Three Little Birds Community Childcare and Preschool

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

Find us at our new site:

Threelittlebirdscommunity.com

We have a blog there, and some other goodies...

Love
Mama Ara and Papa Mike

hot summer day.

2011-06-30T14:59:00.000-07:00

more pics coming soon....but apparently we have exceeded our photo limit on here? figuring it out and be back...

Taking Margot to the vet.

2011-06-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

One of our bunnies was sick. We knew because she was cranky 2 days in a row, making little mad bunny faces at the birds and not eating her food. After she didn't eat for 24 hours (not even basil or dill-her favs!) I knew we needed to bring her to the vet. We wanted the kids to be able to come with us, because Margot is their bunny, and trips to the vet are an important part of caring for animals. So we mapped it out, and took a crazy bus trip with our babes and bunny in tow. I thought the birds would think it was funny we had Margot on the bus, but they were all very serious about it and would check in with her and comfort her. "It's OK Margot. Don't be scared. We've got you." We bussed down St Clair to Snelling, got off, and then on a new bus, bussed down Snelling to Como, got off and got a new bus, and bussed down Como to Dale. Then we got off and walked down Dale to Maryland. It was a long, hot walk, with tired little bird legs and a bunny thumping around in her box. But, on the corner of our bus stop stood Conny's Ice Cream, and we promised ice cream on the way back, they just had to hang in there a little longer. The thought perked everyone right up and we made it to the animal hospital safe and sound. There was lots to do and see and talk about, and everyone was interested and curious and also helpful. Once again, they all reassured Margot, and helped answered questions about her that the vet asked. Margot ended up staying the afternoon for observation, and we all walked back to Conny's for ice cream, french fries, and cheese curds. Some days we eat kale, and some days....

Margot taking a break at a bus stop.

looking at pet photos in the waiting room.

This sweet dog was found by a forester when he was just a puppy. His leg was caught in a trap, and so he only has 3 legs. We talked with his owner and listened to the dogs story. The birds were very intrigued, and kind!

A hug for Margot!

Talking about the various jars of supplies in the clinic. Also wishing we had a dog, not a bunny, so we could give him a treat. We all talked about the pets we have at home.

Do you know what your dog is feeling?
Urban garden article in the waiting room! We know that guy! That's Ella's dad!
At Conny's. The perfect spot to take a break. Conny was actually there, and thrilled to see the little birds.

And Margot is back at home now. She has to be force fed, which she doesn't really like. And she is taking a medication to keep her system going until she starts eating on her own and her system is running well again. This morning I had lots of helpers caring for Margot!

Update.

2011-06-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

Today was exactly what I needed, and I think it was exactly what the birds needed, too. They all had a really great day! We decided to lay low today (after considering a park trip, or pool trip, or forest trip) and for the first couple hours this morning we played inside. It was so nice to be relaxed and slow moving in our morning, especially after a crazy busy day yesterday (photos on that trip up soon!) We had the curtains closed, the fans on, and the house was cool and comfy.

The birds haven't been indoors much lately, and they were excited to get out toys and pretend. Soon a VERY busy hospital was operating out of the living room, everyone was sick, or dying, but no one ever died. The head doctor at the hospital (Papa Mike) refused to lose a patient (or prisoner, as Luna referred to the patients). Otto's Georgie was sick, and very well cared for. And Liam and Luna broke arms and legs and hobbled around on brooms as crutches. For me, I took the opportunity to NOT play hospital, and did some tidying and to-dos that have escaped me recently, and also busied myself in the kitchen. So soothing for my spirit, and I think really comforting for the kids, too. Occasionally here and there I was incorporated into their play, as "hospital cooker", or a little bird would climb up on a stool to help stir or observe, but mostly they were all thrilled to be playing and imagining the morning away.

Finally we decided to go outside, and everyone put on swimsuits and sunscreen. We hooked up the sprinkler and played in the water and grass. They were all giddy and happy and silly and had the BEST time playing in the water and hot summer weather. We ate lunch on the porch in our swimsuits. And now everyone is passed out in the living room, stripped down to diapers and undies. Super cute, super summery, super happy.

Breakfast: blueberry waffles, butter, blackberries, milk
Snack: bunny grahams, lemonade
Lunch: CSA greens with oven roasted garlic and vienna bread, buttermilk dressing, homemade wheat pasta (made with 8 farm fresh eggs!) and tossed with a sauteed mix of garlic scapes, green onions, cherry tomatoes, corn, and pea shoots.

