leucistic or Polish Mutes, in which the cygnets are white with pinkish legs. Both forms may occur in a single clutch as the coloring is a result of a sex-linked recessive gene.

Although quieter than some other species, it is by no means mute. Among its vocalizations are a loud snort when annoyed, shrill trumpeting when really angry, and an aggressive hiss. They are the most territorial of the swans and two males will fight viciously if one intrudes on another's turf. Nesting territories can cover 4-10 acres and are reoccupied by the same pair year after year. In breeding season they can be quite aggressive to people approaching the nesting area, and their large size makes them somewhat dangerous in this situation, so it is best to avoid them at that time.

The nest consists of a large pile of vegetation, usually by the shore of a body of water. A nest may be up to 4 meters (15 ft) in diameter. The chalky greenish-blue eggs are laid at intervals of 48 hours and a clutch averages 5-6 eggs. Incubation can last 35-41 days, with the pen doing most of the sitting. The cygnets can't fly til 120-150 days of age.

Some Mute Swans have been recorded to live past 30 years of age.

Happy Birthday Dad

Today would have been my Dad's 81st birthday. I woke up this morning and had about fifteen seconds before I thought about him. I miss him so much. But I am going to try not to be sad today. I am going to try to just remember his life and celebrate it, not mourn his death. I love you Dad and I wish you a happy happy birthday.