The End of a Great Day

Today was a great day. It was just me and the three younger boys, as Dave and Jonathan are away for the weekend (more about that on a later post!). After sleeping in a bit, we got up and had a leisurely breakfast...if feeding three kids three different things at three different times can be considered leisurely! When Nathaniel went down for a little nap, I snuck in a shower so that we could all be ready to leave for Lancaster by 11 a.m. We got off at 11:18 a.m., so we didn't do too badly! We went to our dear friend and adopted mom/grandmom's house, Sharon Metzger, for lunch. She lives right across the cul-de-sac from our old house, so it's always a bit nostalgic to go there. After a yummy lunch (which was really more of a dinner!) we played games, napped (at least the younger two!) and chatted all afternoon. Around 5 p.m. we were off to a high school graduation party for another dear friend's son from our former church. It was wonderful to catch up with old friends and just feel the love and warmth of that special group of people. I am now home, finished with baths and bedtime routines, and ready to relax. But I thought I needed to record my thoughts on this, the end of a great day!

The Many Faces of Nathaniel

Brotherly Love

Aren't brothers the best?

Of course, I wouldn't know...I didn't have any!

The Facts of Life, Part 2

A couple of weeks ago, you remember that here I talked about Benjamin finding the baby birds, and the whole saga surrounding that discovery. As an addendum, the mother bird did come back to the nest, but then we had some very windy storms and the babies ended up falling out of the nest and dying anyway. I figure we did what we could for the birds, but the mama bird made a poor choice of tree when she built her nest! Here are some of the photos we took when the babies were still alive and well.

Well our backyard wildlife drama continues this weekend with the chance discovery of a nest of baby rabbits in a hole in the yard. We had friends over and the guys were all playing bacche ball when the hole was discovered. Dave had the boys remove the nest and the babies and place them sort of underneath the shed, where we know other bunnies live, but this morning Dave found the poor babies roasting in the sun and took pity on them...much to my surprise! Yesterday it was, "Those darn rodents, who cares if we have a few less in the neighborhood." Today it was "I feel responsible for the baby bunnies!" And they say women change their minds! After checking the good 'ole internet for how to take care of baby rabbits, it was off to the local pet store to purchase kitten milk substitute, whole cream, and acidophilus tablets to feed the baby rabbits. Meanwhile, I called the wildlife rehabilitation center in Dauphin County and left a message...I wasn't too keen on raising wild rabbits for too long in our household! Fortunately, they called back, and Dave will be dropping the babies off tomorrow morning, if all goes well, and they will be out of our hands. But for tonight, we have six little baby rabbits to fuss over...and they are cute! You can check out the photos below and see for yourself!

It's Over

I'm never quite sure what my older boys will tell me when they get off the bus from school each day. I almost dread it a little bit, because many times they are bickering with each other as they walk through the door...not a good indication of what my night sans hubby (who works second shift) will be like! Today was no exception. I was on the phone with a computer (you know...one word answers to stupid questions when you really need to talk with a live person!) when the boys got home. They came into my bedroom and proceeded to try to talk with, rather TO, me while I was on the phone (have I mentioned that we are working on phone etiquette?). I used my hand gestures to tell them to be quiet for a moment, finally got a live human, and finished my phone conversation. I then turned my attention on my dear sons who proceeded to tell me about their "good" days at school. When they both had a turn talking while the other one was talking (have I mentioned that we are working on being polite?), Jonathan dropped the "big one"..."Oh, by the way, S. and I don't like each other anymore." Before I could get a word in edgewise, Sabastian chimed in, "Yeah, they broke up." Inside I was dancing the happy dance, but I wanted to be supportive, so I asked why. "She likes other boys and stuff." "Was it worth it, Bud?" I asked. "No," he smiled. "I told you girls were fickle from the beginning, didn't I?" "Yeah," he agreed...with a smile...and off they went to play basketball.

And I did the happy dance!

(Although I'm not naive enough to know that this won't be the last time!!!!)