Today.

2011-06-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

The house next door is getting a new roof. We spend a lot of time watching the roofers tear things off and throw them to the ground. The birds are interested in the tools they use, and the rope that holds them steady on the roof.

Wren and Coops on the porch this morning being goofy.

On our way to The Alton to visit our grandparent friends. Luna brought dress up clothes that a few birds wore (can you tell who?) and we brought flowers to hand out. A successful bus trip, smooth transitions on and off and waiting for transfers, although we did manage to get on the wrong bus once. We rode it for a few blocks, and then got off again.

Claire was back today after a week vacation! Yay Claire! We missed her so much! SO SO MUCH.

Walking into The Alton and getting our flowers ready to hand out...

Here we are singing a "Good Morning" song and waving to our friends.

Then we did a 3LB performance of Little Red Riding Hood. THEN we did ANOTHER performance. The birds wanted to perform again, but it was getting late and so we couldn't. We did sing "Old MacDonald" and a "Goodbye" song.

Bus ride home!

And... back in the yard before lunch....

A beautiful day. So proud of our kids for all their kindness, big hearts, good listening skills, and unique, fiesty, hilarious spirits!

Day to Day.

2011-06-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

A big mess of day to day photos. This is truly what our days look like right now. I can't help but feel so happy and proud as I sort through the pictures. Our birds are so HAPPY. I believe this is what childhood should look like. Especially in the summer. Days filled with play outside. At the park, in the fields, gardening, running, climbing...Play play play. Time spent with friends, almost siblings. We are a family.

The birds play so many games. Games with names such as "fishing poles and babies", "hot tub", and "runaway cookie". These are just a few of the game titles I have heard, and I certainly don't understand the intricate rules, but sometimes can catch the gist of it. I know in "fishing poles and babies" that the kids spend a lot of time talking in baby voices. I know in "runaway cookie" that the cookie is baked, and then escapes from the oven, again and again and again. The rules and games and characters change and morph with various days, age groups, environments, and moods. Some days we orchestrate games, like "duck, duck, grey duck" , or "follow the leader", or "wolves and bunny". Some days we have extra structure and rules and I have to be strict, like on field trips and bus rides. But some days, some days we run free.

We are Wild. Loud. Messy. Dirty. Laughing. Yelling. Running. Jumping. Falling. Hiding. Chasing. PLAYING. Breakfast in the yard. Lunch on the porch. Sunscreen. Scraped knees. Bug bites. The smells of summer. Grass. Thunderstorms. Dirt. Mud. Flowers. Sweat. Does anything smell better than a child all sweaty and sunscreen-y and dirty after a day outside? There is something sweet and very specifically summer about that smell. I love rubbing their backs as they fall asleep at nap. Deliciously tired after a busy morning. The sounds through an open window. Bees. Lawnmowers. Kids. Giggles. Cries. The tastes. Honeysuckles. Chives. Basil. Dill. Berries. Beans. Corn. Cucumbers. Kale. Tomatoes. Lemonade. Water. Anything fresh from the garden.

We limit the rules here as much as we can. We encourage their freedom. We try to let them work it out on their own. Solve their problems. Use their words. Move their bodies. Negotiations and compromises. We let them BE and create and experience. Childhood is precious. I really believe that. It will be gone in a blink, and once it's gone, you can't get it back.

Honestly, there are moments where I am exhausted to the point of tears. And times when my patience is tried to the end and I might snap. But in the next instant a child can have me busting out in genuine laughter. Heart overwhelmingly full with love and gratitude. Grateful that we get to share these summer days and cherished moments. Thankful for our blessings and good good life. We hope this is a time that our birds will remember. Happy and peaceful. The joy of being a child. And,eventually, a joy they will pass on.

Otto Roboto!

2011-06-27T12:29:00.001-07:00

Happy 3 years to our darling Otto! Last Thursday was Otto's birthday, and we made it a robot celebration. We spent a good amount of time creating our own robots, with random art supplies, glue, wire, and help from Papa Mike. Then we had a robot dance party (in which every single photo is blurry because the robots were dancing like crazy!), and then we had cherry pie. After our birthday pie we played drop the clothespin in the robot tin. All the birds are very excited that Otto is 3 now. They talk about it a lot, the fact that he is 3. And in their minds he is now, very certainly, grouped with the "big kids".

