The Birdhouse

Birthday Week

2012-01-20T16:17:00.000-08:00

We had a nice long holiday with Jessica before she went back to school. She left the day of my birthday for her second semester. Here, she is out to dinner at Cheesecake Factory with us on our anniversary. She posted on facebook: "you know your parents are old when they invite you along on their anniversary dinner!"

Birthday Week - We celebrated Richard's birth on the 8th of Jan., my Dad's on the 7th, Gordon's on the 10th and mine on the 16th.

Rich opening his birthday presents. I loved watching his kids at his knee, so excited at everything they gave him.

Gordon's turn to blow out the candles.

Eli loves little children, especially Grace.

Grace loves playing with her cousins.

Gordon actually saying, "Who's the Man?" in his tenor-most voice. (With actions) He says it all they time, we were glad to document it.

Everyone gets to be "Chuck" for their birthday. Long story....maybe I'll repost it.

My birthday cake made by Suzanne.

Grace loves Avacado! All over her face and chair, that is.

Christmas at the Birdhouse

2011-12-27T11:39:00.000-08:00

Suzanne helping Grace open her presents. Grace was in such a fun mood and you could tell she was enjoying ripping presents open. Who doesn't like that?

Miriam opening her present.

After opening her boots, she grabbed the green tissue paper from the box and was so excited about it. Kids need so little to excite them.

Cam loved his BSU pillow pet. Eli got one too but had to wait until the next day to open it. He was sick and didn't join in the party. We missed his smiling little face!

Jo loved her Vera Wang brown riding boots. I have such a great story of extreme shopping success on those that I'll share another time.

Ben is never seen without one of the twins in his arms. Christmas came in September for Ben and Laura.

I feel such great joy when my family is gathered together. That is the greatest Christmas present of all to me.
That, and the added bonus that they have all turned out to be such wonderful adults that I am so proud of.

Moms and Babies

2011-12-19T22:45:00.000-08:00

To celebrate Scott and Jessica getting home from school, Ben & Laura and James and Suzanne came over for dinner on Sunday. I totally expected fair skinned little blond girls from James and Suz, but then came Grace with her carmel skin, big brown eyes and dark hair. She is a cutie and getting cuter by the day.

I love these pictures of Laura and John. There's something to that Mother/Son relationship that I think is captured in these pictures.

The bigger John smiles, the wider his mouth opens. It's priceless.

I am so thankful for all my daughters-in-law and the wives and mothers they are.

This year has been kind to us

2011-12-12T10:56:00.000-08:00

As we reflect on this past year, we are so aware that it has been kind to us, to say the least. We started it with three little blessings, and by the end of the year four more had joined us.
Cameron's prayers (and many others) for Bird cousins was heard.

Catie & John in the front - 3 mo.
Grace in the middle - 7 mo.
Miriam far left - 2 yrs.
Cameron holding Grace - 6
Eli holding Simon - 4
Simon - 9 months

Attitude

2011-11-12T19:52:00.000-08:00

Grace is such a funny girl. She has her own little attitude and will only smile if it suits her.

Luckily she always smiles for mom & dad. Isn't that hat adorable? Grace wore it when
Suzanne and Laura took their babies for a walk today during the 3rd quarter of the BSU/TCU game.

Speaking of the game; how very sad. They didn't even look like our team late in the 4th quarter. I wonder what they will be ranked tomorrow? Oh well, I still love the Broncos.

Chick-fil-A Bowl

2011-11-08T10:17:00.000-08:00

I meant to post these pictures in September, but once we got back from Georgia the twins were born and things happen. So here are some pics from our trip.

First, it was most unusual to have four of our grown children with us. Unusual, but oh how fun; your kids are so fun to hang out with as adults! Clearly, they are my very favorite people. The only one was missing was Ben, who had bigger and better things going on at the time and is a "died in the wool" (whatever that means) BYU fan.

Eating lunch on game day at - where else? Chick-fil-A, our new favorite place. Prior to this picture we were discussing how to get the franchise to Idaho.

Supah-Fans!

Only in all of this craziness would men wear necklaces.

Waiting for the team to come through the pre-game fan area on their way to the locker room.

I should mention that football is huge in Georgia. They are fans on a new level to me. Just the clothing was amazing - the little red dress (for the "hot" weather during Bulldog games when I asked), the red pants, short, capris, hats, all with traces of intimidating black. Riding the subway, they were everywhere. We were little peons riding the subway amidst them in our royal blue and orange.
     We got comments of, "Why would you come clear down here?" I wanted to say, "Because we're playing THE GEORGIA BULLDOGS, that's why!".   They were nice, but there was an overwhelming attitude of "We'll make mashed potatoes of you in no time. Don't you know who Georgia is? JOR-JAH. Have you heard of the SEC?"

I deleted my pictures of the Georgia Dome thinking they weren't very good, but now I wish I hadn't. It was HUGE. Before the game, they showed a video montage highlighting the big, tough, mean and cool Georgia Bulldog program. Then the whole marching band, dance team, flag team and cheerleaders took the field in song and dance celebrating their team. Between that and the fans, there was a solid sea of RED; total red, deafening and intimidating.  And then the Bulldogs took the field and it intensified even more.
     On the jumbotron they then showed one of the Boise State informational videos in an effort to be fair. The coolness comparison was huge....we looked like little lameys.

Did I mention that we had 10th row seats? Very cool. But not so much when everyone stands during the game. I kept thinking, "Do you people realize how comfortable we would all be if everyone just sat down?" A short person on the 10th row has advantage. A short person standing up with everyone else - not so much. I saw a little less of the game than I'd liked and a lot more of the back sides of the people in front of me, which I didn't.

As Boise State took the field, I thought to myself, "I can't wait to make mincemeat of these guys and shut them up." And of course, that's what we did. I wish I could describe the transformation that took place from the insanity of red at the beginning to the stunned silence and eventual exit of these faithful red and black depressed fans. Of course, we stayed until the very last possible moment, basking in coolness of what just happened.

Once we got to the subway, there were crowds and crowds of people waiting to get on and it took a while. We shoved our way on to a chock full car of red and black, standing room only. Finally, two young men stood and offered Jessica and I their seats. "It's the least we can do, after the way your team whipped us tonight. After that, we should be walking home."

A classy acknowledgment.

I loved Georga and the people there and the trees and the many, many Peach Tree streets, not to mention Piedmont Ave. And of course, the Coca Cola headquarters. Pictures of that and our trip to Stone Mtn. next post.

Pics of the Twins .

2011-11-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

Catherine Ray, Benjamin Ray, Gordon Ray and Richard Ray Bird. (John included too but his middle name isn't Ray.

Adorable family of four.

Catie has such bright eyes, I call them dancing stars.

Please scroll down for more pictures......

You asked, so......

2011-11-04T19:33:00.000-07:00

You asked for more pictures of John and Catie, so here they are:
Four Generations

John loves his Baca

John

Four Generation; Jonathan Charles, Benjamin Ray, Richard Ray and Gordon Ray

Did you know?

2011-10-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

Did you know that you can't hum with your nose plugged?

You're trying it right now, aren't you? Have a happy day~

James and Baby Grace

2011-10-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

I love this picture. The way Grace is looking into her father's eyes tells so much. There is love, trust and adoration there. James' face tells a lot too, but mainly, "I didn't know I could love someone so much".

A thought to ponder---

2011-10-18T17:58:00.000-07:00

A bowl of lime Jell-O, when hooked up to an EKG machine, exhibited movements virtually identical to the brain waves of a healthy adult man or woman.

Hmmmm? Lime Jello, Mormons, Word of Wisdom?

Sacreligious?

I like this.

2011-09-29T10:07:00.001-07:00

At last

2011-09-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

Little Johnathan Charles came home from the hospital yesterday! You don't have to be a grandma to know how much I wanted to get my hands on this little one.

And he is just precious. He definitely looks "all boy" when you see him. He looks healthy and ready for all life has to offer.

The best sight of the day? Seeing the two babies sleeping right next to each other in the crib. It's been a while coming and words don't really describe it.

I was overcome with gratitude for this affirmation of some of my most fervent prayers.

Overwhelming. Wonderfully overwhelming.

(Ben and Laura have pictures and will post them on their blog)

Oh, For My Camera

2011-09-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

We had family dinner today and as usual, it was great. Now that we have seven grandchildren, it is getting harder to give each one all of the attention you would like. And if it comes to holding one of them or holding my camera well, you know which one wins out.

So here are a few mental pictures from today:

Walking from the living room towards the family room, noticing that Miriam was missing.
There she was, sitting in the big chair, guzzling back my unfinished diet coke and KNOWING she was getting away with something.

Cameron talking to his little cousin grace and getting beautiful smiles out of her.

