i think we left the wreath up too long

I give you the House Finches (still trying to get a good pic of Mr. and Mrs. Finch):

There are four babies. They are right outside our bedroom window by the front door. I'm surprised they built there so close to us, but it seems to be working out for them. The plan was to let them be and, when they moved out, remove the wreath and clean up the big mess.
Then, today, Mr. and Mrs. Robin started moving in upstairs. Well, there goes the neighborhood.

So, what to do now? I should take down what the Robins have started. BUT I'm not evicting the Finches, so I guess I have to let their upstairs neighbors stay. As long as I don't have to break up any fights, I guess I'm ok with it.

A sense of scale

Parenting Tip

Dogen has this thing about mannequins - he's fascinated by how they are missing particular and vital parts - heads, faces, legs, hands, feet, etc. "No head, Mom", he'll say, laughing. "That's silly" "Where's his feet?" Generally, I find this amusing and it keeps him occupied while I shop.
As we were leaving the mall the other day, shops were closing their metal gates, and Jim had a brilliant idea. He launched into a fantastic and completely logical tale about how mannequins come out after closing in search of people from whom they can steal their missing parts. The gates are to keep the mannequins from leaving the stores. They are not too difficult to escape from, since most don't have eyes, but a terrifying prospect nonetheless. I guess it all came from Jim's own love/hate relationship with zombies, but Dogen insisted that Daddy was just joking. He wasn't scared at all, but he did pick up the pace.

I could watch this all day

. . . Despite the poor image quality and lack of sound, this is too cute! I'm so glad I found it. Dogen is about 9-10 months old - it's the Fall of 2005:

Time for another semi-annual post

The holiday funk is in full swing. Newman is taking it all in stride, getting plenty of rest. Yes, the ears are a soft as they look. Go ahead, pet them.


Dogen is getting big - he had is first school pictures taken. Easy Christmas gifts, don't you think? He'll be 4 next month; time to plan the party.


Lainey is fat and happy:

She is such a goof. Her house manners are improving, but she is still not to be trusted. Dogen loves her.

There are big plans to finally re-do our bedroom - I never thought I'd live with the previous owners wallpaper and gross carpet for as long as I have. It has got to go - you'll see why when I show you the before pictures. I call the style 'country horrible'. Any suggestions on how to remove paint from metal heat register covers?

10 days later . . .

Lainey 1
iPod USB cable 0

Lainey 3
Coasters 0

things Lainey had apparently never seen

Windshield Wipers (think a cat watching ping pong)
A talking / singing hallmark card
TV Court Shows

. . . Perplexed, curious, and incredibly funny. . .