okay, this will be the last time i talk about birds. but so crazy but our local news station is also experiencing a mama robin and her babies outside their station. and they are streaming the nest live! here is the link. so though, our babies didn't make it... i can still witness other baby robins. and if you read their updates, they, too had an attack on their nest where two out of the four babies didn't survive. :(

http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/momma-robin-nests-with-four-eggs-outside-newsroom-at-broadcast-house-here-at-channel-7

the exterior of our house is being painted. and our very nice painters informed me that there was a bird's nest with eggs on one of the window sills on the second floor. he powerwashed our house in preparation for the painting and noticed it. he said he doesn't want to move it and would be able to work around it. at first, i was sort of whatever about it. up until now, birds kind of grossed me out. we always seems to have a ton of them around our house. and once i found a flock of them dead on our deck! so gross!! so really, they've just been kind of a nuisance to me. but he showed me the nest and i realized it was in front of addison's closet window. the next day, he said, "break out the champagne, there are two babies in there!" so, later that day and right before our bedtime routine, i peeked out the window and sure enough i saw the nest! my goodness! the babies were tiny... almost a little gross-looking. they were pink with no hair and buggy eyes. and i noticed one egg had not hatched yet. my motherly instincts kicked into overdrive! these ugly little babies were tugging on my heartstrings big time! one of the two was pretty active. it kept opening up it's mouth for food. the other little guy was more subdued. and then there was also the egg. i immediately got my camera and took some pics. the girls and i were so excited! so then i gave the kids a bath and tucked ellie in. and then after, addison and i checked on the nest again and noticed that one of the babies was gone!!! i wasn't quite sure what had happened. i was worried, but didn't want to let on to addison that i was worried. so i downplayed it. i thought maybe it was weak and didn't survive so the mom took it away somewhere. i didn't know. anyway, we checked the next day and noticed that he/she was still gone. :( i was sad. but also, on that next day, the third egg had hatched. we were then very careful to not bother the nest or the mother. we knew how important it was for her to protect and keep her babies safe and warm. so i stressed to addison to be extra quiet when she checked on them. addison was super excited about our new little family. but honestly, i was too! i looked online and read up that they were robins and these little nestlings will stay around for around 2 weeks and then they will fly away. i was so excited to watch their growth for the next two weeks!






it's been amazing. i actually saw the mother feeding the babies. we watched the mom diligently stay on the nest keeping them snuggled and warm. and if she happen to hear us, she would fly away, but only fly to the tree next to the nest and wait until she felt safe again and then go back onto her babies. it was so interesting. just from the few moments of observation, i could clearly see a mother's devotion to her offspring.

but then today something tragic happened. we checked on them in the morning. we noticed the usual happenings... mother sitting on them, protecting them. but then later in the day, i noticed while i was in the kitchen, something black flying by the window below the nest. i thought for a second, i hope the babies are okay. but then i got distracted with the kids. then later when we went up for bedtime, we looked and the nest was GONE!!! oh my gosh, my heart sank! i knew they were gone or hurt. i really tried to downplay it towards addison. i just told her that maybe something happened and they didn't survive. but i tried not to make it a huge issue. it was hard. after i tucked them in, i went outside and saw the nest on the bushes below. it was empty and i saw one baby dead on the ground!! i was devastated!! then i saw a robin, i think it was the mom in the tree making noise.. maybe crying. i seriously cried for a good 5 mintues. i'm guessing that it was a crow that i saw and he perhaps ate the babies? so terrible! i can't believe i got so attached to them so quickly. i guess since i'm a mom, i can relate. i felt so bad for that mama bird.

well, life and nature can be so cruel. but hopefully, that mama bird can lay eggs again and be safe. life goes on.... :(

ahhh, spring is finally here! we're wearing short-sleeves... shoes with no socks...opening up the windows. i love it. i realize how much i enjoy and need sunshine in my life. it's such a mood booster for me. and michigan springs, though they are short, are really beautiful. we have these trees in the back of our house that are momentarily a beautiful white and then turn green when summer hits. addison asked me earlier this week, "who planted those white trees??" and our daffodils in our backyard ripen at the beginning of spring. it is a beautiful way to an announce the warmer weather!

anyway, we ran a bunch of errands today... as addison didn't have school today and jimmy is out of town. we ran to the mall and got addie's haircut. i know we should be outdoors, but this particular mall was not crowded this morning and the kids had fun running around.

here they are... short-sleeved, bare-foot and all!








climbing on the mushrooms!






doing a happy dance



addison kept helping ellie up and down on this giant hot dog. it was so sweet to see addison giving her little sister a lift every time. :)



good times with the giant corn. :)