Miriam trying to make Grace laugh.

Eli clipping some fresh Rosemary from my plant to take home with him. (Green thumb? I think so.)

At times I feel like I need holes poked into me to fully absorb all of the love these kids and their parents bring to us.
Definitely a great time in life.

P.S. The twins names are Jonathan Charles and Catherine Ray (Katie). Jonathan breathed on his own today. Another milestone bringing him closer to home. Yesterday he pulled the tubes out of his nose. The nurse said, "super sick babies just don't do that."
I think he really wants to go home with his mom and sister on Tuesday.

We've got news x 2!

2011-09-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

Ben and Laura's babies arrived yesterday! Follow the link to their blog to read all about it.
Caution - some graphic pictures.
This is such a wonderful blessing in all of our lives and we are so grateful.

http://benandlaurafamily.blogspot.com/2011/09/baby-and-baby-b-have-arrived.html

One of the Summer's Best Activities

2011-08-22T19:44:00.000-07:00

Boat camping!
We went up to Lucky Peak with Rich & Jo and the kids this past weekend.

There's nothing better than August sunshine.

This little guy stuck his hand in the curley cheetos and exclaimed, "There's nothing like a fresh Cheeto", complete with a big sigh.

The best part of this year's boat camping? It has to be telling stories in the tent. Gordon, Jess and I had Cam and Eli in the tent with us. Gordon told them "The Three Pigs" complete with actions and I interjected when I could. We told them "The Three Bears" and some other stories. When things died down a bit, Eli said, "Now let's tell freaky stories", and he proceeded to do so. It was so much fun

Rich & Jo did all the food, which was nice for us.
Fun, fun, very fun.

Simon and Grace

2011-08-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

Simon and Grace, taken on the 4th of July. Grace has her daddy's carmel skin and Simon has beautiful auburn hair.

They look like they are communicating.

I wonder what they're saying?

Simon: Whoa! I didn't see you there.

Grace: I've been staring at you for the last 5 minutes.

Grace: Why do you have that big-eyed look on your face?

Simon: My dad says sometimes my eyes look like I am headed downhill on a roller coaster. But I can't believe I just saw Scott eat 7 pieces of french toast.

Grace: What in the world is that smell?

Simon: Is it you?

Grace: No - is it you?

Simon: Well if it's not you and it's not me, then who.....

Simon: This is turning out to be as good as I thought it would.

Grace: I could tell we were going to feel a lot of love when we got here.,

Simon: Ya, I'm glad we're in this together.

Grace: Me too.

Baby Grace

2011-08-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

Baby Grace is now 2 1/2 months old, the age where their personality starts to show and they begin to interact with those around them. She is no exception. I have tried and tried to get a picture of James at 3 months to post along with this but my tech-savvy talents have their limits. Even though concensus is that she looks like Suzanne, I would argue that the two pictures look a lot alike.

It does look like she's going to have brown eyes, though, like her dad. She has her mom's cute little lips and makes some of the cutest, funniest little faces with them.

Like this......

She is a sweetie pie and we are so glad she came to our family!

Some really great pictures of Gordon

2011-08-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

I got up Saturday morning (of course he was up before me) and found Gordon weeding the garden. Love the glasses:)

I just had to have another picture, so I went out and hollered for him to look my way. No luck, thanks to his i-pod. I finally got up close and personal and startled him.

This next one is my personal favorite.

Working in the garage in his watering boots, pajama pants, both sets of eyeglasses & hat. The only thing missing is the headlamp.

He really believes in dressing for the occasion, don't you think?

Family Time

2011-08-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

July is such a fun month. It's warm (or HOT, like I like it) & the weather is good.

It's also a gathering time for families.

Miriam modeling her new swim suit for us.

What a great view of the Black Marauder at Cascade lake. We had a lot of fun waterskiing/boating.

The kids & grandkids even got to ride the horses for a while.

We used the Ewing family (Laura's) boat dock for the day. It was fabulous.

Gordon doing his famous "jump off the dock" waterski start.

I had the cutest picture of the two new babies; Grace and Simon. It was corrupted somehow and wouldn't print. The most special event of the week was Grace's baby blessing. She has grown so much since this picture. More pictures soon.
Be sure to scroll down for more pictures of the week.

Family Time Continued.....

2011-08-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

Party time for the Birds on July 4th! We packed a lot of fun into a few days and it didn't disappoint.

What a dilema.

Eli was so happy to roast marshmellows. I think he's our future pyro.

Grandpa got some unexpected cuddle time with Miriam.

Three men and a little lady.

Cam idolizes his dad.

Most mothers know how it feels to have this kind of time with your family when the kids have left the nest.

Baby Grace's Blessing Day

2011-07-07T21:13:00.000-07:00

Sunday was Baby Grace's blessing day. It was a great day - James gave her the most wonderful blessing. I am so grateful for the Priesthood and that my sons honor theirs.

Simon, Eli, Cameron holding Grace, Miriam

I am grateful any time that the whole family can gather together. We had brunch afterwards at James and Suzanne's; it was yummy breakfast casseroles cinnamon and orange rolls, and fruit.

Great Grandma Bird thought that pearls were appropriate for a special day like a blessing day. Grace looked so beautiful.

Adorable with a capital "A"

2011-06-21T20:48:00.000-07:00

I would love to be inside the mind of Miss Miriam. At 18 months old, she is so smart. I know I sound like your average bragging Grandma, but I can't keep up with the girl. Probably because she has brothers, she has learned to defend herself really well. Even more than that, she is continually on the offensive; not against her brothers or anyone, but continually exploring and doing. No sitting quietly for this one - unless she has her blankie and thumb, and then for only 30 seconds.
On Monday I had Cameron, Eli, Miriam and Simon for the day. Cameron & Eli are pretty self sufficient and Simon is a dream, cuddly baby. Miriam is the cutest, funnest little girl there is. But she wore me ragged. Just a few things I had to keep up with:
While getting a poopy diaper changed, she grabbed it out from under herself, flinging the contents across the floor like a bowling ball.
While putting on some makeup, with her on my bed so she can put some on too, she grabbed the mascara right out of my hand and instantly had made her mark on the bedspread.
Grabbed the (washable) markers that her brothers use, and tried (I triumphed on this one) to write on the wall and herself.
Makes a beeline for the street when out in front.
Is the first one in the spray of water when I turned it on to water my pots.
Add to all of this that if you say her name in the wrong tone she'll burst into tears.
You simply cannot get mad at her.
I'm telling you, this girl is never idle, never without her little mind looking for the next opportunity. I predict great things for her because these are characteristics you want them to have when they grow up.
In the meantime, she keeps everyone on their toes and is Adorable with a capital A.
I sure do love her.

Amen to this

2011-06-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

http://youtu.be/l70e1TfN34w

Funny Girl

2011-06-18T15:14:00.000-07:00

This funny girl sleeps with her hands straight out sometimes. It's hilarious to watch.

In addition to that, she is a little potatobug and so adorable and mellow.

I still think she has her mom's lips and looks like her, but I am seeing flashes of James, especially the way she stretches.

We love our baby Grace.

Running is good for you

2011-06-07T19:43:00.000-07:00

Being the braggart that I am, I have to report on Cameron's participation in the "Capitol Classic" run last Saturday. He is in the front in this picture and I can tell he is just loving it.

And I can tell from this one that it is so good for their self esteem to participate in these kind of events.

And, I'm plain and simply, a proud Baca.
Pictures pilfered from Jo's blog:)

The world isn't so bad after all.

2011-05-31T17:25:00.000-07:00

After a couple of months of looking like he'd rather be anywhere than here, Mr. Simon cuts loose with this beautiful smile. He's been holding out on us.

Introducing....

2011-05-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

Grace Vera Bird was born May 26, 2011 to James and Suzanne. She is a precious, delicate and sweet baby girl and they are both smitten. So are we.

We think she looks a lot like her mother.

She weighed 5 pounds 14 oz. & was two weeks early. Anxious to hang out with all of us, apparently.

We are THRILLED!

From three to seven in 6 months!

2011-05-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

Picture pilfered from Jo's blog.

Just this March, Simon joined our family as the fourth grandchild, making it three boys and one girl (all Rich & Jo's). But......

Any day now, James and Suzanne will be welcoming their little girl into the family, AND...

Sept./Oct. brings TWINS for Ben and Laura; one boy and one girl.

By then we'll have four boys and three girls.

Pretty cool, huh?

Feet Thoughts

2011-05-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year! Yes, for all of the obvious Spring reasons, but also because months of covering up the piggies with socks & shoes has come to an end. I struggle with casual footware in the winter. I never feel totally content with what shoes go with what pants and so on. It seems that everything goes with a sandal or a wedge heel.

