Banding of the Hummingbirds

We went to the banding of the hummingbirds over Memorial Day weekend. It's on a private farm in the Rockland area where data is collected about the hummingbirds and then they are "banded" so that bird can be tracked and compared if captured in the future. It was seriously one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Both Sydnie and Cordel got to hold a hummingbird, albeit briefly, before it was set free. I captured Cordel holding one. The little buggars are tiny and super fast, and w/o a high speed camera, getting a good shot of them is difficult. It's pretty hard to see them in the pictures, but if you look close you'll see them.

Cordel holding the hummingbird...


And one second later, GONE!



Fluttering at my wrist, they flap their wings so fast that they make a buzzing sound.



You can see a little green blur right at the corner of the table against my blue sweatshirt. He was only 6 inches away from me!



Collecting data on the bird. It's in his hands, but too small to really see.



This one is perched on the left side of the feeder, blending in with the tree.

You can see some amazing pictures and get more info at http://journalnet.com/galleries/hummingbirds/

Mr. Smarty Pants

Another spelling attempt by Mr. Smarty Pants Cordel. He got the phrase "Cost Money" from me cause I tell him "No, that costs money" when we are in a store and he wants something. How cute is that, huh?

Page for May's Club!!

Here is our page we will be making for May. My title is "A surgery for Sydnie" but our schedule says "Family Time"--- As you can see, it's a very versatile page. Really any theme will work! Colors are Kraft, Barely Banana, Kiwi Kiss, and Ridinghood Red. We are doing some paper piercing, stamping, and using punches to make our design elements. There is also ribbon and hodgepodge. We are also going to be sanding the edges of our pictures, which adds a really nice touch! (page one has 3 4x5's and page two has 4 4x4's)

My first assignment!!

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I received my first assignment back from my online writing school. I had to write a short descriptive character sketch (500 words or less). I chose to write about my sweet husband and the story about how we met. The following is what my instructor had to say.

"I loved reading this profile, McKenzie. Your writing is smooth, as well as friendly and accessible. I found no mechanical faults either... You have the skills I am always looking for in this first assignment, specifically the ability to bring a person to life on the page. The way you approached this profile tells me way more than a ten-page curriculum vitae of Shane ever could.... What a wonderful tribute to your Husband!" --Anne


The only thing she suggested was that I change a semi colon to a dash. Needless to say, I was quite pleased with her remarks. I hope I can do as well on my future assignments!

Typhoid Mary

So, last week we discovered that our little Sydnie is allergic to peanuts. We are not sure how severe it is, but as you can see from the pictures, she broke out in hives all over her face and when we took her to the doc, he gave us an Epi-pen. We have to make sure we have it with her AT ALL TIMES! Poor baby! Now we lovingly use the nickname "Typhoid Mary" (in my head I always sing the tune to "Mustang Sally" along with it...lol!) because at the tender age of 2, she has already had whopping cough (age 3 weeks), Staph infection (age 1) and now peanut allergy (age 2). Does anybody else find it strange that these 3 incidences all happened in the month of April? In our family, April showers bring sickness, surgeries, and hives!