Happy Birthday, Otto! We love you!

Library.

2011-06-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

Update.

2011-06-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

We took our first Wednesday field trip to the Downtown library today! At first we weren't sure if we were going to chance it with the rain and without Claire's help, but we love a challenge and we know we have a pretty great group of kids, so we went for it - so glad we did!

For the first time, we actually made all of our scheduled bus times (YAY!), and the bus drivers were SO friendly and helpful and patient. We had talked on the way that we're going to eat our snack at a water fountain in front of the library, but when we got there the fountain wasn't working. We watched some city workers trying to fix it; eventually they came over to tell the kids that the filter was broken, but that they know we would want to see it working so they would turn it on for a minute! So awesome - the kids were very happy, and even got to make wishes and toss in coins! (They also enjoyed sharing their snack with the fountain pigeons and squirrels).
We talked a lot about how the library is a special place and we need to be quiet and calm inside, that we need to take care of the books, and listen to the librarian and storyteller. The kids all followed the rules perfectly - I think we were the best behaved kids there! (Definitely the cutest.) The librarians did such a great job helping the kids and providing a fun learning time for us. Looking forward to more Wednesday storytimes this summer!
We came back home for a pizza and salad lunch, and the kids crashed. In fact, Gretta almost fell asleep on the bus - which lead to one of my favorite quotes of the day:
Ara: "Gretta, try and stay awake please. It's not safe to fall asleep on the bus, 'cause you could fall out of your seat."
Wren: "But Mama, the other night we saw that smelly guy sleeping on the bus with his mouth open!"

breakfast: toast, raspberries, blackberries, milk
snack: bagel chips and water
lunch: cheese pizza, herb and avocado salad, vruit juice

Yard today.

2011-06-21T12:42:00.000-07:00

Playground.

2011-06-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

Our forest.

2011-06-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a short video I took the other day of the birds playing in our forest. When we walk over to Linwood park the birds often ask,

"Are we going to our forest, or a different forest, or the playground part?"

Most frequently we go to our forest. Its a cluster of 4 or 5 pine trees in a field. The trees are great for climbing, it feels like we're hiding, we lay down blankets and read and have snacks, it smells yummy like earth and pine, there are lots of things to collect and study, and there is a gentle, undescribable freedom in that space. It is a comfort zone for all of us, as we have been going to our forest since opening week at 3LB. Everyone relaxes when we are there. We usually do a little bit of everything, and a little bit of nothing. This clip shows you what I mean. Nothing is really happening, which is exactly why it's so perfect in our forest.

Rhubarb!

2011-06-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

Update.

2011-06-21T11:29:00.000-07:00

Rhubarb! We received fresh rhubarb from our CSA, and made rhubarb crisp with the birds. We followed a picture recipe, and the kids followed along and created their individual crisps. They cut their rhubarb, greased their pans, sprinkled on cinnamon, salt, and water, and topped it with the butter, flour, and sugar mix. While we waited for the crisp to be done we went for a walk to look for rhubarb. Sometimes we saw huge leaves, but they didn't have pink stems. And sometimes we saw pink stems (beets!), but not huge leaves. Finally we found rhubarb in a neighbor's garden! The birds were excited to see it growing, and we picked one gigantic rhubarb to carry home, and also a small piece to eat raw. Sour and delicious! At home we played a "find the rhubarb" game with Mike, ate our crisp, and then had a delicious lunch.

Breakfast: raspberries, cinnamon raisin bread, chocolate milk
Snack: rhubarb crisp
Lunch: noodles with silken tofu tomato sauce, garden fresh salad greens with basil and dill, avocado, blackberries

CSA!

2011-06-20T13:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks to baby Ella's parents, Nate and Amy, who brought us our first CSA share today. Nate and Amy own Pig's Eye Urban Farm, and this is their first growing season. We are thrilled to be a part of this amazing endeavor. Today we got a bushel basket full of yummy produce and we will happily be eating it all week. We will be talking this summer, as our different veggies arrive, about Nate and Amy and their garden. It is really awesome to watch the birds start to understand where their food comes from, and to appreciate the farmers in our lives. Hopefully we will even take a field trip to visit Nate and Amy's farm in the city!