I am a little frustrated, though. I have weak big toe nails that chip easily and beccome ingrown, as opposed to the rest of my toenails that could cut metal. This week I chipped not one but two big toes, just after their Spring debut, after months of carefully nurturing them all winter long. The chip goes so far down that a mere file job will not do. I have to clip the whole nail and start again. Now you know my toenail woes.....

But.....

These are my new spring sandals. Notice the wedge heel. Usually you have to wear flats to have this style, but the wedge heel is in this year. This is so good, since flats and my 5'1" stature don't go together well.

Feet make some people in my life get the heebie jeebies. They don't like feet. For instance, I suggested that one of my sons give his "really good friend" a foot rub after running a marathon and he said, "No way! I'm not going to touch her feet." Several in the room agreed that it was gross to touch each other's feet. Even if they do take care of them. It's true, keeping feet nice takes some TLC, but it only takes a minute or two a week to buff the dry heels and apply some vaseline before bed (and polish, if you are a girl). Or, heaven forbid, spend $25-$30 for a pedicure.

All in all, I love feet. Good, clean feet - feet of those I love and like.

Some of my favorite people are named Foote.

2011-05-03T09:51:00.000-07:00

Sunday was a wonderful day. It was the blessing day of Simon Sterling Bird. He is such a mellow little guy that you barely knew he was around. He doesn't seem to all out cry - he just grimaces and grunts his dissatisfaction. He is a special one.

We were blessed to have Grandma and Grandpa Bird join us for the occasion, and to spend the weekend. Rich & Jo put on a fabulous spread afterwards and, with the sunshine outside, and family around, it turned out to be the perfect day.

(Jessica was feeling queasy so she missed the picture)

Four Pea's in a Pod

2011-04-29T10:52:00.000-07:00

To say any more would be bragging:)

Sunday Dinner & Wrestling With the Kids

2011-04-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

I love the Sundays when the whole family gets together. We don't have a scripted family home evening, but lots of good discussion, good food and lazing around.

Gordon remembered he hadn't given the grandsons their "birthday spankings".

That launched an all out war. Gordon loves to wrestle with the boys.

Even Miriam was getting in on the action, not to be left out by the guys.

Yep. Sundays are the best.

Secret "Twin Baby Talk" Language

2011-04-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

The word is out - Ben and Laura are expecting TWINS! This such exciting news, our family can barely contain ourselves. It has been torture for this Baca not to say anything for the past couple of months. Here's what they have to look forward to - and so much more:

The Star of the Show

2011-03-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

First family picture of Rich & Jo & their four kids.
What a sweet family.

So far, Miriam loves her baby brother.

He definitely looks like a Bird baby, but can't wait to see what unfolds.

I think he's going to be "Grandpa's Boy".

Newest member of the Bird Family!

2011-03-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

Born this morning, March 24th at 9:42 a.m. 7 lbs. 8 oz. 21 inches long, brown hair.

Simon Sterling Bird

Welcome!

I just can't help myself

2011-03-17T19:27:00.000-07:00

Might as well call this the Bird grandkid blog with the amount of pictures I put on here, but how could I resist this? The boys spontaneously grabbed their little sister to play choo-choo train around the kitchen. Their mom and dad have done such a good job with these kids - they love each other so much.

They are having a new baby brother in the next few weeks and James & Suz are having a baby girl the end of May, so even more for the blog!

Next: The other reason I went to I.F. and it's good.

My baby turned 19!

2011-03-16T21:22:00.000-07:00

Last week I went over to Eastern Idaho for a couple of reasons, one being that Jessica turned 19. I read once that your children's birthdays make you feel older than your own. It's true. My oldest, Richard, turned 30 this year.

Jessica and four of her five room mates. They are great girls, all of them. We celebrated at Red Robin for dinner.

When I went to Rexburg Jessica and I ate lunch on campus, shopped at a little boutique and shopped in Idaho Falls. We had a great time together.

I think she had a good time - What do you think?

Love for Sendai

2011-03-11T14:43:00.000-08:00

Gordon's heart is heavy today with news that Sendai, Japan suffered an 8.9 quake. He served there on his mission and loves the people and places there. All Japanese missions are reporting missionaries safe; however, all communications are down in Sendai and a count of the missionaries is not possible there right now. Our hearts and prayers to everyone involved.

Just Dance 2

2011-03-02T16:12:00.000-08:00

One of the many great things about having grandchildren is the fact that you have new little buddies to play all the fun new games with. The boys love to play "Just Dance 2" on the Wii.

Miriam was happy to join in and I think there is a strong possibility she will be a great dancer. I love joining in and it really is a great workout. I feel a little less silly doing it with them than by myself.....

Couldn't resist this picture of Eli playing MarioKart. Isn't he the cutest?

Fighting the Inevitability

2011-02-16T18:55:00.000-08:00

It happened today. When I walked into my house it smelled like a Grandma's house. Don't get me wrong, I love being a grandma, but my house and my body sure better not start smelling that way.

In my defense, I have been pretty much working full time these past couple of weeks. Not that I'm complaining here...Real Estate has been too slow for too long and it's really exciting to be this busy again.

But back to the house; as I think about what causes this smell, there are several things that it could be. I haven't cleaned much in the last two weeks. We don't generate much of a mess and its pretty easy to keep up with dishes, etc; But I'm talking about mopping the floors so they smell like Pine Sol and dusting with Orange Oil and cleaning like that. I also have garbage in the garbage can for longer because we don't generate that much. AND - it is nearing the end of a long, stuffy winter. A cool breeze would work wonders. (Sounds like justification for the smell......but NOT).

I show lots of homes in the course of a day and they all smell different. I am able to pick out the Grandma smell pretty quickly. But its not as bad as the not cleaning toilets and smells like a wet diaper smell and some others.

But for now, a healthy spray of Febreeze "cinnamon bun" on the main level and emptying the garbage will have to do. Until I can get the deep cleaning done. My hat is off to the women who work full time every day and still manage to keep up with things.

I won't blog about the Grandma body smell today; but soon, because it's a subject all its own but I can't wait.

No Words

2011-02-08T09:51:00.000-08:00

These pictures really don't need any words.

Problems with the blog

2011-01-26T09:38:00.000-08:00

I want to post these darling pictures of Miss Miriam but my link won't let me retrieve pictires from my files. Anybody know why? The picasa option is still available, but won't connect to my files.

Thoughts on Birthdays

2011-01-18T21:40:00.000-08:00

The older you get, the less enjoyable birthdays are. At least that's been my experience and it seems to be the opinion of most people I know.

On Richard's 30th birthday last week, we had our family dinner and I decorated with a little bit of black. Not totally black because you have to save some for turning 40 and 50 and so on. After we sat down and began eating, he said the black confused him and that he thought I was always so positive about birthdays; "Don't interpret the black as negative," I said. "It's meant to invoke humor". Humor is one of the best ways to get through any of life's experiences, I believe.

I've always been one to see the bright side of things, like 40 is the new 30 and then 50 is the new 40. I didn't feel quite so humerous a year ago when I turned the dreaded 50, though.

Never having been one to dread big birthdays, I woke and found this one to be different.

All day long I thought , "This is just so wierd, everyone asking how it feels to be 1/2 a century old. I'll be so glad when tomorrow comes."

And now a year later, I'm happy to say that turning 51 was a joy - for many reasons. One, because it wasn't # 50, two because it marks 38 years that I get to live for my mother and myself, and three because my family made it such a special day.

It was on Sunday, and Ben offered to fix dinner. When we drove up to his house, I could see that all the kids (sans the college coeds) were there. He and Laura put on this beautiful spread and we had a wonderful time.

One of the great things about living 1/2 a century plus one year is that the blessings get more and more bounteous.

I liked my 51st birthday.

Birthday Week

2011-01-12T19:34:00.000-08:00

Laura made a Boise State cake. She does the neatest cakes for family birthdays.

Because Gordon is 53 and Rich is 30, we put 5 candles for Gordon to blow out and then 3 candles for Rich to blow out. I was laughing so hard I blew out most of Gordon's

The boys really liked Gordon's old man cane that he got out to celebrate Rich's 3-0. It has a rearview mirror and a horn.

Cam loved playing the "old man".

We really haven't celebrated mine yet; Ben is fixing me dinner this Sunday and it should be a great day.

Lots of Christmas Pictures!

2011-01-05T19:16:00.000-08:00

Family Dinner on Christmas Eve

I love this picture of Cam & Eli playing Christmas Bingo; they are so obviously in different moods.

Little Miss Miriam wearing her animal print gloves & hat on Christmas Eve.

It's fun to still have two "kids" home for the holidays.
Although they fancy themselves adults, and rightly so.

