a bird house, once again!

Meet our new parakeets, Kiwi and Blueberry!

Our home has been birdless for almost 3 years. I've been missing having a pet and was considering getting some fish. Then, while we were visiting Dan's family after Christmas, I saw this news story. Long story short, a man contacted Detroit animal welfare to let them know he was bringing 60-80 parakeets from a breeding/hoarding situation that had gotten out of hand. Over the next 2 days, he dropped off 836 parakeets!

After two days of considering (and lightly wheedling Dan), I contacted a bird store that was caring for many of the parakeets and submitted an adoption application. The birds had to be monitored and given vet care before they were ready for adoption on January 23rd. I spent early January preparing all the necessary supplies: flight cage, travel cage, cage cover, cage lining, perches, seeds, food/water dishes, toys, and cleaning supplies.

Mom agreed to be my travel buddy for the drive to Michigan for adoption day. We drove up a day early and stayed overnight with Aunt Nancy and Uncle Pete. Saturday evening, we had a nice dinner with them, my cousin Ryan, and my Aunt Mary and Uncle Ray. I'm glad that the trip gave us an excuse to visit family I haven't seen in a while! Sunday morning, we went to church and then drove to the bird store. I had no idea what to expect, but the process was very smooth. The store was cute, organized, and very clean!

The employees were really helpful and knowledgeable. They showed me the cages of males (my preference to avoid any possible issues with egg-laying), and I spent a few minutes selecting two (the last blue male and a very bright green one). I settled them into their travel cage, paid the adoption fee, and we got on the road home!

Mae was so happy to meet them, and Colin screeched with excitement every time he saw them. Mae and I tossed around a few names, and Kiwi immediately stuck for the green one. I picked Blueberry for the other guy but will probably call him all sorts of nicknames including Blue, Bluey, and Bloobs.

Since being home with me, they've been pretty quiet with an occasional chirp. They've been eating well and seem to be enjoying each other's company aside from the occasional squabble. I got them checked out by the vet on Wednesday, and they appear surprisingly healthy considering the situation they came from. He estimated that they are no older than 2, but it's really impossible to tell their ages.

I moved them from their travel cage to their flight cage after returning from the vet. I'll give them a few days to settle into their new environment before I attempt to handle them. I had no idea if they'd be socialized at all, but they seemed pretty calm and not too bitey with the vet or when I transferred them to the bigger cage. They are so sweet and cute, and I'm just so excited to have them join our family!

virtual, reality

We had a very light snow early in the month. It wasn't enough for sledding or snowmen, but the kids were determined to get outside and make the best of it. Mae discovered that it was perfect for making little snow castles using our sand toys. We had lots of fun making towers and then taking turns stomping on them!

We got a bit more snow early this week... just enough for sledding. Colin loved sledding on our driveway and at the little hill at the playground. He finished every run tapping his hands together and asking "mo' mo'?" Mae got her feet wet (literally and figuratively) on the little hills before Dan took her to the big sledding hill in the afternoon.

Back inside, we thawed out with hot chocolate and marshmallows. Mae and Colin snuggled up with books on her favorite warm spot, the dining room floor vent.

We finished up with a nice, toasty shower. We are all sharing our main floor bathroom at the moment since the upstairs one has been gutted for renovation. Fortunately, Colin has learned the joys of a warm shower and doesn't seem to be missing the bath tub too much.

I'm glad Mae and Colin have been getting along well recently. She's been doing remote kindergarten for the last week and a half, so they've been cooped up in the house together more than usual. She's done an amazing job adapting to remote school, and is frequently the first kid logged in, excitedly awaiting the teacher. She also stays on task with almost zero intervention from me or Dan.

The harder part has been keeping Colin entertained on my days at home. I'd gotten used to running errands with him just to break up the day a little bit! Last week, we at least had a lot of excitement watching the construction trucks digging a big hole in the neighbor's driveway.

Dan's been working from home on my days in the office. He spent some quality time with Mae building a snowman after school on Tuesday. I'm sure she'll enjoy being back at school in-person soon, but I think we've made the best of the situation!