Crazy new play structure.

2011-06-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Preston, Cooper's dad, for bringing us a giant wooden spool and big steel tube. His intention was to help us craft a chicken coop with the parts, but within a few hours we envisioned a climbing-house-stage-thing. We cut a door into the spool, and added a slide and ladder from Wren's old loft bed. Our new play piece is definitely a success. The birds love it!

And stay tuned. We don't know what is going to happen with the steel tunnel yet....

Buckets and pulleys.

2011-06-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

Update.

2011-06-20T11:36:00.001-07:00

Today we walked to Linwood park to play. We brought buckets, baskets, ropes, yarn, twine, and pulleys. We had a wonderful time setting up our pulleys and making things work. We spent a lot of time filling our buckets with pine cones and "bananas" from the trees. We did some climbing and chasing, too. We sat on our blanket and read, Children of the Forest and ate rhubarb cake that Wren's grandma dropped off this morning. Before we walked home we played a wolf game. All the children pretended to be a hungry pack of wolves, and Papa Mike was a hopping bunny. The wolves chased the bunny, howling and howling the whole time. We had a fantastic morning.

Breakfast: crepes with butter, cinnamon, and sugar, milk
Snack: cheese, rhubarb cake, water
Lunch: kale, beet greens, collard greens, green onion, garlic, sea salt sauteed in olive oil, roasted cauliflower, vegetable gyoza, cherry yogurt

The birds ate ALL their food at lunch! Even the greens! It took some encouragement and convincing, but once they tried it, I think they liked it! Plus they all wanted yogurt for dessert...

2011-06-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

Forest, flowers, snapdragons, summer.

2011-06-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

Update.

2011-06-16T11:58:00.000-07:00

We started our day with a delicious breakfast on the porch, yummy crepes with strawberries and bananas. We made a chart and realized that with a chicken, a cow, and a field of wheat, you could make crepes everyday. That's all you need.

The birds were kinda wild, a bit unfocused, and we know the only cure for that...We packed up and hiked over to Linwood park. On the way we discovered some snapdragons growing in the sidewalk, and I showed them how to make the flowers roar.

We have a fort down in the woods, behind the tennis courts, that we have been working on. The kids love to play there, and I think Papa Mike does, too. All it takes is a little freedom and time in nature, and everyone finds their place of peace and joy. The kids played different games in the trees, climbing and hiding, and delivering messages from forest fairies and to the forest king. We hiked a few different trails, and then headed up top to play in "our forest", a gathering of trees in the field. We climbed, played, wandered, and just lived. We picked a box full of dandelions and clovers to bring home for Margot and Ida (the dandelions are pretty picked over here at home!), and Papa Mike showed us cotton from a tree.

Breakfast: whole wheat crepes, strawberries, bananas, honey, milk
Snack: crackers and water
Lunch: fettucine noodles with mushrooms, white kidney beans, fresh basil, fresh rosemary, garlic, olive oil, and parm. Vanilla whole milk yogurt with sliced banana and graham cracker for dessert.

Summer with the birds.

2011-06-16T11:40:00.001-07:00

June, July, and August. These are precious and fleeting months. This summer we plan to be outside 90% of the time, coming in for breaks from extreme heat and to take our much needed naps. Our porch offers a lovely spot for breakfasts and lunches outdoors, and we have been enjoying group times out in the grass. Our CSA deliveries start next week, so abundant Minnesota produce will be added into our mealtimes, and we are so excited! We have our own little gardens that the birds planted in our yard, and now are tending to, watering and weeding daily. Next week officially begins summer, and we hope to start summer journaling with our birds, creating a "summer book", a tradition I began with girlfriends while I was in high school, and still love, to better document our lovely summer days. We also will cut back on projects and any sort of curriculum, because there is so much wonder to experience by just existing outside. We hope to maintain a gentle summer rhythm, looking something like this:

Monday: park day
Tuesday: The Alton nursing home
Wednesday: story time at the library
Thursday: Linwood forest
Friday: park day

Mixed in with the schedule will be other field trips, stories, projects, and all the unpredictability and flexibility that childhood requires.

We look forward to celebrating and savoring a beautiful summer season!

Fire.

2011-06-15T11:51:00.000-07:00

Update.