Cam gave me the honor of having my picture taken (by him) holding his prized Boise State football.

Eli opening a card & some cash from Great Grandma & Grandpa.

                 The boys opening their family gift; cache cookers. (Ben already had one, so we got
                 him a dutch oven table and griddle to go with his cooker).

                 Christmas is wonderful and it is so great to spend time with family.
                 Its almost enough to get one through the Januarys and Februarys coming up:)

Brother to Brother

2010-12-28T10:25:00.000-08:00

My oldest son gave quite a surprise to my youngest son on Chritmas morning. Wrapped in boxes from huge to smaller than ring size was a plane ticket to Georgia for the BSU/Georgia game. Rich got them both from accumulated airline miles.

To say the least, Scott was thrilled! James will be joining them too.

Brotherly love....ya gotta love it.

Bird Christmas Party

2010-12-21T21:54:00.000-08:00

Jess, Gordon, Scott and I made an impromptu visit to Idaho Falls on Monday for the Bird Family Christmas Party. What a great time it was. Grandma Bird had all 5 of her children there and it was Grandpa Bird's 81st birthday. They are both awesome.

Grandpa played guitar (and Scott, a little) and we sang Christmas songs. Then he had Bishop Gordon give a message. It was a highlight of this Christmas.

And then we came home - 24 hours later. Two shopping days until Christmas Eve. Wow. Christmas is close.

But it was worth it.

Pictures to follow; for some reason it won't let me load them right now.

Bad Shoe Day?

2010-12-15T20:10:00.000-08:00

I had a great belly laugh this morning; for that matter, the whole Dr.'s office had a belly laugh.

I had a yearly checkup today. I wasn't in a hurry. I wore my brown pants with a really nice brown/black/green top.

I got to the Dr.'s office and after the nurse called me back, the first thing she did was have me get on the scales. Of course, you take your shoes off because that can add two extra pounds.

She finished weighing me and I turned to put my shoes back on.

This is what I had worn:

They are both brown even though the one on the left looks black in the photo. I tried both pair on when I got dressed and decided on the ones on the right.

These wacky things seem to happen to me. Why? I don't know.

But it's sure good for a laugh.

Second time around

2010-12-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

The Christmas village I put up every year is especially vulnerable this year......thanks to:

This little sweetie! She is a goer and a doer this one. But I have to say that she is obedient too.

We reached a compromise with her and her brothers; everything that doesn't have a light under it can be played with, including the nativity set.

My own kids will groan at how flexible I've become with the grandchildren. But I look at being a grandma as trying to do all of the things you should have done the first time around.

Gingerbread houses - eat them or view them?

2010-12-10T10:01:00.000-08:00

Sunday night the family that is in town got together to do Gingerbread Houses for Christmas. Everyone loves to make them, regardless of age.

But the question is this: do you eat yours or have it for a decoration?

I'm pretty sure ours make it one day, if that.

A lot depends on the freshness of the gingerbread and what kinds of candy (at least for me personally).

Both? No way because by the time you view it as a decoration for a couple of weeks, it can't be fit for consumption. But hey - thats just me.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-04T09:46:00.000-08:00

Gordon got into the spirit early, donning his Pampered Chef apron and favorite ski hat.

Notice the trees out the kitchen window. What a beautiful sight.

Ben getting some carving tips

The day before Thanksgiving, I was getting three pies out of the oven; two pecan and a cherry. The pecan pies needed another 5 minutes, so I pulled the rack out as far as I could and lifted the cherry pie.
As I was setting it on the counter I heard a bang. Turning around, I saw that both pecan pies had slid off the rack backwards when I lifted the cherry. Luckily and to my amazement, they landed upright and only slightly jumbled, spilling just a little filling into the bottom of the oven. I was very THANKFUL.
I love making pies, but find that I only make them at Thanksgiving. I should make them more often.

Laura doing our place settings for the table.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Birdhouse!

Baby Sister Home for the Holidays!

2010-11-22T20:28:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, Gordon and I had to go to Idaho Falls and so we went up to "the burg", as Jessica calls it, and picked her up for the holiday week off. Here are a couple of pictures of her apartment. Her roommate, Haley came for the weekend and taught us how to make pumpkin rolls. College is making baby sister more domestic, some how.

We'll be doing great by tomorrow late afternoon when Scott gets home. He is scheduled to travel home in a blizzard, so say a prayer for him.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Gotta Love Fall

2010-11-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like Fall. The crispness in the air, the beautiful colors, football season and on and on. Our maple tree in the front yard is huge and leaves a bounty of leaves each year.

Cam, Eli, Miriam and I made good use of them,

And Baby Makes Three

2010-11-06T17:12:00.000-07:00

Now that they're telling everyone, I can say that JAMES AND SUZANNE ARE PREGNANT!
Due June 21st.

28 big ones!

2010-11-05T14:56:00.000-07:00

Today is Benjamin Ray Bird's 28th birthday! His birth actually happened between 11:59 on the 4th and 12:01 on the 5th.

Where does the time go? He's a big boy now; owns his own home, has a great job & is leading an exemplary life with Laura.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!

Ben is in the brown. (With Rich at Island Park Reservoir).

I'm Impressed

2010-11-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

What to be on Halloween at BYU-I on a budget?

Jessica and her roommates dressed in black and used glow sticks for their shape. Then they went to a dance where it was dark and this is their result.

Jessica is the one in the blue.

I am so impressed with this fabulous idea. College kids these days......

Halloween Brings Out The Best

2010-11-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening we opened the door to find these three little spooks on our doorstep. Two pirates and a

horsey (or was it a cow? I can't tell for sure).

WARNING: Lots of pictures:

What a cute family! Have I mentioned that #4 is on the way?

Beauty Maintenance Night

2010-10-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

Actually, it was Beauty Maintenance Day, since Jessica was only home for the weekend. We have these regularly to do the things that hairy, dark haired women do; waxing, mani pedis, and of course, hair color.
It is so much more fun to do it together than by yourself. Especially when you goof.

I won't explain exactly how it happened, but I ended up with Grandma Nola red hair for Saturday afternoon. And I'm not talking subtle either. Don't get me wrong, I love my Grandma Nola and her memory, but when Jessica tells me that the red hair makes me look like her, I picture an 84 year old!

Thankfully, by the end of the day I had mostly fixed it. I was just glad that I could and that I didn't end up with something permanent.

Jessica's turned out beautifully.

Chi-le'

2010-10-13T18:39:00.000-07:00

I've been watching as some of the 33 trapped miners came up to safety and tonight I saw the man on the left come up; the last one. He was the one who reportedly organized the other 32 into groups for food rationing and survival. He used lights of the vehicles to simulate the daytime so they could still sleep. He organized eating, sleeping, exercise and other areas and instituted a 12 hour "work day".

I always wonder if I were in a life threatening emergency such as this, would I be so brave?

Most touching to me though, was the whole group of rescuers, the president of Chile' and the last survivor singing,

"Chi, Chi, Chi - Le', Le' Le' Chile' Chile' Chile" and then the whole national anthem of Chile'. Look at the gusto on the face of the president.

It's a wonderful day for Chile' and for the whole world.

Background

2010-10-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

My cute little fall background has disappeared from the blog and I'm not sure why. I have deleted it and re-installed it with no luck.

Any ideas how I can fix this?

Three Precious Gems

2010-10-07T09:47:00.000-07:00

What could be better than these three precious gems?

Four precious gems, that's what.

A baby brother or sister is joining them around the first of April.

Woohoo!!!!

Julie's version of "Crap Dang-It"

2010-09-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

I love my blog. I do. It is theraputic to write about things, share stories and sometimes just vent. I read alot of other's blogs, too. I like to comment on them sometimes. I guess its our narcissistic side that wants others to validate us. But, hey - I would blog if no one ever read it because I think it's an incredible personal and family history. But somedays I wonder......

What the crap????? Where are your comments?

Embracing Life

2010-09-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

As part of my new "Embracing the Empty Nest" approach, Gordon and I now use these cool glasses for Sunday dinner, as opposed to the clear glasses we traditionally use. My friend Kristi gave them to me several years ago; she got them at a Casino in Reno.
They are also really good for a nice, icy drink but they get the most use on Sunday now.

I am doing surprisingly well at the Empty Nest thing; when I am asked about it and tell people I am, I can tell they are skeptical.

There is simply so much going on in life that you put on the back burner while raising your children.

Oh, Jessica and Scott came home last weekend and James spent most of it with us because Suz was out of town. That may have something to do with it :)

Correction

2010-09-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I made it sound like my Freshman in college doesn't know how to alphabetize. She does! As a matter of fact, she scored a 98% on her very first college test.

