A Sunday Surprise

If you have read any of my previous blogs, you are aware that a) I said my new year's resolution was to blog once a week and b) I love animals.  Well, the new year's resolution kinda got put aside due to a good run of bad luck.  BUT...I'm back and this is about a really cool encounter with one of my favorite animals....hawks.  Around Christmas I wrote about the time we went for a walk in the woods on Christmas Eve and I finally got to take a picture of a hawk up close for the first time.  I thought I was in "hawk" heaven (sorry, couldn't help it).  A few Sundays ago, something happened that would make that time seem like nothing.  Wyatt, Joel (my step dad) and I had gotten up early one Sunday morning to go to Heber Springs to help his brother load some things.  I of course took my camera, just in case.  I never know what the just in case will be, but man am I prepared.  So of course I am always on the look out for hawks.  The kids and I have a joke that I am cursed.  When I have my camera, we don't see anything, and when I don't have it, of course we see miraculous wonders and bazillions of hawks.  I guess this day I happened to get lucky.
On the way back from Heber, the two times we happened to see hawks, I was taking a drink of my delicious gas station cappuccino.  So we laughed and said that I was still cursed.  Then Joel told me that he sees hawks on the walking trail in Conway.  He said he gets pretty close because they are used to people being on the trail and all.  I didn't really think much of it, because when he walks, it's usually at night.  On our way home, we happened to drive by the parking lot to the trail and I spotted something white in the tree.  I asked him to turn around and Wyatt and I hopped out of the truck and saw this hawk (at least I think it's a hawk).  I can't tell you what kind it is, I'm still in the process of learning to identify them.  They can have such color variations that it's really not fair!!

Wyatt and I were so excited.  I told him we were going to see how close we could get.  We walked over a bridge and I snapped another one.

We got almost right under it and I took this.  I was pretty happy!  So Wyatt and walked down the trial just a bit, and got distracted by some robins (I really am a sucker for birds).

It was so cold that it was really puffed up!  So he and I are just walking along and looking at the birds and a squirrel (Joel stayed in the truck, he's a wienie when it comes to cold).  All of the sudden I look down the trail and see this.....

Not the best picture, but you get the idea of our distance.  So of course, we take off towards the hawk.  I'm pretty sure it will fly off at any time.  But it doesn't...

We basically walked right under it, and then crossed another bridge.  That's where I took this picture, directly across the creek.  Then just to see what happened, we crossed back over the bridge and stood right under it!

Yep, it was looking right at us!  Then it did fly off and we went back to occupying ourselves with robins and a pair of mallards in the creek.

He's so pretty!  The female was right behind him.  Wyatt got the camera not long after this and was taking pictures of the ducks.  I noticed the hawk had flown down and was sitting in a bush right along the creek.  It flew down and landed on some ice along the creek and sat there for a minute before flying into the bush again.  I promptly took the camera back from Wyatt and sat down on a rock along the creek, a little ways down from the hawk.

I watched it, watching the creek and it suddenly dawned on me that it was looking for food in the creek.  So I sat there and watched, hoping that it would fly down again.  

Well, it did!

If you look closely, you will see it has a small fish in it's talons that it's putting into it's mouth.  Eley said it was biting the head to kill it (sorry if that was too harsh for you).  Then it put it back in it's talon and took off.

I know this picture is blurry, but I thought it was so cool with the water dripping from it.  It flew to a tree and was happily eating the fish.  Now my life would have been great if that was the end of the story.  I would have left there and been perfectly happy.  But, it wasn't.  We had seen another hawk earlier, farther back off the trail.  The one we watched catch the fish flew back down the trail towards the truck.  We were moseying our way back that way. We heard the hawk with the fish crying out, and all of a sudden, the other hawk took off in that direction.  We hoofed it down that way, thinking there was going to be a fight.  Boy was I was wrong!

We didn't actually see the transfer, but the hawk on the right is the one that caught the fish, and GAVE it to the one on the left.  We aren't sure if this was a mate or what, but they were definitely buds.  They sat there together for a minute, and then the hawk that caught the fish flew off to the top of the tree where we had first spotted it watching the creek.  

I apologize again, not the clearest picture, but OH so cool!  The hawk left behind sat there happily and ate the fish.  

So, it pretty much turned out to be a really awesome adventure at the walking trail.  I was so excited!  

