Amber alerts, baby birds, and Mothers Day.

My day started early, and I'm tired. I signed up to get Amber Alerts on my cell phone a while back, and I got one this morning via text. At 4:03am. [groan] Granted, it woke me up & I was a tad disoriented at first, but I figured I shouldn't be annoyed since the alert meant someone out there was having a way shittier night than I was. And since children don't only get abducted between 7:00am and 5:00pm, I had to muster up understanding for the urgency of the text. But man, I've been yawning ever since. I never really did fall back asleep, just laid there thinking about the alert, and the poor parents involved, then my mind drifted on to what I was going to wear to work when I finally got up. I wanted to wear white clam-diggers, but is white acceptable this time of year? I've never been girly enough to remember all the rules about fashion, especially in the wee morning hours. I dozed off here & there, then finally decided to just get out of bed around 5:45am.

My allergies are back with a vengeance, so it's hard to write this blog with a clear head. [sniff snort cough]. If I ramble on or trail off suddenly, forgive me ...

Last Thursday was Z's final field trip of kindergarten, and I escorted as a driver/chaperone. This time, we went to Pump It Up & that place is always a hit with the kiddos. It's basically a giant warehouse filled with several, enormous inflatable jumpy houses & slides, which entertain the kids to no end. We've been there before for a few birthday parties, but it had been a while.

Vincent, Khoa, Z, and Sammie

The dynamic duo, together again, during the

safety video. As you can see from my son's

bored expression, he's seen this already &

is choosing to zone out. Is he really looking

out the window instead?

They were racing.

The dynamic duo, plus Colin ...

throwing gang signs?

Always a fan favorite - the giant slide.

I usually take my shoes off & get in to jump myself, but it was Z's class, the other kindergarten class, and the pre-K class all in attendance together. I was outnumbered. If I had gone in one of these things, they would've been on me like a swarm of bees, and that frightened me a little. I was already concerned about the swine flu (we were assured not to worry, because they closed off the place to the public while we were there, & swore they had scrubbed the place down before our arrival), but I surely didn't want to be a sitting duck for any other airborne illness that might fly off one of the kids. [shiver]

Sidebar: Random photo of the day:

A nifty shot of the moon that night.

Saturday, we went over to hang with Amy, Jim, Preston, & Brandon. We spent almost the whole day there, because Aaron was at work and the little boys hadn't seen each other in about a month. It was nice to be able to visit with Amy & Jim, while the boys kept themselves busy. We did let them go out in the back to run around with the hose, seeing as how it was nearly 100 degrees. Yes, in case you hadn't heard, it's already summer. I know the calendar says it's still May, but we're all dying & sweating already. Gah.

A geranium from Amy's lovely garden.

Outside of Amy's kitchen window, a Mama bird made a nest for her eggs & laid about 8 of them in there. The eggs have hatched, and you can see the babies clear as day. The Mama bird won't come near you if you're out there - instead, she flies over to a nearby tree & watches you. I got a few pics of the babies, and I hate to say it, but damn, they're ugly.

They would open their mouths like this

everytime my flash would go off.

One little guy that didn't make it, so Mama threw

him out of the nest. I told Jim I shouldn't post

this picture, because it would gross people out, but

Jim said it was "artistic". So, if that made you gag,

take it up with Amy's husband.

After over-heating, the boys decided to come in and keep themselves entertained by playing some old-school video games. It warms my heart to see Z playing Pac-Man, Pole Position, and Galaga.

Um, maybe Brandon shouldn't be gnawing

on the cord to the video game controller?

Sunday was Mother's Day, and we had everyone over to our place this year. Everyone = Ma, Dawd, Toni, Ken, & Mary. Kristi wasn't able to join us because she got scheduled to work, against her will, but we were lucky to have her kids stay with us for the day. (Her hubby works Sundays, too.) After my parents & Toni went home, we hung out with Ken & Mary for a while, and somehow a game of "chubby bunny" was born.

Brodi, attempting & failing miserably

at "chubby bunny".

Aaron, packing 'em in.

Holy crap!

Twelve, giant-sized marshmallows later.

Awesome. If you've never indulged in a game of "chubby bunny", I would highly recommend it. It's hysterical, every single time. Here was my Mother's Day gift from Z - a portrait of me, and a little something he wrote about his good ol' Mom:

If you can't read that, it says the following:

"This is my mom. Her name is Phyllis. She has kind of brown hair, I guess, and blue eyes. (wtf?) She is 5 feet tall and weighs 20 pounds. (God, I love this kid.) My mom makes the best rigatoni. She really likes to bring her own bags when she goes shopping. (He just outed my hippie side.)

My mom is very smart. She knows all about being my mom. I like it when she plays with me. It really bugs my mom when I lie, like when I say "I didn't mean to." (He says this constantly, and as you can tell, we've had a chat or two about it.)

The best thing about my mom is that she's my mom!"

Awww, I heart him.

The week so far has consisted of everyone I work with, and Aaron, and me fighting off another bout of snot/sinus pressure/sore throat. Not much else to tell. We did figure out today that Z only has 14 days of kindergarten left, which shocked us all. Really? 14 measly days? Where did this past year go?! Seems like yesterday I was pouring my heart out on my blog, praying for strength to get through his first day, and feeling apprehensive about what lay ahead. Amazing.

Now, I'm off to bed, hoping to sleep with my mouth closed at some point. Haven't had much luck with that the past few nights & this sinus-pressure filled nose of mine. I'm incredibly excited for tomorrow, since Brodi is coming over to hang out, and then I'm ditching the boys for a girl's night with Amy. Pedicures and dinner ... ahhhhh. That ought to make my sinuses feel better, right? (It was worth a shot.)

Three things I'm grateful for today:

1. Sleep.

2. The gift of motherhood.

3. Surviving kindergarten.

Peace & pastries to all of you. Hope each of you can get your hands on a little of both.