Way to go Jess!

How do I find that?

2010-09-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

Twice in the last few months, I have had this conversation with my two youngest children, both actually adults now.

Me: :"You'll need to find the Dr.'s phone number so we can ask them about that."

Me: Find out the number of the pharmacy in that city so we can have your prescription called in."

Them: "How would I do that?"

Me: "A Phonebook"

Them: "A Phonebook? What's that?"

Them: "How do you find it in this? Alphabetical order? What?"

Do my kids really not know what a phonebook is? Or how to find something alphabetically?
Could they be the victim of the ever ready text/phone/information age?

Or am I just a victim of the Generation Gap?

I heard on the news today that over 80% of younger people have no idea who Colonel Sanders is.

I know Jessica doesn't because she asked me who the "really lame dude" was on the tee-shirt she saw.

I love technology - I do. But am I strong enough to watch the cliches', the ways and the methods of my generation pass by?

I swear, these kids nowadays........

Operation Co-ed

2010-09-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

It's about time I wrote about the emptying of the nest. First let me say that I cried beforehand for about a week straight. I would tear up while merely talking; didn't matter what we were talking about or who I was talking to. I was really worried how the "drop off" would go. I had seen the mothers of daughters when we took Richard to college and thought then that it looked like it could be a touchy situation.

We left the house in late afternoon on Friday, Sept. 3rd and drove straight to the Family Cabin in Island Park. There is no other place to go that could be as theraputic as Island Park. We had a great time. On Saturday we went through Yellowstone Park (James and Suz were with us). We had a picnic lunch and did a little hiking & a lot of munching along the way.

That night we went into West Yellowstone because we had tickets to the Playmill Theatre for "Beauty and the Beast". When the movie first came out, Jessica was two years old and we watched it nearly every day, with her on my lap. "Beast" is what she called it; so how fitting was it that we went to "Beast" before she went away to school. It was a fabulous show and made me yearn for the days of doing musicals, singing and acting. Jessica loved it too. She and I had front row seats.

On Sunday, we went to church, went to visit my brother Greg and had a nice big dinner. Of course there were many games of "Oh, Heck" played.

Then came Monday morning. Our departure time was 8:00 a.m. because Jess wanted to get there first and get the big bedroom, but the two Seniors in the apartment had gotten them and rightfully so. We took all her stuff in, made the bed, put stuff away, met her room mates and all of that. Her roomie, Erin got there at about the same time. We left James & Suz car with Jess & Erin and headed to Idaho Falls to watch BSU vs. Virginia Tech. Was that a great game or what? Jess and Erin joined us and we had football food and a fun time together. We then took them back up to Rexburg for the final goodbye. I was nervous about it. But when the time came, I was overcome with excitement for her and all of the new experiences that she's going to have. No tears or anything! Wow. I was so impressed with myself.

In the middle of the night I get this phone call, "Mom, I'm throwing up every 1/2 hour or so and I'v enever been so sick". So instead of hitting the road for Boise first thing in the morning, we hit the road for Rexburg. "Great", I thought. "A do-over is just didn't want to do. She was sick, pale, feverish. How do you leave that? We got her fixed up with soup & hydrating drinks and various medicines and then left for Boise. No tears this time either, but it was harder than the night before.

As we drove into Boise, the tears began to fall.. I became very interested in the scenery out my window so Gordon wouldn't see; I don't know why. By the time I was in control, we were home. Empty house. Empty big house. Empty teenage girl's bedroom. Another round of tears. And then...

Five days of my favorite little kiddies. No kidding - Rich and Jo had gone back East to the game and it was our turn to have them. Talk about a great transition! By the time we were done with that, I was good to go.

Jessica is happy, so happy in her apartment, in school, and with all the new people she is meeting. It is exciting. I am ready to embrace all of the new experiences being an Empty Nester will bring.

The Bear

2010-09-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

On Labor Day weekend we went up to Island Park before we moved Jessica into her new apartment in Rexburg. On our first morning there, I retrieved our big white cooler from the back porch and noticed a great big print/swipe of mud on it. Then I saw one of the coolers dumped out. We went out and cleaned it up and when we came in, this is what we saw outside the back door.

This was about 6 or 7 yards from the back door of the cabin.

We also visited Yellowstone Park. No Bears there that we saw, but beautiful views of nature.

More to come on "Operation Co-ed".

Introducing....

2010-09-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

Harrison Ford

We took him on our first road trip this weekend and he did not disappoint. He goes fast and rides well. There is a comfy little spot for my feet right next to the dash and lots of good cup holders. I think he will fit in very well with the family.

FORD

2010-09-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

For many years, cars and trucks of this brand have been called various things by our family; namely,
"Found On Road Dead" or "Fix Or Repair Daily".

We are trying to come up with new ones (with the help of Jessica, Ashlee and Lauren) now that we own one. So far:

For Our Road Destinations
For Our Rad Dad
Finally Our Revenue Retained
For Our Road Diortas (Diorta is a family word)

I just don't know yet. FYI - Di-or-ta (Dee-or-da): A laughing sound that is the cross between a chortle and a guffaw.

Guffaw: A loud, unrestrained burst of laughter
Chortle: To chuckle gleefully

Bye Bye Big Red

2010-08-31T18:35:00.000-07:00

Big Red was about as tough a truck as you could get. One of those trucks that just names itself. I was in love with Big Red. She (Gordon may say "He") made this cool sound when you would start her up and she had the biggest tires. There was no cooler truck around.

Big Red took us on some of our grandest adventures; to the cabin in Island Park, to Larry and Janie's cabin in Donnelly regularly during snowmobile season. On fishing trips, horse trips, to the MTC, to Grandma and Grandpa's, to the Grandchildren's house, where they raved about how cool Big Red was. She was so comfortable to ride in and when I drove her, I saw Manly Men looking me over enviously.

My only complaint ever about her was that if you stepped on it while turning and had Big Gulps in the cup holders, then the Big Gulps went flying.

So who would get rid of her? And why?

Gordon, that's who. He wanted a diesel truck for better power going up those big hills. I talked and talked to try and talk him out of it but to no avail. At one point, he was going to sell her to a good friend and neighbor. Can you imagine having to see someone else driving her all around the neighborhood? Luckily, that didn't happen.

But, he did strike a deal and Big Red is no more. It's been about 3-4 weeks now and I still miss her. I dread the day when I'm driving down the road and there she goes with someone else driving the coolest truck around.

The Windy City

2010-08-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

I went to the Windy City this week. Every couple of years, Gordon's company takes the spouses along on a retreat/meeting. This year it was in Chicago. As a matter of fact, it was the second time it was in Chicago. The last time, when I opened up my high rise hotel window, there was Lake Michigan in all her splendor and the famous Navy Pier right outside my window. We were taken on a magnificent midnight cruise with dinner and fireworks. It was spectacular.

This time, I opened my hotel window in anticipation only to find another high rise hotel about 10 feet away (or so it seemed). Seems we got the short straw on rooms with a view this time. Oh well. We still had wonderfully catered dinners and plenty of opportunity for shopping on Michigan Ave.

I struggled with a little claustrophobia. I clamored for fresh air. I felt like such a western girl. The water tasted like Utah lake. I was having somewhat of an Eyore experience, which is not typical for me.
Until....the double decker bus tour. I love those. From that bus, Chicago came alive to me and I learned all about the great architecture there and saw it represented in all of the different buildings. I learned that the shore of the beautiful Lake Michigan used to come up past what is now Lakeshore Ave. After the great fire of the 18??'s, they put all of the left over debris in the lake and it created a great big landfill and pushed the shore out some 1/2 mile or more. I saw a McDonalds that can serve 600 people. I rubbed shoulders with the jury pool that basically let their former Govenor Rob Blagoyovich??? walk free after a hung jury.

The guide told me that a lightening bolt hit and caused the great fire that burned Chicago to the ground. "Wait", I almost yelled, "that was Mrs. O'Leary's cow that knocked the lantern over and started the fire!". Then I remembered that Gordon likes to tell me stories and pull my leg and so I thought better of it. When we got home we googled it and it seems like there is a lot of debate about the subject.

The color of Lake Michigan to me, looked like Topaz.
Just beautiful.

I was reminded how much my husband loves me. Who else would carry this Zebra print bag with a pink laptop holder sticking out of it all around the airport for me? Without complaint.

I love him too.

If you are thinking of getting one of these.....

2010-08-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

Think again before you buy. I'm talking about Front Loader washers here. I got mine about two years ago and was so excited about the larger capacity and how easy it would be to use.

Around the same time, I noticed something happening. My towels were getting smelly. No matter how many times I washed them or how much downey I used, or how much vinegar I rinsed them in, they still stunk, stinked, stank.

