Do Not Let Me Anywhere Near Your Computer

So, last week I decided to take on the challenge of becoming a little more computer savvy, and lost-Big Time! My sister graciously gave me her Ipod with oh Idunno about 200 songs on it. Instead of transferring them to my Itunes account, I somehow managed to erase ALL of them instead. A few days after that I decided to tackle a potential computer virus threat and wound up downloading a viscous Trojan Virus and some Spy Wear. Yeah, we had to take it in and pay some serious money to get it fixed. So right now I have only enough confidence to check my email, make a new post and read the latest updates on Stephenine Meyer's Website. That's what I get for thinking I was smarter than a computer...

Ryan D Makes His Blog Debut

At Cagle's Dairy Farm...

Let me first say that although we had a lovely family outing on Ryan Hinckley's school field trip, what I'm taking most from this day is the knowledge that farms and sandals are perhaps not the best combination...

But the Boarder Collie demonstration and feeding the baby cows made up for all the hay (and who knows what else) in my shoes. Yes, the dog actually herded cows for us. It was the coolest thing I've ever seen. I could have watched it herd all day. I even got a little choked up watching him circle far left just to get the cows that had gone astray. I always thought I wanted a Beagle. I still do, I guess I'm just going to have to get a Boarder Collie as well-I mean someone is going to have to keep my two Holsteins safely by the house. My backyard is only partially fenced in...

So, here are few pics from our Friday outing. And who can believe this, my husband is actually in a few of them:)

Good Sport!

Ryan had a soccer game today. He did very well, scored some goals and blocked a few. But the other team won. I'll just say it-they were better. The kids on the opposing team had all been playing together for 2 years. So they had the advantages age and skill wise. At one point during the game another kid scored a fantastic goal. One in which Ryan unsuccessfully tried to block. It zoomed right passed him into the net. And even though his team was down, Ryan, without prompting, ran up to the kid who scored the goal and gave him a high five! We may have lost the game but Ryan sure won the good sportsmen ship award.

Close Encounters of the Bird Kind

Ryan gets a "Birds Eye View" of the eggs a few days before hatching

Let me first say that Ryan (the elder) and I are perfectly aware of the fact that the big, gaping hole in the door to the laundry room outside off of the carport should've been fixed months, upon months ago. We know this. We just never got around to it. And if we had, we would've never had this great nature encounter. Better than last years anyway when Ryan (the younger) and his friend Chaz found a Copper Head in the front yard and were poking it with sticks... Anyway, for the past few weeks I've noticed a Carolina Wren or 2 hanging around my carport. I'd even seen them fly in and out of the hole. I just never thought much about. But the bird lover in me (thanks Dad) got the better of me and on Friday I decided to investigate. And discovered that a Carolina Wren family had indeed set up camp in one of Ryan's old book bags. I looked inside the nest, being careful not to touch or disturb anything and found myself face to face with this adorable little brown bird now affectionately known as Virginia. In spite of efforts to be still, she got spooked and flew to safety behind the water heater. After she left, I called Ryan Hinckley over to get a good look at the four lovely speckled eggs laying in the nest. On Sunday after church we decided to check in on Virginia and her soon to be chicks and discovered that they had hatched! Not the most attractive little things I've ever seen-they look a bit like raw pieces of meat actually. But despite their current "X-fileish" appearance they have won us over! And in week or so when they start to get feathers, I'm sure they will look much cuter. Now I have tried to document this as much as possible but it is surprisingly difficult to take a good picture of a brown bird in a brown nest while precariously balancing on the front end of your washing machine... National Geographic won't be calling anytime soon... So while Virginia and her big, brown eyes may never find her place in The Niceler Family Blog, she will always have a place in the blog in our hearts.

Day Trippers!

After nearly 8 years of living in Georgia, I finally decided to "go the distance" and cross the state line to Alabama. For Spring Break me and my good friends Clairon Palmer and Amber Croxall decided to take our kids on a field trip to the Anniston Museum of Natural History in Anniston Alabama. It's an hour and half drive from Atlanta and a delightful place to take your family. Ryan loved it. Adelaide was terrified. You have to walk through a cave, there are giant taxidermy animals, growling bears etc. Perfect for a 5 year old boy, a little scary for a 2 year old. There is also a live outdoor Birds of Prey exhibit with owls and hawks. Both Ryan and Adelaide enjoyed that part. Perhaps the Ornithology gene has been passed on to the next generation. The best part is that hardly anyone was there. We pretty much had the museum to ourselves.

Front Row: Chaz, Ryan, Abel, Jesse, Finn, Gabriel

Back Row: Wendy, Adelaide, Amber, Clairon

Having a Rachel Moment

Those of you who read Molly's blog know all about my little niece Rachel (just 2 wks older than A) and her exploits with food. Well, today my little Adelaide decided to have a go of it. Nothing will ever outdo the boysenberry jam episode but this afternoon snack with peanut butter sure comes close.

Here she enjoys some light refreshment while fully engrossed in an episode of Curious George. Maybe they had it right during the dark ages-who needs a spoon when your hands work just fine? I do think she cleans up rather nicely though.

Missed Out (oh, and I am not a stalker)

I started BYU as a freshmen the summer of 95(good times). That summer I found out that Nancy Griffith, one of my favorite folk singers, was playing at a cafe type venue just down the street from where I lived at Heritage Halls. Awesome right? WRONG!! Because I found out about it 2 days AFTER the fact. And I have regretted not hearing her sing "Love at the Five and Dime" in a close personal setting ever since. Now, to be honest, I don't really think much about that except every now and again I am painfully reminded of it. Like yesterday for example, when I found out that Mo Willems, one of my favorite childrens book authors, was at a local book store in Downtown Decatur, just a stones throw from my son's school. He was here Thursday. I found out about it Saturday- 2 days AFTER the fact! What??!! I missed Nancy Griffith and now Mo Willems??!! How is this to be born??!! Ryan Hinckley and I would have loved the chance to meet and him and scare the tuna salad out of him. And he would have been scared, oh yes he would have been scared!! I guess some people have all the luck of getting to meet and hang with celebrities and some of us don't. Like my gal Mandy, who actually got to sit next to Christian Bale, yes Christian Bale on a ride at Disney World. She also got to meet Tom Cruise at an Ellen Show taping. Although, now that I think about it, I did get to meet that Soap actress from Days of Our Lives at Medieval times in California. I was 10. She signed my drink napkin. I had it for years...

Mo Willems please come back to Georgia! Nancy this invitations includes you too. Come sing to me, come scare the tuna salad out of me, come ease my pain, come be my friend... Please!!!!