Such a pretty thing!   Well, I may just blog twice this week to make up for lost time!   Seems like nothing much happened and then everything happened!  Anyway, just in case the week gets crazy, have a great week!  Don't forget to look around you!  You never know what you might see....  :)

Poor Pouty Me

     Well, I have to be honest.  I have been pouty all weekend.  Yep, I know I'm way too old to pout, but I am anyway.  When I tell you why, some of you will think I have lost my mind, but that's okay.  But those of you that really know me, won't be surprised. Do any of you realize what was happening exactly a year ago today?  Snow, snow, and more snow.  Today (actually it was the 9th, but it started on a Sunday) a year ago we had a gorgeous white view outside our window.  I should probably give you a little history on my love for snow.  Every since I was little, I have loved snow.  Growing up in Conway, we didn't get it every year, but when we did, I was the happiest girl in the world.  Sometimes it was ice.  I don't like ice, just snow.  I can remember one time when I was middle school aged and we got 11 inches.  I will never forget sitting in our living room and looking out the window watching it snow in the lights on the deck, and walking out in the front yard with my ruler and it almost going all the way down in the snow.  Then, I moved even further south, against my better judgement (he he he) where we get even less snow.
      A few years ago, I decided to use snow to help teach my kids a lesson in faith. When there was a tiny chance of snow in the forecast, I called a meeting with the kids in the living room (Grace said she thought someone had died).  I told them that if something was important to us, it was important to God, no matter how big or small. So I asked them if they really wanted it to snow, and they said yes!  So we prayed for snow, right then and there.  And guess what!  It did snow!  Not a lot, but regardless, it snowed.  It was a great example for my kids to see how prayer works.  We did talk about that if it didn't snow, that God heard us, but it just wasn't the time.  Because sometimes, the answers to our prayers are no.  Believe me, I have prayed for it many times and it didn't happen.  It actually happened two more times that winter, after we had prayed.  Nothing that you could build a snowman with, but it did snow.  So from then on, a snowflake became a symbol of faith to me.  I have one on a charm bracelet to remind me.            
     Fast forward to last Christmas...I got a snowflake necklace from my dad and stepmom.  I put it on that night, and wore it everyday.  So when we got the snow that started a year ago today, it was like God was saying, "Surprise!  You got it before you even asked this time!"  Needless to say, I loved last winter!  It was the first time my kids got to sled, play in the snow, throw snowballs, and build a snowman at our house.  And they got to share it with our friends and family, which was even more special.

All bundled up

Cousin fun

Sledding with the LeSieur girls

More cousin fun

     These are just a few of my snow pictures.  I actually have 6 folders of snow pictures!  I don't want to ever forget it.  Sometimes, I would lay in bed at night and go back through them on my ipad and just smile :)  Such happy memories for all of us.  

     So you have to forgive me that I got a little (okay...a lot) pouty when I saw that it was going to rain tonight, Monday and part of Tuesday.  If it wasn't so warm, it might possibly be snow.  I do have to tell you that I have high hopes for this winter.  The night I got out the old snowflake necklace and put it on for the first time, the next day it snowed (that snow we had for a few hours back the first week of December).  So that combined with the persimmon seed prediction (a shovel) gives me hope.  But even f we don't get any snow, I will be disappointed, but I'll keep on wearing my necklace and having faith.  
Maybe I should get a sun necklace and start praying for a cooler and wetter summer.....

Here are a few "crash" pictures to leave you with to make you smile.

Grace and Carson

Grace

Carson, Tori and Wyatt (part of him anyway)

Natalie

Garrett

Mary Liz and Wyatt

Katie

Ellen

And last but Not least...Nona

Have a great week!!

Fun Memories from the Beach

Tonight on the way to supper, we were discussing the plans for skiing (hopefully) next Christmas.  I was talking to Eley about driving versus flying, where to go, and all that fun stuff.  He asked if we were going to go anywhere this summer.  I told him probably the beach....and silence.  The beach isn't his favorite place to go.  He would much rather spend the summer camping at Lake Greeson or Dierks.  So he was trying to be clever and ask the kids if they liked going to the beach.  Wyatt and Grace were for it, but Garrett said he didn't like to go because he would get sand in his trunks. This led to one of my most favorite memories from the beach.  And I promise it really is true.....