They would come out of the dryer and I would think, "Oh yea, these smell sweet!" And then I would use a dishcloth at the kitchen sink and here came the smell again. You know how I am about smells. It was driving me crazy.

Then - the levis started to smell funny. I was going out of my mind!

Then for some reason, I Googled front loaders. There, right before my eyes were about 1500 complaints of how people's front loaders made their clothes stink.

After a bunch more research, here is what I found:

Because of the way they are designed, something in the front band traps water inside and causes this.....are you ready? Mold. Yes, mold. Stinky mold.

You mean I have been drying my body and wiping my counters with a moldy towel? My levis were moldy?
What kind of wife and mother am I to have my family's clothes be full of mold spores that stink?

So, here are the various remedies, all of which I have tried.
*Run the washer on hot water with bleach in the rinse cycle. (Every week)
*Use vinegar in the rinse cycle.
*Use the "sanitation" button if there is one. We are programmed to save energy and conserve hot water when doing laundry, but that can't be the case with my front loader. I now use hot on everything but darks and levis. I use warm on them. If I select a white load, it allows me to use the "sanitize" option, which I usually do. Mine also had a "speed wash" selection. I frequently used it because the regular loads were 1hour and 20 minutes long. I have to use the longer loads to thoroughly wash things and allow the bleach/vinegar/fabric softener to work.
*I take a rag and run it around the exterior and interior of the black band and anywhere where water wants to pool up.
*I now use Downey and dryer sheets both.
The levis finally smelled fresh after a couple weeks of these efforts. But the towels were another matter. I threw most of them out and got new. Now, when I smell the towels after I pull them out and then use them, they smell great.

So....ask about it if you are considering buying one of these because I probably wouldn't get one if I had it to do over again. From my reading, it seemed like common knowledge that the front loaders have this problem but you don't hear about it from the salesmen, so pin them down! Ask the hard questions! See what they have to say.
Me, I'm just keeping the power company and all the products mentioned above in business with my constant and incessant use.

But it's worth it.

My Happy Place

2010-08-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

The only thing that would make this better is if little Lady Miriam were on my lap too. This is my happy place; the place where I am totally and completely content. (See picture below) I am so grateful for this because it helps ease life when things are stressful, worrisome or unpleasant.

I have one of those coming up. For my daughter, it is the beginning of the next chapter in her life - independence, living on her own, accounting to no one for a schedule, meeting new people. It is a great time in life and I am so excited for her.

On the other hand, it is one of those stressful, worrisome and unpleasant times for me. The Unknown. The house will be totally void of children. When Gordon travels, I will be home - Alone. Will I become out of touch, start to dress funny? Start to smell funny? It seems so sudden.

Many have told me there are great things for me at this time of life too. When I get through the process of saying goodbye on drop-off day, I will be compiling a list and will post it. Until then, once again (ala Mission drop-offs) I find myself at the edge of a cliff, looking down, waiting for the final signal to jump. We still have two weeks left.

Thank goodness for my happy place.

Part II

2010-08-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

Too bad I don't have a picture to post, because I'm sure it was a sight to behold, me with 28 wires glued to my head. They thought it was cute enough with Rich to take a picture, but I guess there's nothing too cute about a 50 year old in a snarky mood with wires glued on.

So, on test day I went downtown to St. Lukes and checked in. There is some sort of privacy law that you are supposed to sign something for.

She said, "Here, sign this form and if you want to know more about it, you can read these three brochures."

I said, "What is the privacy law? That you have to keep my information private?" Can you give me the summary version?

"Well it's more complicated than that - just sign it."

"I don't feel like I have time to read the brochures right now and would sure like a basic understanding of what I am signing."

It was then that I realized that she wasn't giving me the summary version because she didn't know it. I was super un-impressed. I signed it.

Once I got back to the EEG area, a person came out that I thought must be an aide or tech. She was quite a bit older than me (or looked it) and had hair standing on end. It finally became clear to me that she was the one administering the test. Scarey. Wierd kind of scarey. She started gluing the nodes in and asking me very private questions in front of my friend, Sandy who had volunteered to keep me company for the day. When it was time to go back, she had invited Sandy to come along. I'm thinking I should have read those brochures because nothing about this seemed private.

Once everything was on, she said, "I'm going to turn off the lights, so just sit back and relax." She went out of the room. That was when a bright light was put an inch from my nose and began flashing like a strobe light. This went on for about five minutes. Relax? Right. Next, she told me to relax again and start blowing, like I am blowing out birthday candles. I know what this was for and I wasn't about to have another siezure. About the time that my hands were getting numb, I kept telling myself, "You will NOT have a siezure", over and over again. Finally, we were done and she pulled the nodes off of my head with a good portion of my hair attached to each one. She then announce that she was needed somewhere else and would give my glue spots a surface wash. By now my hair was a mixture of dry, straight, wet, gluey. The glue parts were like super-duper gel.

The worst part? I had a 3 hour wait until the next test! And this is after they tell you to take off all your clothes and put on these ginormous scrubs. Then they say, "feel free to run and get some lunch. It's going to be a while." So out of extreme hunger, we finally went and grabbed something to eat, me with my head down hoping that I would see no one I knew. (I did, but I think I evaded them successfully.)

Then back to the MRI waiting room. Here, people waiting for the tests and their family and friends gather. I'm sorry, but I have a problem hanging around naked in scrubs with just anyone, particularly men. It is wrong. Finally, my name was called and the test was fast and comfortable. And, when I left, she gave me a gift card to a restaurant. "Wow", I thought. "EEG lady could learn a lot from her".

The tests turned out fine and show a healthy brain, proof that it is really there. I guess 6 or 7 hours of one's life is just a little to pay to get reassurance. I hope I never have to get another EEG again. Never.

EEG, Part I

2010-08-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

One of the results of having a random siezure is the necessity of having multiple tests run on you. The CAT scan - no biggie; the blood tests - no biggie. The EEG.....

I remember when Richard was 6 years old and had one to determine that he had "petite mal" siezures, or "absence" siezures as they are called today. They glued little nodes to his head and I got to watch the report print out right in front of my eyes and the technician pointed out right where the problem was and that it was random, and not a damaged spot in his brain. They even took a sweet little picture of Richard that I have in a photo album (not really, it's in a box somewhere).

One thing I learned is that many, many children have these kinds of siezures. Most of them stem from some sort of oxygen deprevation at birth or a difficult birth. Most parents think their kids are just spacing off. We would move our hands in front of Richard's face and try to get him to pay attention and finally, he would say, "What?", like he had no idea what was going on -- because he didn't. Speculation is that many kids deaths and injuries have been because of this undiagnosed condition; kids in swimming pools, riding bikes, etc;

I had read about it and had my suspicions but research showed kids had a hard time in school keeping focus and their grades suffered. I checked with his teachers and they hadn't noticed anything. His grades were great too. Finally, one day we were at his baseball game; Rich was at first base and the pitcher scooped up the ball and threw it to him. It hit him right in the chest and fell to the ground. I "happened" to be sitting next to a nurse and she confirmed my fears and told me to get to the Dr. immediately. The next day, we were there. He pulled out a handkerchief and had Rich start blowing on it, like blowing out candles. It was successful in inducing a siezure. This led to the EEG, just that afternoon and then the medication, which controlled it. The medication that was almost worse than his condition. He had to have blood tests every three months to make sure his liver was handling it and he had a host of other side effects that he bravely fought through. Three years later when we were moving to Sandy, the Dr. suggested we take him off the medication, since most children outgrow these. Sure enough, he had and we were home free.

A few times in my life I have been grateful for medical technology and the ability Dr.'s have to treat us with positive results. This was one of them.

Now that you know our first experience with an EEG, I will have to let you know about the second; my EEG last week. But this post is long enough and so it must wait. Until then, watch and pay attention to your children, especially if they seem a little spacey. It could save their life.

I'm an anomoly

2010-08-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

First, I'm normal! Well....as normal as someone like me can be. I'm also as healthy as a cow (as I mentioned to Laura this morning), but now it occurs to me that it's "healthy as a horse". Oh well, I never get those things right.

I am also an anomaly.  You may not know that two weeks ago I suffered a siezure; a big one, like grand mal. It was not pleasant, not in any way, shape or form. But worse, to me, is that Scott and Jessica had to see it. (Gordon was gone up to Scout camp). But this was the blessing, too. Because of that, they were there to care for me and to call the paramedics. Can you imagine the stir it created to see the firetruck and ambulance go to our house?

