For the Birds

I've been using my new camera to snap pictures of our bird visitors at the back deck, and we've had numerous friends drop by.  Some are a little annoying, like the robins and the mockingbirds who bully everyone else around.  And of course the squirrels are pushing their boundaries as always, and have to sort of be scared off.  That usually means me going out on the back deck and yelling, "OOGA BOOGA!"  

In any event, here are some pictures of our bird friends:

We usually call them "boeeds," because Ivan Vanko kept asking "Where's my boeed?"  Which is just me transcribing a terrible accent from "Iron Man 2," but it's fun to say.  

Anyway, it was a quiet day.  Maddie is back in school, starting off 2023 with hopes of finishing strong.  There was taekwondo, of course, and that had a few more students in it than earlier this week, as more people are coming back from vacations and the winter break.

Maddie also had her small group again tonight, and it seems that gone are the themes and the holidays, at least for now.  They usually have enough to talk about without all that - the girls have a great relationship with each other, enjoying the conversations and running jokes, and of course Camille and Lauren's leadership.  

We read tonight afterwards, as there wasn't much time for anything else - small groups go later into the night, after taekwondo.  Usually there's just time for a shower, and then bedtime.  The plush entourage came down the hall with Maddie and we read from our latest story, and then said our prayers.  Time for bed!