Free as a Bird...

This forsythia bush (Mom, is this a forsythia bush? I think that's what you told me) is too big for this window. Does it need lots of sunlight, or do I dare try and transplant it to the back yard? It scratches the window, and covers the whole thing when it's green.

Did you know I have my very own Tom Sawyer? Except, of course she has a sandy blonde pony tail, and holy jeans, and muddy tennis shoes...

Yesterday was cleaning day...The girls have to dust and scoop dog poop and clean the back yard. These are the chores I had to do when I was little, so I'm pretty sure this is necessary for character building. Anyway, later on I was cleaning the grass out of my flower beds. It was sunny and 56 degrees. We spent the whole afternoon outside. We were the only ones outside on our street, the next street over, and the neighborhood up the road. I know, because we rode our bicycles, and I didn't hear anybody but us screaming at their children. Then again, maybe I'm the only redneck screaming at her kids in this area...

Oliver's doing well. He didn't come in last night. We were worried since there was a coyote literally at my back fence...He came home this morning, but he has a scratched up face. He must have been in a cat fight.

Anyway, I was cleaning out a flower bed in the back yard. Bookworm was picking up trash, and Studmuffin was noticing that he will have to redo the wiring for the pool pump for the third time. You guessed it, the author of all destruction, Holly ate it again. Popcorn made an appearance to see what she was missing out on, then took off when she saw we were all working. Never fear, Studmuffin made her clean out the cat litter, so she didn't get off too easily...Heh, heh, heh...

Here's a little part of a flower bed I hoed. My back and shoulders and hands are feeling the pain of all that weeding and hoeing yesterday!

When I was cleaning out one of my flower beds, (that I truly ever despair of anything growing in, due to Holly, the plant killer) the dogs were all over me. Kelsey caught on pretty quick that I wanted her to leave me alone. However, Holly would go from nose in my face, where I would say, "Go on!" to licking the little gap of skin between my shirt and jeans on my back...Then when I would shriek and yell, "Go on," she'd circle back to my face....Oh, and that little strip of skin? It got F.R.I.E.D....Yeah, everyone should have their first sunburn on February 27th!

Can you believe this dog? Isn't she pretty? And sweet? And obedient? She actually is all three. However, she also tends to eat every plant and dig up every bush she sees.

We learned this week that Mindy's friend from class lives one street over, and actually right across from us. Their back yard faces the same field as ours... I sent the girls over to see if they wanted to play yesterday...

I did transplant this dwarf fir. It was originally part of a pair planted on either side of Bookworm's window, flanking that forsythia, that I'm not sure is a forsythia. However, one of them died. It looked funny, so I moved it to the backyard with the thought that surely Holly won't eat a prickly fir! Umm, and, looking at the picture, I MAY have planted it a little crooked!

Guess what? Before I knew it, another little boy who also lives over there showed up. He didn't even introduce himself, he merely took a basketball and refused to share it...Three balls and 5 kids doesn't work if twerps won't share. Studmuffin went over to see what the fuss was about, and he just went home. Studmuffin didn't even say anything, he just left! Then, today, Popcorn's classmate and another kid showed up again! The girls are so excited to have "the house" again.

I've been kinda sad that we don't have kids on our street to play with. I was the Koolaide house in Texas, but after 2 days of providing for snacks and drinks, I'm remembering why I had the hard and fast rule that the girls couldn't go in other people's houses. That way, it was fair when I wouldn't let all of the neighborhood kids eat out of my refrigerator! Yes, you may play at my house all day. But you will return to your own house for meals!

On an unrelated note: Guess what else? Popcorn isn't nearly as birdlike as she thought!

She left to go to the bathroom during the invitation today at church...

Every head is bowed, and every eye is closed....

We were sitting in the balcony, and I heard feet pounding up the stairs, I peeped to see if it was her, and to be prepared to shush her. She came around the corner flapping her arms like a bird, but immediately stopped when she realized it was "every head bowed, every eye closed" time. However, she was looking at her friend Maddy and smirking as she cut through the first row of pews. A short row of pews.

That is on a step....

She forgot about the step down when she was making googly eyes at her friend, and she fell...

Not just sorta fell. She fell flat on her face fell...

I started giggling.

Uncontrollably.

Sit down, bury your face in your arms, giggling.

Tears streaming down my face, shoulders shaking, "Please God, don't let me snort," giggling...

I'll say it again...

There is NOTHING funnier than a good fall.

And no, apparently my head wasn't bowed and my eyes weren't closed!