2011-06-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

Our plan today was to hit up Central Library downtown St Paul for their preschool storytime. This morning when Gretta was dropped off her mom informed us that libraries were closed today, and saved us a crazy trip and disappointment. Instead we stayed home, and that worked out perfectly. It was a peaceful, beautiful day and we were glad to be here. Everything was extra green and wet and bright and fresh, the air smelled so good and sweet. It was a bit chilly outside, which felt pretty good, too. We built a bonfire on our patio and sat around it. We listened to the birds singing, the fire crackling, smelled the woodsy and earthy smells, and were completely content. Then we got out paper, crayons, pencils, chalk and paint and did fire art. We talked about how still, dark, and solid the wood lay. We talked about how bright and busy the fire danced. We noticed the gray of the ashes, the red, red embers, and the soft, white smoke. The birds worked on their art with focus and calm, pausing to chat with each other or study the fire.

Then it started raining gently, so we gathered on the porch for a story. A fire man and his fox, "Flame" fought with, and then was friends with, a water woman and her pet alligator, "Bubbles". Then the birds went for a walk. We noticed again how bright and beautiful everything was after the rain. Fragrant flowers, vibrant with color. Tender, green grass and trees. Heavenly. We came home for lunch on the porch. Another immersion in our senses, as we washed our hands and face with lavender water and ate just picked, sweetly perfect, ripe, red, strawberries. A delightful day.

Breakfast: whole milk vanilla yogurt, bananas, cheerios
Snack: string cheese, apple cereal bars, water
Lunch: strawberries, artichokes with butter, pepper, and sea salt, goat cheese and sundried tomato ravioli with red sauce, cedar summit milk

Baby bird.

2011-06-14T16:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had a baby bird fall from our roof, where her parents had built the nest. This was the second baby bird to fall from the too-high nest, but the first time the kids weren't aware it had happened. This little feathered bird landed on our hose, and during water play was discovered by the children.

We took the opportunity to give deeper meaning to the word "died", and to offer a respect for life, and how precious and fragile it really is. We all gathered around and the older children helped dig a little hole in the garden. Luna made a rose petal pillow, and Wren found a scrap of fabric from my sewing basket for a blanket. We put the dead baby bird into the ground, and gently covered her up. All the children gathered pretty rocks to lay on top of the dirt. We said things like:

"sorry baby bird."
"we will miss you."
"we hope you are in heaven with cheif and manni"
"your mama and brothers and sisters will miss you"
"too bad you couldn't fly."
"goodbye little birdie. goodbye. goodbye."

Adopting grandparents.

2011-06-14T12:11:00.000-07:00

A field trip today to The Alton. The birds were full of joy and love this morning, and sharing it with everyone. Bus drivers to neighbors to strangers to grandparents, we were on a mission to brighten peoples days.

A shared treat makes waiting for the last bus home a little easier...

Update.

2011-06-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day with the birds. We went on a field trip to The Alton. The Alton is a senior memory home, and Cooper and Milo's great-grandmother lives there. It was our first time visiting, but we hope to continue to visit every week. The residents and children were both benefiting greatly from the experience. We are so proud and happy with our kids for being so kind, thoughtful, and social with the "grandparents".

The birds sang songs, performed tricks, read books, and shook hands. Many residents were smitten with baby Mae and not-so-baby Kaj, who loved clapping hands and shaking walkers to make everyone laugh. Little Oscar was extra sweet and cuddled in on a grandmas lap. Olive, Luna, and Wren were great about shaking hands and showing off the books we brought with. They also sang extra loud and cheerfully. They are making plans for next week, when we will go dressed in costume and do a parade...

We hope this is the start of wonderful relationships, a Tuesday rhythm, and encourages compassion and generosity in community service for our birds. We only have to take 2 city buses (someday we will have a 3LB bus!), and with Claire's help, transferring isn't too bad. The kids are really learning all the field trip rules, and we were SO PROUD of them today for walking with partners, and entering and exciting the bus flawlessly.

Breakfast: cornbread with honey, Cedar Summit milk
Snack: wheat and seed pita chips, whole milk mozzarella cheese
Lunch: soy hot dogs, whole wheat tortillas, black beans, Vruit juice, water

From big Oscar!

2011-06-14T05:39:00.001-07:00

Dear Three Little Birds,

I love playing with you and I miss playing with you.

