Bringing Chica Home!

On Saturday we brought home Chica, our very first bird! She is a Yellow Sided Green Cheek Conour. We have been watching her grow from the tinest baby online from a family in Waddle Arizona who breed birds. She has been hand fed and is very docile. My kids absolutely adore her.

I have been so nurvous about getting this bird and Dave and I have had second thoughts and wondered if we are doing the right thing with such a busy little family and with Gavin being just one (almost). I think I even lost some sleep over this bird the night before we brought her home. She is suppose to eat a fresh "mash" of food everyday with seeds and pellets as a suplement. I have been so stressed about her diet, but am feeling better about it already. I am learning to grow little sprouts from beans and seeds and am learning all the foods this bird can and can't have. I think it seemed even more complicated than having a baby at first.

But now she is here. We named her "Chica" meaning chic in spanish. She loves being with us and doesn't get put down much. I really don't think the kids will get sick of her, especially Arden. Although I was worried Alexis and Spencer would be scared of her, they are not and want to hold her just as much as Arden does, which is a really good thing, since this is a "family" pet and well part of our family now. Green Cheeks can live for 20 to 30 years, so this was a very big decision, one we have been talking about for two year now.

So welcome home Chica!

This is Arden with Chica on her shoulder both sleeping in peace. I took this picture in the back seat of our van on the way home just after we picked her up down in the Pheonix area. This was so cute, she even fell asleep on Dave's shoulder while he was driving.


Arden will love this bird so much. She will never want to put it down, and I will use this as leverage to my advantage.

In the back yard, getting some fresh air. Chica picks at her flight suit as she is still not excited about wearing it. Hopefully she won't mind so much when she realizes that she gets to go outside if she has it on.

Chica really likes Spencer's skinny shoulder, it must be kinda like being a on branch! Spencer is great with her and loves her, can you see the happy look on his face. He is proud to be a bird owner.


I love this kinda smile, it means something is right, something is good and my boy is happy.


Alexis just likes to relax with the bird. She also likes to offer food to Chica while she holds her. And she loves to snuggle and pet her.


On the tampoline!

They all like to talk to Chica and sing to her. Arden even had her perched on the piano while she gave Chica the most amazing and happy piano lesson ever, while Chica sat there patiently on the piano and listened until Arden was done.

catching waves

the boys went body surfing and boarding in the evenings, it was fun to watch them, the kids thought it was cool to see dad out there surfing it up

Holding Hands

I thought this was so sweet. Arden was holding Dave's hand on the peir when we were in Oceanside and I thought it was so great that she has been wearing this "CTR" bracelet. She hasn't taken it off since her baptism.

Beach, beach, and more beach.

I love Spencer's feet, I always have, they are so boyish and so me!

Alexis loves to relax. She would love a facial or a peticure, she is just that type of girl.

Arden is great on a body board!

I can still hear him laughing when I look at this picture. It was the funniest thing, Gavin just sat in this chair and laughed and laughed, like it was just so great to be in this chair. It was really hilarious.

Oceanside Harbor

Oceanside Harbor is a dreamy little place with shops and restaurants.

Beach pics

Oceanside Harbor

Cousins

Family Sunday photos from Oceanside

Gav Walking

Gav has been walking more and more everyday. Here he is with Spiderman getting around the house!

Back Yard Saturday!

Hurray High School Musical Moment!

Serious boy and his Dad's saw!

Gav in the sandbox. It's nice that he can get around and play. He is almost totally walking. He takes like 15 and 20 steps at a time now. I have lots of videos I should blog.

Good Morning Dirt!

On saturday morning the girls and I hit the dirt on our bikes and took off up the mountain. I was really impressed with them. We road three miles on the back roads, caught two horny toad lizards and a snake and came home filthy dirty. Here are the girls with their lizards with their feet in water getting clean and relaxing!

Alexis goes on a field trip to the Deer Farm!

I don't know why I think it is so cute how they sometimes stand watching, arms crossed in back.

She is so happy just to be with me and have me all to herself.

Super cute friends, they are all so beautiful.

Thought for the Day

"Don't eat the whole bag of chocolate chips you won't be able to make cookies on Sunday!"

"Children left unattended will be given an expresso and a free puppy"

Arden read this sign at Warner's Nursey's fish pond and got really excited that she was going to get a free puppy. "Look Mom we get a free puppy!" she exclaimed with total excitement in her eyes, "Can we have one? Can we have one?"

"That's just a joke." I told her rolling my eyes and shaking my head. Odviously she doesn't get the sarcasm in the sign! Although I do think it is quite a funny thing, the workers there must get a lot of laughs.

Mother's Day Quotes

I've really been into quotes lately, I'm not sure why, I think it is because I have been reading more or maybe it is that I need more inspiration! So here are my Mother's Day quotes.

"It's not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings." -Ann Landers-

"The Mother loves her children most divinely, not when she surrounds them with comfort and anticipates their wants, but when she resolutely holds them to the highest standards and is content with nothing less than their BEST." -Hamilton Wright Mabie-

Oak Creek

My kids could live here!

T-Ball

This is a favorite. Just look at the smile on his face, it's the best! I love getting shots like this, that is what it is all about for me, documenting one moment of their lives so they can look back someday when they are much older and see how great it was. If you havn't seen HSM 3 you should check out the seen when Troy and Chad are little boys in the Junk Yard, it is so so cute. The little boy who plays Troy reminds me of Spencer. Ok, now I am babbling!

James, Sam and Spencer....missng Ben.

If only I could read his gorgeous mind.

Spencer needs Dave so bad. I was playing catch in the back yard with Spencer and teaching him all about baseball. Then at T-Ball practice he was doing all the things I taught him, but I found out they were all wrong. I taught him how to throw the ball underhand instead of overhand...oops! We just really need you Dave.

Raw, raw, raw!!!