The last thing I remember, I was sitting in the big chair watching "River Monsters" with Scott. We had been anxiously awaiting the time when we could watch it together. The next thing I know, some guy is in my face saying, "Juuu-lll-iii-eeee, youuu'vvve haddd aaaa sssiiieeezzzuuurrreee." Every feature in his face seemed overly animated and huge. He kept asking me questions, none of which I knew the answer to. He asked me if I knew Scott or Jess or Ben or Laura (who had gotten there by now). I knew that I should know them but I didn't know anything. Finally Laura came and knealt down by me on the floor and I looked up and waived to her. It was so good to see a friendly face.

I was then informed that I would have to go to the hospital. It still hadn't sunk in that something serious had happened here. Apparently, I had not been a very good patient when coming out of things, like pulling out oxygen and slapping the paramedics hands away when they tried to take vital signs. I gave a surprised look at the paramedics and shook my head, like, "no way I need to go to the hospital". But I was with it enough to know that my sons could drive me and I did NOT need to ride in the ambulance.

So now that you have the basic idea from my perspective on how things went down, let me explain some really great things that happened. Ben and Laura were able to get here within 10 minutes of it happening. They were a great support to Scott and Jessica. By the time we got to the emergency room, all of the kids were there with the exception of Jo, who had to be home with the kids. Scott had called our home teacher, Kyle, who just retured home from the Spain Barcelona mission and asked him to bring some consecrated oil to the hospital.

Then, in a private room, all of my sons, Kyle and Gordon annointed and blessed me. This is the only time in this whole experience that I felt warm and secure and safe and that all would be well. The other great thing that happened is that Gordon happened to walk to his truck to check his phone and call Scott to see if he got the MTC job. There is only patchy coverage up in the mountains and Scott had been unable to get through. As soon as he dialed, Scott answered and told him what had happened.    After they hung up, Gordon had more questions and, without moving, called Scott back. He couldn't get through. No coverage.

So that is how, within the hour, Gordon was with me at the hospital. When he got there, he said, "you should have told me you didn't want me to go to Scout camp and I would've stayed home." Apparently, I laughed.

Some amount of time later, I finally got back to see the Dr. and had a CT scan and some blood tests. Everything turned up great on these and they ordered me to get some further testing; an EEG and an MRI and then see a neurologist to rule out anything else. This all seemed to go really fast for me, but for my family, I'm sure it seemed like an eternity as it was 2:30 a.m. before we got home.

The past two weeks have been a roller coaster. I couldn't remember things that happened a couple of days before or sometimes a day before. They have described having a siezure of this magnitude as if your brain were a computer re-booting. It takes a while to come back and each program loads on it's own time. I finally feel, after two weeks, that I am totally re-booted.

Today I went to the neurologist. You can imagine everything I had convinced myself I have after two weeks.  I feel like I have been walking around with two 50 lb. potato sacks on my back. He doesn't know what caused the siezure and that is a good thing. My brain is actually quite healthy and we know for sure that I have one. If he knew what caused them, then that would mean there is something really wrong with my brain. As it is, I am an anomoly; a statistic of  the random, one time siezure.

I left the two bags of potatoes in the Dr.'s office and walked out to a sunshiny day full of all the hope of the future and appreciation for my blessings. And they are many.

Last of Lucky Peak

2010-08-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

I skied and wasn't even very sore later in the week!!!

One of my favorite boat drivers. Scott has left for the summer; back down to Provo to teach Laotian at the MTC.

Scott and Jess while they were still on the tubes. they spent a great deal of time in the water.

Rich cliff jumping.

The brothers commented how "cool" Jessica was for being brave enough to jump.

All good things must come to an end. This is one of many loads that took all of our camping gear out.
I can't wait until next year.

Battle of Lucky Peak

2010-08-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

Calm before the battle

Jaws music

And the battle is on!

The aftermath.
Who won? If measured in fun, then they all did.. I was stationed
in the boat managing the tunes and enjoying the battle.

Boat Camping

2010-08-02T22:25:00.000-07:00

We spent two days and nights boat camping at Lucky Peak Reservoir last week. For those of you who don't know, boat camping is where you have to haul everything in & out by boat. It is quite a feat and took us multiple trips to get everything in for the whole crew. Everyone made it up there, which is criteria for success in my book. There were no cell phones (no service) or electronics of any kind. The only music was from the stereo in the boat and we were very generous with that. It was nice to be away from the distractions of the world and just focus on having fun together. These pictures give you an idea of the beautiful spot we got. There was even a bathroom up the little hill behind our site. It had it's own cove and dock and we had our own private paradise.

Coming: Battle of Lucky Peak, Boating and Cliff Jumping

Cameron approved of the spot.

Eli had to be sure to wear his sunglasses. Cool Dude.

Gordon fixing us breakfast. Rich fixed us a scrumptious dutch oven dinner the night before.

Scott bonding with Miriam. Talk about a trooper - she gets the Happy Camper Award

2010-07-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

Boat pictures can't be complete without pictures of Scott. Because he is home this summer, we have been able to go up to the lake in the early afternoon a lot. Here he is with his friend Matt.

They are always good for a laugh and a really good time.

He's also a pretty good teacher. Here he is giving Tori, Jessica's friend,

some pointers on getting up on a slalom ski.

Lucky Peak

2010-07-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

James & Suzanne were tubing maniacs at the lake. This is one sport that eludes me as far as enjoyment goes. I have done it once and my neck and head have never been the same, so I admire anyone who can and wants to get out there and do it.

Gordon's busy getting the ropes even. This is one of my favorite times on the boat, getting things set to go, laughing & talking and just kicking back. See the tents in the background? This is one of the spots that we may be camping in this weekend.

James finished the tube ride and got right back out there for a super ski.

Walaah! A pose only a dancer could strike.
We love the lake, aka Lucky Peak. It is the center of so many good times for our family.

H2O Report

2010-07-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

I know I have been remiss in my blogging efforts of late. I'm not sure where the will to blog goes when it does, but I am resolving to change it, starting with this post.

Jessica gives the "Lady Siren" a workout at Lucky Peak. In this picture, she is wearing "Tortuga", her fancy orange and black wet suit. It was so warm one time that we were up there that she went in just her swim suit.

We have had some great times on the boat this season, once we could finally start going. The weather was so unpredictable that we couldn't go until the beginning of July. We've been lucky enough to have all of the kids up at the lake on & off.
Next, I'll post some of James and Suzanne.

Just When I Thought....

2010-07-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought I had lost all faith in M-M's they go and redeem themselves.

The result is this:

M-n-M's with pretzel inside. And they are fantastic.

They first came out earlier in the year in the little individual packs. Every time I saw them, I would grab a bunch. But I know that many of the specialty M-n-M's never make it to the big time, or big bag I should say.

So imagine my surprise when I saw them in the store. They are divine, a sweet mix of salty, chocolate and carbohydrate.

There are only two problems with them:

1) The big bag is only 9.90 oz. and therefore, the ability to go through a whole bag is very real and possible.

2) The 9.90 bag is the same price as the 11-13 oz. M-n-M's.

Oh well, a small price to pay to enjoy one of the best snacks you will eat. Just watch yourself, or they will be gone before you know it.

P.S. Gordon does not like them and so it is possible that these are not for every taste bud. Can I imagine that? Not really.

Oh, Summertime!

2010-06-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist pilfering this picture off Jo's blog. It captures so many things; the beauty of a hot, summer day with a blue sky, and no wind or rain. Then it captures each of my grandchildren's personalities perfectly. Eli, on the left, is always playing and it always includes funny faces and sound effects. Cameron, right, is the big brother, the protector. But don't take him too serious; there is a whoppin' sense of humor there that I just love. And look at Lady Miriam. I don't believe I've ever seen this particular smile on her face. It has to be the smile of experiencing something totally new. That, and she loves her brothers. She reserves 98% of her giggles for them.

Or, she could be smiling because she's finally the one holding the orange dinosaur! Do they have pink dinosaurs?

Pretty Little Princess

2010-06-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

Miriam is going to be our blue-eyed blond grandchild. Her hair boarders on strawberry blond. I know I am bragging to say she's adorable, so make your own judgments.

High on a Mountain Top

2010-06-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

I love the dump - or I should say, I love going to the dump. I was going to grab my camera and shoot some action pictures from up there but I left it home. Ben, Gordon and I went up there today to take some old railroad ties and our old, old, ancient and huge former artificial lighted Chistmas tree. (Which had currently been smack in the middle of my downstairs storage room, inhibiting my food storage efforts).

We drove up and mused about the differences between our dump here in Boise and the dump in Idaho Falls. Gordon tells me Idaho Falls is free, that they have some sort of tax dollars at work there.
We must not have tax dollars at work in Boise, because today's visit cost $16. Probably an interesting story there...