Mother's day

Happy mother's day to all the mothers out there! It was a great day here. Not only was the weather beautiful, but we had a nice family day. I didn't really do anything that out of the norm (church, brunch, and a soccer game) but it was perfect. It was a typical day that is representative of my life. God, food :) and spending time with the kids with Jimmy, and capping off the day with a glass of wine. As tiring as it may be to be a mom sometimes, it's worth all the blood, sweat, and tears... It doesnt hurt when you're showered with lots of hugs and kisses and handmade gifts. :) But those goofy little grins looking up at me melt my heart every time. So it's nice to be honored on this day. But it's, i, who feels truly honored and humbled for being blessed to be Addie and Ellie's mom.


last summer



this spring



addie with her team



ellie ready for some soccer.



refueling with snacks to do some more cheering



"yup, it's rough out there." :)

will try and get better soccer pics next week. i forgot to bring my camera this week.

easter songs

i forgot to post these videos from Easter Sunday. the kids at church did a special praise performance. :) they are so CUTE!! if you can't tell addison is in the front row in the center with the pink dress and white sweater. watching these just makes me happy. :)

our trip to the bay area

we went to the bay area for jimmy's brother's wedding. and we extended our stay there and had a little vacation and visit with friends. i was a little nervous to fly with ellie. this was her longest flight. those who know our beloved ellie know that she can be a little wild and stubborn and determined. and to add to her already spunky personality, she is at the lovely terrible two's stage.... where sitting still for more than 5 minutes can be a daunting task. AND she was suffering from her cold still so she was a little extra fussy. but we needed to do this. i stayed calm and determined.. well, at least at the beginning. ;) i came prepared for our journey with lots of snacks, drinks, and a bag full of tricks (every electronic device we own, toys, books, etc)! addison is a breeze with traveling. give her a couple coloring or activity books, a video on my iphone, and jimmy's ipod with a justin bieber song on repeat and she's good to go! ellie ended up doing okay on the way. we had a minor meltdown the last hour of the flight but i knew it was because she was tired and just wanted to sleep. eventually, jimmy soothed her to sleep somehow. and then voila, we landed to sunny california! yay! we got our rental car, drove to the hotel, and met up with my sister and her boyfriend (they came up from LA to meet us!). we basically hung out at the hotel the rest of the day because everyone was really tired. fortunately, everyone got acclimated to the time difference fairly quickly. the kids woke up the next day early, but not excruciatingly early. we ventured into san francisco to lunch with my dear friend, sandy. i haven't been into SF in so long. it was so nostalgic being there. so many memories from when i used to live in the bay area. all was good, but then later that day, addison complained that her ears hurt. i was hoping it was still the pressure from the flight and dreading that it was anything more. but she said she couldn't nap because it hurt so bad. jimmy ended up taking her to the hospital to get her ears checked and low and behold she had an ear infection. i knew it. the last time she said her ears hurt like that she had an ear infection. that hospital trip took a few hours. but the antibiotics helped so much. the next day, we headed to the oakland zoo. my friend, cindy and her kids met us there. i really like this zoo... it's not too big and the animals are so visible. and then after that we took my sister to the airport. later that day, we had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner (at a really good chinese restaurant in berkeley! i'm still salivating over it!) and then saturday, we lounged near the hotel at a nearby outdoor mall and then got ready for the wedding and the girls' big debut as flower girls together. they looked great and did great! they made it down the aisle without a hitch! i was proud. :) i wish i had video footage. darn. we couldn't stay long after the ceremony. it was challenging with the kids, especially ellie. they were hungry, tired, antsy and it was crowded. we had been at the church since 3pm. jimmy and i felt like the best decision was for me to take the kids back to hotel and have them call it a day while he stayed back. it worked much better that way. and then the remainder of our trip we headed to our friends house, who are practically family... the yun's. addison and their daughter bella have seen each other 2-3 times a year since they were born. they were instant friends from the beginning. and this time was no different. they immediately bonded at first meeting and were inseparable during our stay there. :) so great to see that! our stay at the yun's consisted of lots of squealing from the kids, some partaking of some mommy/daddy juice, great bonding time with the grown ups. we love seeing them and it's always sad to say goodbye to such close friends. so long bay area... so long california sun... it was a blast! til next time!! :)






thank goodness for dvd players!









choo choo train time at the zoo



jimmy's long lost brother... haha!



don't you see the resemblence?? heheh just kidding!



ellie pretending to be mommy



at rehearsal



this is what ellie does when i say "cheese!"






striking a pose



dancing and having fun while we wait