There are lots of trees that look different Hawaii and we have lots of golf courses. And there's different kinds of leaves at this place that look like straight lines. They are still round but they look straight.

I got to feed the fish at mamas work. I accidentally flipped one fish in mamas face and it was really funny. I held one up and the fish jumped out of the water.

I didn't get bitten by a shark. I saw some volcanoes and one time I went up a volcano with papa. I love playing at the beach and I love playing with you. I miss you.

Love,

(Big) Oscar

2011-06-10T12:44:00.000-07:00

Boys out my window.

2011-06-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

Update.

2011-06-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

Today we played in the living room with the dollhouse and blocks. We fed the bunnies and danced with scarves. We played ring-around-the-rosie and "ten in a bed". Then we did a finger painting project with a natural finger paint powder. We did the mixing ourselves, having so much fun adding powder, then water, then powder, then water and making messy hands. We wrote letters in our paint, and drew pictures, and finally we took fresh paper and made clear hand prints to hang up. After that we went for a walk outside. We had hoped to play at Linwood playground, but a 1st grade class had taken over, and so we decided to come home and play in the yard instead.

Breakfast: buttermilk pancakes with flaxseed, peanut butter, strawberry jam, Stonyfield yogurt squeezers (we put them in the freezer so it's a popsicle-like treat)

Lunch: cheese ravioli in vegetable broth with parmesan cheese, bananas, cucumber, home-made wheat bagels and butter, Cedar Summit milk

Otto and the bunnies.

2011-06-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hansel, Gretel, and breadcrumb games.

2011-06-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

Recommend.

2011-06-10T07:38:00.000-07:00

The Minnesota Zoo is pleased to offer the Our Backyard/Our World Speaker Series. This free series introduces you to experts in local and global wildlife conservation and environmental issues. Registration will open one month prior to each event. Space is limited for these free events.

Children & Nature Screening & Panel Discussion
Saturday, June 11, 2011
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Join us for a screening of the award-winning film Play Again. This 80 minute documentary follows six teenagers who, like average American children, spend up to 15 hours per day interacting with small to large screens, as they get unplugged for their first wilderness adventure. Following the screening, a panel of local leaders in the children and nature movement will discuss the film and local efforts to get kids and teens outdoors.

Our post-screening panel discussion is scheduled to include:

Erin Erickson (co-host of Mom Enough and specialist in maternal-child health and parenting… momenough.com )
Dr. Marti Erickson (co-host of Mom Enough, Founder/Director of Children and Nature Connection and Founder/Director of the University of Minnesota’s Children, Youth & Family Consortium… momenough.com )
Greg Lais (Founder and Executive Director of Wilderness Inquiry… www.wildernessinquiry.org )
Patty Born Selly (Founder of Small Wonders, educator and parent… www.smallwondersmn.com )

More about the film at www.playagainfilm.com. More about the children and nature movement at www.mncnc.org.

Day to day.

2011-06-09T18:35:00.000-07:00

Flying kites!

2011-06-09T18:14:00.000-07:00

Porch playdoh.

2011-06-09T18:04:00.000-07:00

Thursday.

2011-06-09T17:45:00.000-07:00

Update.

2011-06-09T13:28:00.000-07:00

3LB followers. Updates sometimes go out to parents (ideally daily, realistically- not so much) to keep them informed of their birds day, activities, and our menu. I decided to save myself a little email time, and simplify my nightly blogging time, by just posting the daily update here. My plan is "update" posts at nap time, and separate photo posts whenever I can...I am currently really behind on all our pics. At any rate, here is today's update...

Today was a busy day at 3LB. Char was here to help out, Olive and Mae were here on a not regular day for them, and we welcomed new friends, Liam and "big" Isla, who will be with us for the summer. They are happy and easy going kids, and it certainly didn't feel like a first day for them. They were quickly adjusted and playing with everyone. Our "little" Isla is intrigued by another girl with her name, and Collin wonders, "Where is the other Collin?".

