Backyard Wildlife

In the 3 years we've lived in this house, we've had more than our share of wildlife:

There's been lots of squirrels and tons of bunnies, I saw a raccoon climbing our back fence, and every now and then we hear an owl in the tree out front.  The first couple of weeks we lived here there was a rooster just hanging out.  When Ollie was around, he would catch little shrews or moles, and eventually, he got taken by coyotes (we think) and Jordan even heard coyotes howling while she and her friends had a fire in the yard.  We always see robins, crows and even hawks and a couple bald eagles!

Here's a bunny Ollie caught and brought in 😬

So far this spring, we have seen our wildlife up a little closer:  

First, it was the snake--yikes.  I HATE snakes...like really hate them.  I was working in the garden and was walking to the front to throw some trash away when I saw a garter snake on the grass.  I'm sure I screamed, then I headed inside because I'm sure at least some of the family would be excited to see it.  Tyson, Mike, and Summer were out there instantly!  Summer even wanted to keep it--no way!  I was thrilled when only a few hours after making a home for it, she decided to let it free...oh but not before feeding it a worm I found in the garden.  I sure hope I don't see any more snakes in the yard.

 Next was the baby bunny.  The very next day after catching and releasing the snake, the cutest, tiniest little bunny hopped into our yard.  Summer, Mike, and Callie spent at least an hour trying to catch it!  Finally, they managed to grab it.  It was a little hurt (probably from escaping from Callie and running under the patio) so we put it in a box.  Summer REALLY wanted to keep it.  She named it Cocoa and decorated it's box.  She kept it overnight and then we told her she had to let it go free.  She was really upset about it, but finally, let her go.

Lastly, a couple days later a bird flew into our backdoor.  When we went out to see if it was ok, it was laying on our patio chair.  It looked fine but wasn't moving.  Summer ran and got her nest and we put the bird in it.  The poor bird just sat there, not really moving.  I was worried it was just going to die and Summer would again be traumatized, but after about 20min it flew away as good as new!

I think that's enough wildlife for this entire year, but I am sure Summer wouldn't agree!  She certainly loves her animals:)

We have too much time on our hands...

...so we spent an afternoon recreating old photos:)  What else would we do?!

I can't decide which one is my favorite...they are all so good!

What's Keeping me Sane

I never would have thought when I was young helping my dad carry branches to the backyard or avoiding weeding the garden with my mom, that I would absolutely LOVE working in the yard.  During this time of isolation, it has truly saved me!  If I can weed the garden, spread mulch, cut the grass, prune the bushes, plant some new flowers, or even just over-seed that lawn it lifts my spirits.  I am so thankful to live in a place where we have the space to work in the yard.  I am thankful for God's beautiful creations that I can enjoy...they really are food for the soul.

Our rock project

Love the bright yellow forsythia

Beautiful tulips

The one time I let Dad drive the tractor:) Haha

My lilacs!!

RIP Little Baby Blackberry

Little Baby Blackberry 2018-2020

Such a sweet little hamster

Blackberry was sick for about 4 days before she finally left us.  Poor little baby.  It was so sad for Summer (and me)...especially burying her:(  I don't think my heart can handle any more of these pets that don't live very long.  We sure do love our fluffy friends.

The Kid Car

What happens when your 16-year old totals her glamorous 2003 Toyota Corolla?  She gets a 1999 Toyota Camry that only unlocks from the back seat-haha.

A couple weeks ago I was waiting up for Kya to get home when I got a text saying she crashed the car.  Such a scary, awful moment.  Luckily she wasn't hurt and she didn't hit another car (just a garbage can, fire hydrant and telephone pole).  But the car was totaled...and poor Dad and Kya didn't get home until about 3 am dealing with the whole ordeal.

This is the 3rd and last crash for this kid car.  Mike and I didn't really know what to do.  About a week after the accident, a family in the ward had an Camry they were giving away, so we snatched it up.  We haven't insured it or added either kid back to the insurance yet...we'll see.

Easter in Isolation 2020

Easter weekend was not the greatest for me this year.  Not only were we in isolation (so we couldn't go to church), but I was also really sick the entire weekend.  Luckily I was finally well enough by Sunday so I could make our ham dinner (but not well enough to eat it) although, it was hard to enjoy the day.  The kids did humor me enough to get dressed up and take our traditional Easter Sunday pictures.  Since we are social distancing, the Easter Bunny decided to leave everyone a new game with their basket.  Summer and Tyson hunted for eggs, we played some family games, had a nice dinner, and lots of family time.  During this pandemic, it's comforting to know that life is eternal because of our Savior Jesus Christ and His resurrection.

Entertaining Ourselves (at home)

I love being with my family AND I love being home, BUT when you can't go anywhere BUT home and you can't see anyone BUT your family, it starts getting a little tricky! 

Here are some of the things we've been doing to keep life interesting during this "isolation" time:

Photo Shoots

Puzzles

We bought Summer her first bike

Baking

(I made French Bread for the first time ever and it was DELICIOUS!)

I tried some new recipes...like Chicken Gnocchi Soup AND THESE Cookie Dough Brownies-YUM!

Dying Hair...PINK!!

Watching Home Movies

Going Through Memory Boxes

(and trying on every single dance costume Jordan has ever worn)

Eyelash Lifts

(I didn't even know this was a thing!)

Campfires

School Projects

(Somehow I convinced Tyson to build a bird feeder for his art project:))

Building Forts

(Can you spot the kitty?)

Learning to do Dutch braids

As much fun as we are having keeping ourselves entertained, we are still aching for our old life to come back!!  We miss our friends, our family, going places and doing things! 

Jordan's Home

At the beginning of March 2020, all schools in Washington were closed because of Covid-19.  It didn't take long for other states to follow...when I heard that the BYUs were switching all classes online, I was anxious to get Jordan home.  I was worried about flights being canceled and her getting stuck in Hawaii.  The only problem was, she had friends from Washington who were scheduled to fly out to visit at the end of the month.  Just a few days before they were planning to leave, all parents agreed it wasn't safe to fly, so we booked Jordan on the next flight home.  It felt good to have all my kids under one roof, especially during such crazy, uncertain times.