We were hanging out at the beach one day, about mid-afternoon.  Our normal beach routine is to sleep until we want to (my favorite part), get up and eat breakfast, go to the beach and stay until early afternoon, then go back to the condo and wait out the hottest part of the day inside.  Sometimes we head back in the evening for crab catching or just to enjoy the breeze.    We had stayed longer than usual that day, and I don't remember what we were doing that was keeping us there.  Most likely riding the waves or looking for shells.  Anywho, Wyatt had obviously had all the fun he could take, because he fell asleep in the beach chair.

Of course, I thought it was precious and we just went about our beach business.  

Like so...

And so...

After the big kids were tired, we started packing up all of our
 stuff we hauled down to the beach (my least favorite part).  
I must stop here and say that the beach is the one place where
 my kids will take multiple showers a day without being asked.  
They don't like the salt and sand on them.  So when we got back 
to the condo and got our things put away, they all went straight 
to their showers to get cleaned up and changed.  We were 
headed to Lulu's that night in Gulf Shores.  I was waiting
 my turn in the shower, when Wyatt came running into 
the living room, naked as jaybird.
  He hollered "There's a fish in my pants, there's a fish in my pants". 
 Now, for those of you that know Wyatt, you can understand that my
 first thought was that I didn't believe a word he was saying.  
I asked him what in the world he was talking about. 
 He then proceeded to show me the proof, 
as evidenced below:

Yep, that my friends, is the lining of his swim trunks, and yes, that is a dead fish (among other things, sheesh, no wonder they want to shower with all that stuff in their trunks!).  After we picked ourselves up off the floor from laughing, we took a short moment to reflect upon the untimely demise of the poor fish.  It had gotten stuck in his swimsuit and while he was napping, it bit the dust, so to speak.  Aside from feeling sorry for the fish, my question is, how in the world can there be a fish in your swimsuit and you not feel it??  He must have really been tired it all I can say.
Life with my family is NEVER dull :)
R.I.S. dear friend (rest in stink) 
For those of you who REALLY know Wyatt will appreciate that last statement!  


Have a great week!

A Different Christmas Eve

This Christmas Eve was one of a kind.  Usually, we get up, head to my aunt's house for lunch, go to my brother's house for mid-afternoon snacks and open presents with my dad and crew, and make a mad dash back to Nashville in time for Santa's arrival.  This year we didn't go to my aunt's, my poor brother and his ENTIRE family were sick with the stomach bug, Wyatt was sick and couldn't have gone anyway, and my dad wasn't feeling well either.  Sooooo, we made the best of it!  Joel, Eley, Wyatt and I went down to Lake Conway to try and get some pictures of ducks or whatever we could find.  My happiest times are riding around and/or walking around taking pictures.  I don't always have a particular thing in mind I am looking for to take pictures of, just looking around to see what I can see.
The sun was really not right to taking pictures on the lake.  I'm all about natural light and such, but too much is not a good thing in this case.  So Eley suggested we go down the road to Bell Slough, a game and fish management area.  It had a walking trail by some wetlands he thought we might enjoy and see some wildlife.  So, off we went.
When we got there and I was glad we were the only ones there.  Not that I mind people, but they might interfere with my picture taking!  We checked out the map and started out on the trail.
I am basically fascinated with birds.  Doesn't matter what kind, I like to take pictures of them.  We hadn't been walking on the trail long when I spotted a robin.  So of course, I snapped a picture.

I love the way the sun shines on it.

We walked on through the woods (I wish I had taken a picture of the trail) and I noticed these little birds were hanging upside down on leaves.

We never did figure out what the bird was doing.  Eley thought there might be some sort of little seeds or something on the leaves.  I can't remember what kind of bird this is either, and Eley isn't in the house right now for me to ask him.  I will have to let you know later.

We kept on walking towards a back wet area where we might see some ducks.  I really wanted to stay with the birds, but I figured I would take more pictures on the way back.  Farther along the trail, I saw a much bigger bird in the tree.  If I remember correctly, I think it is a Yellow-Bellied Sap Sucker (once again, Eley isn't here or I would clarify).  Whoever thought up that name should have used just a bit more creativity!

They aren't the best pictures ever, but just so you get the general idea.  We continued on to our destination.  I had visions of ducks and cool things in my head to take pictures of.  Well...it was a let down.  There was nothing there; nada, zip, zilch, zero.  A beautiful sign displaying of all of the birds that I could possibly see, and really nice little hole of water.  But that was it.  So, we headed back.
Since it was Christmas Eve, I convinced Wyatt and Eley to pose by a "real" Christmas tree in the woods.