We ate breakfast on the porch, even though it was chilly out, and then played in the yard awhile. The birds did "work" with buckets, rocks, bricks,shovels, nets, spray bottles and brooms. They also tore apart our fairy garden, and placed all the items up "for sale" on the picnic table. And some little birds helped feed Margot and Ida their morning hay and carrots. Then we came inside for a group time. We sang some friendship songs (Friends 123, The More we get Together ) and read My Little Sister Ate One Hare and The Wind Children. We talked about the wind, pretended to be the wind, and swayed like trees in the wind. Then we made kites with watercolor paper and liquid watercolors. We tied on special kite tails and flags, and took them outside on a kite walk. We, of course, sang "Let's go fly a Kite" (from Mary Poppins?), and loved watching our creations fly in the wind.

Breakfast: buttermilk pancakes with flaxseed, bananas, honey, milk
Snack: string cheese, water, Vruit juice
Lunch: milk, tofu with pesto and fresh basil, couscous/brown rice mix with tomato cream sauce, peaches, cucumber in sea salt and vinegar

2011-06-07T12:38:00.000-07:00

Bell Museum.

2011-06-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

We have decided that field trips are a great idea. And they are. But. They are also a little bit crazy, a ton of work, and leave all of us (Mama, Papa, and birds) extremely tired. Yet, looking over the photos from today (long, long, long today) I am so happy and know all our kids had an awesome time. And maybe learned a little. And absolutely experienced a lot!

Today we went to the Bell Museum. We rode 3 different buses to get there, and walked lots of blocks in between transfers. At the museum we had the best time. We got to see so many animals and talked about the animals, their food, their habitats...In the touch and feel room we got to touch bones, skulls, rocks, crystals, seashells, fur, a bear, a moose...We also got to see several different live snakes and different types of turtles (alive). But, we also saw many different turtle shells (dead).

On the way home we missed a bus transfer (of course. we were tired. and walking slow) and so we decided to eat lunch at The St. Clair Broiler. I love that Luna, Cooper, and Wren marched in and told the hostess, "9 children and 2 adults, please." They were received with blank stares. We had a lovely lunch, barely staying awake for it, and then made it home where we all crashed for naps. It was, truly, a really wonderful day. (Some of the pics are a little blurry. I added them anyway. Just the nature of the day.)

Oh, forgot to mention that the day started off a little crazy. We needed to catch our first bus at Chatsworth and Grand. I don't know, 6 blocks or so from our house? We started walking, realized we would NEVER make the connection, and ran back to get the wagon(which we later ditched at Health Foundations) piled all the kids in, and RAN. There is always enough time for a video though...

We still missed the bus. Here we are waiting for the next one.

Luna and Wren! Luna is old enough to know that this picture is funny. Luna: "Because then it will look like that guy is sitting at the bus stop with us." And here they are taking turns kissing him. "I can't believe I kissed him!"

We arrive at the museum. Safe. Sound. And so many interesting things to look at! Well worth the bus rides.

The bears. I love this exhibit. I used to take Luna here when I nannied for her while pregnant with Wren. They have recordings of the bears and the sounds they make when they experience different things. Such as, they huff and blow when they are scared. A mama bear lost her cub and cried for days, making this sad, wailing sound. She stopped making the sound once reunited with her cubs. I told the birds this story, and then we listened to the sound.
THEN we played bear cubs in the bear cave.

THEN we talked about beavers and the sharp teeth they have for chewing on wood. Later, in the touch and feel room, we looked at and touched beaver teeth!

An albino snake:

The birds went around this room with enthusiasm and curiosity and amazement. It was so much fun to watch them all experience it.

More snakes!

Even baby Milo got to hang out with a fossil rock.

Deer leg.

Hooves.

A crystal!

And barely awake, but we are headed home...

Mike and I take turns enchanting them at this bus stop. Telling crazy stories and singing songs. So many people ask if they are ALL ours. How, exactly, would that work?

Welcome, Milo.

2011-05-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

3LB says hello to baby Milo. Cooper's little brother, and our newest and youngest bird!

Thursday.

2011-05-27T07:03:00.000-07:00

felting.

2011-05-27T04:42:00.000-07:00

Dudesday.

2011-05-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

Mess! Freedom! JOY!

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Lovely Monday.

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finger knitting and pancakes on the porch. climbing and swinging in our tree. a walk to linwood park. dandelion chains and lilac houses. picking dandelions and clovers for our bunnies. laughing in our covered wagon. water and mud play in the yard. and lastly, a beautiful package of wool came in the mail from our fiber CSA we purchased from Kindred Spirit Farm. lovely.

Goodbye.

