st paddys day

Today we took our Irish selves and met our Asian friends for a fun afternoon at the Transportation Museum.  Just to clarify- I am 1/4 Irish (my grandma was 100% Irish- w/last names like Kelley and Fagan it cannot be disputed!)  My girls both got their red hair from their Irish roots!

Anywhoo...  we donned our green and spent some times running around the big rigs.  We even got to ride a miniature train (before the lightning and thunder rolled in).  We didn't let the rain stop us though.  We kept on.... splashing in a few puddles as we went along.

what celebrating 10 looks like

bird museum

Today the second grade hosted the long awaited bird museum.  For the last month they have been avidly studying many different birds.  The culmination of this study was a museum complete with the  birds giving a speech on who they are and what they do.  It was fun to see everyone dressed up and articulating the knowledge they absorbed.

Luke has been waiting for this project since witnessing it last year.  He is an avid birder.  He definitely has favorite birds: peregrine falcon, fish eagle, golden eagle, hummingbird, american kestrel, weaver bird, eastern screech owl, eastern eagle owl and the harpy eagle.... to name a few.  He chose to study the spangled kookaburra because he didn't know much about it.  We actually saw one in January when we were at Jungle Gardens in Florida.  We learned that the kookaburra if from Australia and is the largest kingfisher.  He is carnivore but because his beak is so long he has to catch his prey and beat it against a rock to tenderize it so he can swallow it whole.  He also makes a noise like a laugh (you probably have heard it before.)  The kookaburra is a cool bird.

Luke enjoyed learning about the kookaburra.

american robin...

 snowy owl...

 kiwi bird...

 eastern screech owl...

 secretary bird...

 rainbow lorikeet...

 cockatoo and black capped lory...

 golden eagle...

 arctic tern...

 emperor penguin...

 atlantic puffin...

 red headed woodpecker...

 flamingo...

the kookaburra and king penguin beak fighting...

10

Today my baby girl is 10.

It's almost unfathomable.

She is quite the girl.

She is smart and funny.  A great friend and sister.  You can count on Carsyn for just about anything.  I am so proud her!

This week has brought about a lot of emotions.  I am glad she is growing up but it seems a bit too fast.  I am not sure I am ready to have a "tween".  It brings about a whole new world that I have not experienced for m.a.n.y years.  I pray that God will help us both through this next year!

devan

Devan was here overnight to help us celebrate Carsyn's birthday.  She hung out with the fam yesterday.  Today we had a fun day shopping while the kids were at school.  We picked the kiddos up at 3:00 and took them out for cupcakes.   After a little playtime at home she left.  The good news is that she will be back in 11 days!  It's always fun to have Devan around.