Just in case you wondered, Eley has a spotting scope, not a weapon.  As we headed back, Wyatt started looking at all of the cedar trees and picking out some for his cousins.  I don't know what made him think of it, but we saw a little one and I said it looked like Charlie Brown's tree.  He said it looked like one for Claudia, his cousin.  Then he proceeded to pick out a tree for the rest of his cousins.  Anyway...back to the story.
All this time of being disappointed in not seeing anything super cool, I kept thinking to myself that I was going to go back and get some more pictures of the little birds.  When we came to the fork in the trail, Eley and Wyatt went up on the ridge to go a different way and I headed back the same way, with Joel tailing me.  As I silently snuck back down the trail looking ever so carefully for the little birds, I noticed something.  Well, actually I noticed NOTHING!  There were no more little birds!  I have no idea where they went, but they went.  So once again, trying not to be disappointed, we headed back to meet Eley and Wyatt.  We got back in the truck and headed back to Conway for lunch.
I am going to stop right here and say that I have wanted to get a picture of a hawk for awhile.  I have taken pictures of eagles in our back yard (saw one today) and last spring finally got to photograph a Painted Bunting.  The only thing left (besides an owl) that I really wanted to get a picture of was a hawk.  I have tried several times, and it's even become our little joke when we see one.  It's usually really close and really beautiful.  And we are always driving in the car, which makes it nearly impossible to take a picture!  I had already tried to take a picture of one earlier that day, but it flew off.  So....as we were leaving, I spotted one in the tree.  I told Joel to stop and he did.  I jumped out and started snapping...hoping it wouldn't fly away.  The first shots weren't too great.

Not too fabulous, I know.  But I was afraid to not take a picture in fear that it would fly off.  But I kept on walking down the road, hoping it would't fly off.  I got closer and closer...

And so the shots were better!  I was so excited I couldn't hardly breathe!  I just knew it would fly off soon.  But I kept snapping, and it kept sitting!

And I almost liked this next one better, even though the branches were in the way.  And I must tell you that I cropped it to make it a closer shot.  I didn't think you would mind, just wanted you to know I didn't get THAT close.  And, it was also the last picture I took.  It flew away after that.

Eley is back now and said this was a Red Shouldered Hawk.  I cannot tell you again how excited I was.  Wyatt knew how much it meant to me too, because he promptly text his sister to tell her the good news.  So, even though it wasn't a normal Christmas Eve, I still got a perfect gift!

A Fun Holiday Treat: Branch Out

On the way to Conway on Friday, Grace was reading a 501 Life magazine.  It's a magazine featuring different happenings around Conway, and surrounding areas.  She saw an ad for a place called Branch Out.  It said it was a paint bar and boutique.  When we got to Mom's house, she went online to check it out.  They have a calendar of events that you can sign up for to paint a specific picture that they are teaching a class on, or choose open studio.  I didn't let her register then, because I felt like I needed some more information about it.  We found  where it was, but they were closed on Monday.  I decided we better go ahead and make our reservations in case it got busy.  The boys decided they wanted to paint, too, so we scheduled a time on Wednesday, during open studio.  The big day finally arrived...they were so excited!

Here is the sign inside..

Choosing their aprons

Ready to paint!

Once they were suited up, they were ready to begin!  Grace already knew what she wanted to paint, and  so did Garrett.  Wyatt wasn't so sure.  But luckily, there were lots of examples of other paintings to look at!

 Grace decided to paint a retro owl, Garrett was painting of his own creation, and Wyatt decided on a cross. Then it was time to choose their colors!

Once the colors were chosen, let the painting begin!!

Wyatt traced his cross first.

Garrett was off and running on his!

Grace started on the stump for her owl.

Of course I was snapping pictures the whole time, so  I think now I am going to post the progress of their  pictures  one kiddo at a time.  That way you can see them from start to finish!

The finished product!

Now for Garrett's turn!  He had his own idea of what he wanted to paint, but seemed embarrassed about it.  It is a cross between a dragon and a pokemon.  I thought it was great that he had his own idea and went for it!

Masterpiece #2 finished!

Masterpiece #3

It was such a fun thing for them to do, and very reasonably priced.  I am sure that we will be making a return visit another time we come back to Conway.  I highly recommend it!  It's a great way for kids (and adults) to express their creativity.  I want to do it next time, myself!!