When do birds sleep?

There is a bird that likes to chirp outside my window in the middle of the night. It's not a light, nonchalant chirping. It seems like it's either a "Danger! Everyone beware!" chirp or a "Hey, everyone, night is halfway over! Let's all wake up!" chirp. Over and over. Constant and loud. I hear it around 3:00 am. And 4:00. And 5:00. Five o'clock is a little more acceptable even if it's still early. But three?! That is not a time to be chirping. It's not an owl cause I know what owls sound like. Is it a nightingale? It's definitely not a dayingale, that's for sure.

Okay, so I just looked up what a nightingale sounds like and it sounds kind of similar but it's probably not.  My bird - wait, I don't want to call it that. The bird that sits in a tree that is near my window every single night sounds more urgent. Plus I'm not sure if nightingales live in Utah.

Thank goodness for ceiling fans. I can almost drown the sound out. But really birdie, don't you just want to sleep sometimes?

Addie at 3 1/2

This little girl is beautiful. At least I, as her mother, think that. And she has the cutest pretty, little voice. But she is constantly making faces and changing her voice to be silly. Especially if the camera comes out. She can't not make a face for the camera.

Don't even think that I put her outfits together. She is little miss independent and MUST dress herself lately. She's come up with some interesting combinations.

She's all about the layers. Sometimes I don't even know that she has layers underneath her clothes until night when she gets ready for bed.

 Long sleeves with shorty shorts. Sometimes your arms are cold when it's hot outside.

She found my lipstick the other day. But THIS is the face she made (below) when she first showed me what she'd done:

It was scary. Crazy lip stick lady was in my face.

The other day we were at the store and Addie and Will were in the shopping cart. Addie was using her 'witch cackle voice' - yeah, picture a witch cackling and that's the voice she was using - she was getting in Will's face saying,

"ERNIE!"

"ERNIE!"

There was a woman standing in the same aisle as us. I was so embarrassed that this stranger was going to think that I named my baby Ernie. Addie stopped for a while and I sighed. But then,

"ERNIE!"

"ERNIE!"

right at Will again. She just went on and on. There was no mistaking it now for this woman. She was going to go home and tell everyone she knew that she heard that someone named their baby Ernie. Sorry if your name is Ernie, but I've never met an Ernie in real life. I've only met an Ernie in make believe life.

Also, she is finally potty-trained. FINALLY! [cue Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah'] I'm sure I started at the wrong time and then I started and stopped a few times what with having another baby. I'm definitely not a pro when it comes to potty training. It's been a long year. She's been doing it for about a month now but I'm still shocked when I see her just get up and go to the bathroom. She just did as I have been typing this. I just can't believe it. Whhhewwwwwwww!

Mothers' Day

Mothers' Day. Me and my babies.