spring birding and other stuff

It was a beautiful day yesterday, regardless of the fact that when I woke up, there was SNOW on the ground! AHHH! And here I thought it was finally spring... But the snow was pretty much gone by 10, and since I have to drive my dd to another town for preschool, I decided it was exactly the sort of day for birding. I loaded up E and C, dropped Az off at preschool, and hit the country roads. It was pretty chilly and breezy, but we still saw some great spring birds. There were Sandhill Cranes everywhere, and an abundance of canada geese. Highlights were a large flock of American Widgeon (I usually only see them in ones and twos) and a Common Merganser. We also saw a small flock of American Pipits. It took me a while to figure out what they were, because it's been about 4 years since I've seen one, and this was a flock of about 6 birds. It was a while before I could convince myself that they weren't some sparrow that didn't look right LOL The Western Meadowlarks are back, along with the Yellow-headed Blackbirds, American Avocets and American White Pelicans. I added another 12 birds to my year list, bringing my total up to 64 birds since January 1st! Only 36 to go.
The best part of yesterday was just getting outside, after being cooped up for so long! I can't wait for the rest of the snow to melt, especially up in the canyons, so I can start hiking with my cub scouts (I'm the bear den leader, and I LOVE it!). We're going to earn some trail patches this year! And I've gotta find those canyon birds LOL
Today was a good day too. Dh and I met with the people at the university about our second son, E. He has Tourette's Syndrome, along with some other challenges. We're working on a plan to help him, so he can return to school next year. Unfortunately, our homeschooling adventure didn't work out; it was causing more stress for our family than it was worth. So E will go back to school next year, and we'll do "extra" stuff at home. We're excited to work with the people at the university, and help E return to being the happy kid he was a few years ago! Not that's he's totally unhappy now, but sometimes he's so sad or angry that it just breaks my heart. He's a great kid, and I love him with all my heart.
So it's springy weather, and hopefully a new spring for our family!