Bird Lover

Boy, I have really abandoned this blog since the summer! After watching old video clips and looking at photographs from last year I have realized just how fast time flies and am going to make it a priority to get back at consistently adding to this wonderful blog that documents our children's growth and beautiful lives.

In the past few weeks Addy has really come to love birds.

 She came across my childhood book Birds of North America.

 Jimmy actually had the same one growing up...

Did anyone else have this book as a child?

My love for birds occurred when I was in the 5th grade as my teacher was a birder. Jimmy took on the moniker of "bird boy" at a very young age. He recalls his personal connection with birds when he found a baby robin that had fallen out of it's nest. As a compassionate first grader he told his parents about this and his dad put the bird back in the nest. Amazingly, Jimmy got to watch the bird grow and flege. From there it was a childhood filled of bird songs and bird books.  

Addy found the copy of this book, took her colored pencils and notebooks up to her room and has spent quite a bit of time copying the birds into her notebook, she even includes their names. As you can see from the picture she can stay very focused and pays attention to details. She even requested that we hang up masking/butcher paper up on her wall so that she could draw more birds.

This afternoon when we got home from school Addy headed straight to the backyard. Since I had dishes to do and dinner to make I kept an eye on her from the kitchen, which didn't quite happen since I just wanted to observe her. When I first peered out the window she was playing in the playhouse, the second time she was sitting on the bench just looking. I thought to myself is she hearing a bird chirp or looking for a bird. She sat there for quite a few minutes. Then I noticed she went over to the area of our yard with the evergreen trees and found some twigs. Next she headed to the chiminea and took some old, wet newspaper..she was making a nest! Pretty soon she headed back inside to tell me all about it. She was quite proud and is hoping a bird will come soon. I think we are all ready for the birds to flock back to town and for spring to arrive....maybe it will arrive with the changing of the clocks this weekend!

I have been practicing using some apps with the girls, click on the orange words titled "Addy's.." for an interactive experience!

Addy's Bird Nest Drawing Clip (click on the text to the left, not the photo)

  The nest that Addy made outside (click on the text to the left, not the photo)