The robin parents spend most of their days now feeding their demanding triplets!

July 30th -- Feed Us Now!!

So many mouths to feed!

Cicada, anyone?

I wonder if the Mama and Papa think they are beautiful?

Papa Robin giving me the evil eye!

Our bird dog is no longer allowed in the backyard. She drools every time she sees Mama or Papa Robin.

July 29th -- Our Babies are Rather Ugly

I was determined to keep taking a photo of the babies each day -- despite the previous days' dive bombing.  So I took a deep breath and went outside. My pulse was racing and every little noise scared the bejeebers out of me, but I did it! I got my photo -- only to go inside and see that our babies are looking really ugly!  But, they are making sweet little tweeting noises, so that helped!

July 28 -- Dive Bombed

We love our robins and are really enjoying watching their development, but Mama and Papa Robin don't reallly return our love. I went out to get my daily photo of the babes, and ended up running into the house screaming after both Mama and Papa dive bombed me! Needless to say, I didn't get very good photos of the babes!

And now I'm scared to go outside! Will laughed at me and said it's like a Hitchcock film in our backyard!

TRIPLETS

Twins With a Chance of Triplets

Will came home for lunch and noticed that Papa Robin was hovering around the nest today along with Mama Robin. They both had worms in their mouths. I took a picture when both flew away and got these two photos. We hope the third egg hatches. We think they hatched today. It's so remarkable. They are already letting out teeny tiny little chirps. Oh! How perfectly wonderful.

Number Six

I picked Abby up from art camp today and she excitedly told me that she'd lost her tooth at camp. Another little girl -- Zoe, I learned -- bounced up and said she'd lost her tooth today too! Oh, what an exciting day at camp!!!

If I understood everything correctly, Abby was eating a Rice Krispie treat and decided to pull the tooth out because it was bothering her. She pulled it out and was surprised that there was no blood. She then dropped the tooth and lost it. She found it on the floor by a bean --- the art camp students were working on a bean project today.

Her teacher gave her a Dixie cup to put the tooth in and they taped it shut to ensure it wouldn't be lost again.

Abby put the tooth in a candy box that she insisted on saving for this very occasion. Will brought me a sweet little box of tasty chocolates a few months ago (just because) and Abby begged to save the box for her next tooth. We laughed at the irony of putting a tooth in a candy box, but I agreed to keep it. I'd completely forgotten about the box, and thought Abby should put the Dixie cup under her pillow, but Will remembered and the candy box was found!

Abby thinks the tooth fairy might bring her a violin or a flute, but I don't have a clue. I guess we'll just have to wait until morning and see what Abby finds under her pillow! Sweet (candy) dreams, Abby.

We Call Her Mama

We call her Mama and we are very proud and protective of her. She was building her nest right outside my office window as we returned from vacation. She was not pleased when we brought Daphne home. She seems to tolerate all of us -- even the bird dog. And we do our part to protect her.

Pink Eye Again

It's called pink eye for a reason!

A Classic American Roadtrip

Saturday afternoon (July 3rd) we set out on a Stott Family 2010 Roadtrip. We hit I-90 and all that it has to offer. Highlights of our trip include, but definitely are not limited to:

• The lovely Sioux Falls, SD
• The world's only Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD
• Wall Drug (and it's five cent coffee)

• Not exactly on I-90, but close enough for this roadtrip, is Devil's Tower in Wyoming. President Theodore Roosevelt designated this the first National Monument in the U.S. (And Steven Spielberg immortalized it in Close Encounters.) It's lovely and you really should go there if you haven't already.

• Mt. Rushmore -- this truly is a must see for every law-abiding, Pledge of Allegiance reciting,  American citizen. (And everyone else, too.)

• The Black Hills Institute of Geological Research was a hit with the whole family, especially Abby who still insists she will be a paleontologist someday.

We caught the 1880 Train (with a steam engine) in Hill City bound for Keystone, SD. Chug-a-chug Choo Choo!

Daniel and Abby really liked the parts of the roadtrip where we got off the road and out of the car seats and walked.

And while in the car, Daniel insisted he saw dinosaurs!

And Abby of course liked the parts that involved ice cream (here in the old gold rush town Deadwood, SD).

We saw a GORGEOUS double rainbow and sunset over the Badlands.

We met Noni and Granddad in the Badlands (they were driving east from California for their annual four months in Rochester).

Abby and Noni proved they are definitely not scared of little old rattlesnakes.

And Will proved to be a pest -- sneaking into what could have been a really pretty photo!

Daniel found plenty of time to appreciate the finer things in life like tractor trailers, garbage trucks and diggers.

And at Wall Drug (for a second time with Noni and Granddad) Daniel proved just how blasted cute he can be!

Abby found time to Cannonball over and over and over again in hotel and motel pools.

We gave Noni and Granddad (and Max) a tour of Falls Park in Sioux Falls.

Abby and Daniel gave the trip two (or four) thumbs up! (Actually, they were dancing to Waka Waka by Shakira -- our favorite song on the roadtrip CD Will made for the trip!)

We arrived home late this afternoon, 1600.2 miles after backing out of our driveway and hitting the open road!

Camp Moon Hwa

Last week Abby attended Camp Moon Hwa for the third summer in a row. Camp Moon Hwa is a perfectly WONDERFUL week-long Korean culture camp in Rochester. Abby looks forward to it each summer. Will and I volunteered on Friday (making hundreds of mandu -- Korean dumplings) and Daniel spent the day with other toddlers.

Grandma and Grandpa Engelhardt joined us for a delicious Korean feast with about 300 others. (Grandma especially liked the mandu.) At the end of camp, the children perform drumming, dancing and Tae Kwon Do. Aunt Lisa made it in time for the performances.

Daniel had a fun time running around and Abby looked beautiful in her hanbok performing the lovely Korean fan dance.

Abby and her friend Mira are performing the peacock for me in this photo.