I am always facinated when they tell you to go to this area or that and today they told us to go right to the top. I am facinated too at how many people need to work at the dump. Three of them were there just to tell us to back up to where they pointed, each after the other had done so. Then they get on their walkie talkie and probably tell the front loader to head over our way.

In Island Park, where the Bird cabin is located, there is a dump. It has crudely made signs with images on them, so that Pakinstanis and Iranians and Dutch people can tell where to take their old refrigerator too. But the funniest one is a sign that says, "Dead Animals" with a hand pointing a finger (pointer) where to go.

We backed in and Gordon and Ben began emptying out the trailer. As I looked around, I saw the front loader coming (I am so enamored of big machines like these). It came up right next to us and pushed garbage, mostly trees, grass, wood & stuff, all the way back so far that I thought the front loader was going to go over frontward and down the hill. I'm sure the driver thought that I couldn't take my eyes off him; actually I couldn't take my eyes off the frontloader. It would be so cool to drive one of those! Not only that, but to dig and push stuff with it. I'm sure that being raised with brothers and having only boys for so long had a big impact on me.

Before I knew it, we were done and heading back down the road for home. We passed the asbestos section, the battery, paint and appliance section, the household garbage section, but not once have I ever seen the "Dead Animals" section at the Boise dump.

I pondered this and the $16 fee vs. your tax dollars at work all the way down. With the windows rolled up, of course.

Blog Interview

2010-06-05T20:25:00.000-07:00

I have an interview on a blogger website featuring "regular" blogs like mine. Go to the website and read it and be sure to VOTE for this one!
http://bloginterviewer.com/family/the-birdhouse-julie-bird

Baby Sister Graduates

2010-05-31T11:28:00.000-07:00

Jessica Bonnie Bird graduated last Saturday. Unbelieveable! Where does the time go?

Soon the summer months will be over and she will be off to BYU-I for the Fall/Winter

track. (I hope to be as composed then. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha:)

She was lucky enough to have all of this group there to support her on her big day.

Jessica and Meaghan; inseparable all through high school. But Meghan is going away to that "school up North". We wish her lots of luck and will miss her. (Even though she will be a Vandal:)

Jessica and Suzy. They became great friends this year and we love Suzy. She is planning on attending BYU-I starting in the winter.

I love being right - but I'm not very often

2010-05-24T20:59:00.000-07:00

I have watched "Lost" from the very beginning and have been a devoted viewer.

I have to say that in the first season, I had a theory that they had all died in the plane crash and that they were in Hades, or something like it. Then, this season, one of the episodes confirmed it for me. Yes, I figured it out early on, which is something that doesn't usually happen. People were so shocked at the ending, when it is revealed that they are all dead and have been in a state of limbo (I call it purgatory, or a "holding pattern", or spirit prision). At the end, they gathered at a church - together and were ready to move on toward the light. Their experiences together in this place were the most important of their existence.

I know - many people hoped it would end with the crew partying on the island, playing limbo and drinking fruity frozen drinks and tanning at their newly constructed resort - all alive and happy. Oh well.

And what about the "island"? Turns out it wasn't about that - it was about the people.

Follows a familiar pattern, I would say.

Did you watch LOST? What are your thoughts?

Techology Duped Me

2010-05-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I created a blog for Scott and his friend Ben for their summer business of painting addresses on curbs. So far it is going really well for them. Anyway, I somehow posted my latest, meant for this blog - on that blog. So go here to see it. And...if you are interested in getting your curb painted with your address for only $20 and helping out some poor college students, let us know in the comment box.
http://www.scottnben.blogspot.com/

One of a kind from "La Garment District"

2010-05-11T22:11:00.000-07:00

The pictures posted from Jessica's prom didn't fully highlight her one of a kind dress. This one shows the beautiful beading that is on the top, or bodice of the dress. Also, the beginning of the sweeping fabric.

This one shows the bottom and how the cut of the dress fit perfectly. The good looking date helps too:)

Of course, it helps to have the right skin tone to pull off the yellow. She looked radiantly beautiful; I know that I am somewhat biased. Somewhat.

I love how this one shows off the whole dress and the way it moves when she walks.

So there you have it - a full report on the dress. I wish I had more from LGD to report on but that is a goal for a future time. It's definitely an experience worth repeating.

Same or Different?

2010-05-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

Just a couple more pics of Jessica and myself.
Coming...close up pictures of the yellow dress from "la garment district".

Look alikes?

2010-05-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

Just posting a series of pictures to see who thinks Jessica and I look alike. (Hint: mine are the black and whites:)

Heartwarming

2010-05-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

Two of my precious grandchildren.

My oldest son, Richard with his two sons, white shirts & ties taking a Sunday breather. I love him. He is such a good dad and I continue to be amazed that I raised this man.

Thanks Jo for letting me pilfer these pics off your blog. I need to get one of Eli - SOON!

Jessica's Senior Prom

2010-04-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

One of the many "lasts" that Jessica experienced during her senior year was her Prom on Saturday. Laura, Suzanne, Terri, Ashlee and Meaghan were all here to help her look her prettiest.

They also did Meaghan's make up.

Most of the family was here to send her off; hovering in the kitchen, peeking around the corner when her date came. They had been warned not to make a "spectacle" of themselves. I am lucky that I get to pin the boutineer on; I can get an up close look at the guy she's going with. His name is Morgan and Jessica was thrilled to go with him.

This is the dress from "la garment" district.

Like Mother Like Daughter

2010-04-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

Mine is the left foot and Jessica's is the right.

Hmmmm....wonder why I wear a 6 and she wears a 7?

Does anyone think she and I look alike? I am thinking of entering us into the

Idaho statesman's mom & daughter look alike contest. I'll find some pictures and you

can tell me what you think.

Getting the Dress

2010-04-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

The reason we went to the L.A. garment district was to get Jessica a prom dress. We went to the streets that had multiple prom dresses and it felt like a smorgesboard. We were surprised that there were some modest dresses there; when I say some, I mean maybe 2%.

We had a full three hours there; we had to leave for the airport by 4:00. The hardest part for me was walking past all the stores I wanted to go into.

And the purses.....guys on the street saying in a low voice, "you like Louis Vitton? Over here I have discount for you."

Finally after two hours we had narrowed it down to two dresses. One was at a shop owned by some Indian people. I asked for a discount on the dress. He said no and I started to leave.
"Okay, for you I give the price on the dress."
"Thank you; we are going across the street to try on the other one she likes to make a final decision."
"No, you like price on dress, you get it now". So basically I had to stay with the dress while Gordon went with Jessica to try the other one on.

I passed the time by putting various jewlery pieces with it and trying to get them down on the price. The jewlery lady was not compromising, "No, lady! Dhis is de price!" really loud so that all the people looked.
I finally settled on a lead crystal navy blue chandalier necklace for me.
Then my phone rang and it was Gordon telling me that they decided to get the other dress.
Now for my escape....I walked to the front of the store by the jewlery and when the guy turned around, I darted out the door.

We had a few minutes left to shop the other stores and we got Jessica some great jeans for $20 each. I wish we had two more days to comb through all of the shops. It was definitely an event that I would like to recreate. But I think it's important to have a male figure with you when you go there.

The best part? That Jessica has a dad who will shop till he drops for her.

Adventures in LA

2010-04-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say we spent all of our time at the beach while in LA but there were so many things to do;
one of which was find a PROM dress. Jessica got word while at the competition that she was being asked to the Prom by a guy she really wanted to go with. "We're going all out on this dress!" was her tagline. Whatever we do, it is her tagline, "We're going all out on this". It needs to go on the shirt, for sure.

We looked around a really swanky mall for an afternoon with no luck and then a friend that had family in Cali texted Jessica about a place called "la garment district". Jessica then proceeded to tell Gordon and I about it.

"Is is French", I wondered aloud?
"I don't know, but it's in downtown LA in a seedy area."
"Doesn't sound French".
Then Gordon piped in, "Could it be the L.A. Garment district?"
Silence.
Laughter.
It needs to go on the shirt for sure.

L.A. Garment district is like the mouth of the stream. Blocks and blocks of storefronts open to the street for retail and wholesale purchases. Everything from prom dresses & suits to shoes, candy and toys. And I mean everything. $100 jeans here were just $10 and $20 there. (We got Jessica two pair - wish we had gotten three). It would take three to four days to feel like you saw most of it. It is Canal Street in New York times a bajillion.

Did we find the prom dress? Yes, eventually. But that is a story in itself and I'll post it next time.
I love "la garment district".

I'm just wondering...

2010-04-08T09:53:00.000-07:00

My internet feed says I get upward of 60 hits per day. I wonder about that, though, based on the comments section. If this picture doesn't garner any, then I think I must be getting hits from the crazy key words I use.

Darling or what?