2011-05-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

First of all, I don't really know how to begin this particular blog entry. Most often our blogs consist of me frantically uploading photos and posting while Mike gets our kids bathed and jammied, and mostly, I barely have time to post pics, let alone write. Tonight I feel like I need to say so much, but I don't want to ramble, or sound overly dramatic...And as I sit here feeling emotional, and exhausted, but content, there is so much I want to tell you and explain to you all....you 3LB followers...Stay with me, I will do the best I can....

Today was Remy and Oscar's LAST day with us. Their family is moving to Hawaii next week. Surreal even as I type it. Remy has been with us from day one. Opening day at Three Little Birds. He was the first birthday we celebrated here, as he turned 1 in October, just weeks after we opened our doors to families. He is with us 3 days a week, and is part of our family. I love him so much and we are all going to miss him incredibly. I feel like he is almost a twin brother to Kaj, and they get into all kinds of mischief together. Sometimes when they are pushing all our buttons (and the computer buttons, and dishwasher buttons, and vacuum buttons...) Mike and I fondly call the two of them "the Remys". It will not be the same without him here."Big Oscar", Remy's older brother, started with us one day a week this past winter. He is "best friend" to Cooper, "boyfriend" to Luna (but for heavens sakes don't tell her I told you all that!), and has been such a unique and hilarious child to get to know. Big Oscar is intelligent, intense, inquisitive, and full of spirit and imagination. He has added a different dynamic to our Thursdays, and we are truly going to miss him. Especially Luna. When she found out a few weeks ago that Oscar was moving away her face became so serious and her eyes filled with tears. I think that's how all of us felt today....

We planned a special last day for our boys. We packed our backpacks this morning with sandwiches, string cheese, and other goodies, then set off for Minnehaha Falls. We had to take TWO buses to get to the park, but we made each connection flawlessly. The birds were incredible listeners, holding hands and staying safe, and they had so much fun riding the bus.

The day was gorgeous. The weather. The feeling. There was seriously an air of magic to everything. Freedom in the fields and forests. Childhood, the magic of it! Special friendships and love... Once we arrived at Minnehaha Park and it was safe for the birds to run ("as long as you stay where I can see you"), they did. They ran. They ran and played and climbed (and I bet they all sleep hard tonight!). They didn't fight. They were never snarky. They were kind, and happy, and free. We had a picnic lunch, and then played some more.

Then Claire came to hang out with us. We climbed up to the pavillion and Claire ran to DQ for us to buy dilly bars. We sang a "goodbye to you" song, and all cheers-ed our dilly bars. It was perfect. The birds were tired and happy and dripping in ice cream. We talked about Hawaii and how much we will miss Remy and Oscar. Then it was time to go home.

We had to walk and walk, and then walk an additional block away to catch our bus home, and we knew we were cutting connection times close. We encouraged the birds to walk quickly, stay together, be safe, listen listen and look. They were all in good spirits and moving along (I'm telling you, magic!) but we weren't fast enough. We missed the bus we needed to catch (although we saw it drive by from a block away), but we weren't too sad because we knew we could catch the next one. But then. Then we saw that one drive away, too. Luckily, there was a third bus that would still get us to Highland, to our connecting bus, and we got it just in time. Running, dragging, calling, babes on our hips, pushing the stroller, encouraging, calling, pleading...We made it. AND, still in good spirits. Still.

In Highland Park, at 12:40, we realized we had just missed the bus we needed to catch, the one that would bring us back to 3LB. No worries. We would just get the next one. At 1:19. Oh yes. We then waited for 40 minutes for our bus to bring us home. We sang. We told stories. We half-slept sitting up. We giggled and were silly and wild, and partially, we were delirious. But you know what? Still a perfect day. Still no tantrums or fallouts or trippy birds or teachers. We made it home and crashed for nap, smelling like grass and tasting like sugar, and as I look through all our photos I feel like it was such a blissfully beautiful summer-y day. I hope the birds all carry the feeling and the memory with them somewhere in their hearts and heads.

Goodbye, Oscar and Remy (and Laura and Rob!) We will miss you all SO much and hope you come back to visit us soon! We also hope we can visit you guys in Hawaii someday.

You will always be our friends and
we love you both.
Mama Ara, Papa Mike, Claire and all the 3LB kids

R

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Day to day.

2011-05-19T13:30:00.000-07:00