The Facts of Life

Last week the boys found a robin's nest containing two baby birds and two unhatched eggs. It was located in one of a row of little evergreen trees along the fence in our backyard. The older boys knew not to touch the nest, but Benjamin was just fascinated by it...and it was right at his level. We caught him with an egg one day, and reiterated to him that he was not to touch the nest, but apparently his "concern" for the birds got the best of him today. He went out to play and I went through my litany of do's and don'ts, but I forgot the bird nest. So when I checked on him a few minutes later, I was horrified to see him carrying the nest, minus the baby birds! I flew out the back door saying (in a loud, frenzied voice) to be careful and where were the birds when I noticed that the birds were on the grass...about to be squashed by Benjamin's foot! I guess my hollering got Benjamin's attention, because he froze where he was. I took the nest from him and got him to the house, all the while "reminding" him that he was not to touch the birds because the mommy bird wouldn't come back to feed them and they would die. He felt badly, and started to cry, but I had to leave him to get Sabastian who put on some gardening gloves, put the baby birds back in their nest, and placed the nest back in the tree. Meanwhile, Benjamin went to his room and locked himself in there, sobbing. When we finally found him (after calling for him without his answering and thinking he might have escaped out the front door yet again!) Sabastian picked the lock and I went in. My dear son was very upset, and explained that he just wanted to feed the babies some grass. I thanked him for caring for the birdies, but reiterated to him that God made the mommy bird to take care of the baby birds, and we were not supposed to touch them or the nest, or the mommy bird wouldn't do her job. When I finally calmed him down, we washed his hands and ate lunch. I checked out the window periodically to see if the female bird was around, and I think I saw her once, checking out the nest, but then she flew away. I finally went outside to look and found the birds had fallen out of the nest, so perhaps that's why the mother flew away. I don't think she's coming back, but we replaced the babies yet again and put the nest in a more secure location. My mother's heart is sad for the babies, but I really don't know that I can help them. I have a call in to a local wildlife rehabilitation center, but they probably won't get back to me in time since it's the weekend. Just another saga in the Fisher's backyard adventures...and it always happens when Dave's not around...go figure!

What a Beautiful Day!

Today was a beautiful, sunny day here in PA--it hit 70 degrees and there was a nice breeze...just perfect! Additionally, I was able to spend a good portion of the day with my dear friend, Beth, strolling around downtown Lancaster taking in the little shops and such. She introduced me to a new craft--jewelry making! We went to a bead store where we both made bracelets and necklaces, and now I'm hooked! It's such an economical way to enhance your jewelry wardrobe, and so much fun! Thanks, Beth, for a great day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to my mom and mother-in-law and all four grandmothers on both sides of the family tree! You are all special ladies and we love you very much! Additionally, special greetings to my sisters and other friends and family who are mothers...what we do may seem insignificant to some, but it is eternally valuable in the sight of God! Keep on keeping on, moms!

New Niece and Nephews

Today our family welcomed its newest addition...Kendra Joy Rubin! She is the fourth child of my middle sister, Jenn, and her husband, Mark. She was born in Santiago, Chile, so I won't get to see her for awhile, and that makes me sad...but thank God for skype and blogs! Speaking of blogs, check out my sister Steph's blog for photos of my two new nephews, Ian David and Alec Stephen, who are waiting to be adopted in Haiti. They are adorable and I can't wait to meet them, either! Pray that the funds come in soon so that these two little guys can be with their forever family, too!

Cool Site

I came across this website today. Since I am a mother to four boys, one of whom is a teenager, it was interesting to me. I don't know that Jonathan is totally ready to understand all that is on this website (and in the accompanying book), but I will definitely keep it in mind to share with him as he matures. As a woman, I was especially intrigued by the modesty survey this organization has done. If you are a woman, or a mother of daughters, I HIGHLY recommend you peruse this survey on modesty. As a mother of sons, it helped me understand a little bit better how they are wired...and any help I can get in that area, I'll take!

Easy Come, Easy Go

I have been spending WAY too much time on-line entering contests, but today it paid off...sort of. I won a book from 24/7 Moms that I will read, review, and post for them. Should be fun. I also won a really great bag from a style site...but found out about it when I got an e-mail today saying I never responded to the e-mail about winning, so they had to choose someone else! This bag was awesome...$115.00 retail awesome...and I won it! But I never got the e -mail! I don't have a junk mail folder, and I checked my deleted folder...no original e-mail. So, chalk it up to God wanting me to have a book and not a bag...did I mention the title of the book? It's called Children Change a Marriage...who says God doesn't have a sense of humor?

"Making Pancakes"

A few days ago...maybe more like a couple of weeks now...I found Benjamin with some amusing "bumps" under his shirt, watching television. When I asked him what the "bumps" were, he said he was "making pancakes". Now you must understand that he has entertained us many times with his "pumper" comments (after watching me pump milk for Nathaniel the very few times I did so!) so I kind of thought he was saying something along those lines due to the strategic placement of the "bumps", but no, he was "making pancakes". Well, it turns out the "pancakes" were two huge pom-poms that he had removed from my craft cabinet! I got a hoot out of that one!

(I apologize for the sideways photos, but I haven't figured out how to turn them around yet without a lot of trouble! If someone can let me know, I'd appreciate it!)