Lola plays fetch

We took Lola out of her cage to play with her. Gabriel always wants her, but Lola always flies back to me. So I patiently stood in the kitchen with Lola on my shoulder so Gabriel could play with her. He took a clip out of her cage that I use to hang up sprigs of millet. He held it out for her to grab and she took it. The thing is rather chunky and metal and has a tiny whole in the middle of the parts you grab and squeeze to open the grabbing part. She grabbed that and then dropped it. Gabriel thought that was fun and gave it to her again. About the fourth time of doing it, she actually flung it. You could tell. We weren't sure before that if it was just accidental, but that really made it obvious that she was intentionally dropping it. Gabriel rolled with laughter. He said he was training her. On the inside I was laughing. I let him think what he wanted, but I knew the truth: the bird was training him. Our Sun Conure really is smart. I can't wait to do it again. I've never seen her actually do a trick. I usually put on music for her, but I think I'm going to have to put on those training CDs and see if she ever says a phrase. I'm still laughing that the bird trained my son to play fetch.

Jericho says his name?

The kids were outside sledding on the last bit of snow. It really is nice out. They disappeared around the side of the hill and I didn't know where they were. When I called out to them, Gabriel reappeared first and said that they made a friend. He also said that Jericho said his name. I've never once heard Jericho say his name. Many people have asked him, and he always sits there in stony silence. So I didn't personally hear him, but I guess I'm inclined to believe Gabriel. I just wish I could have heard what it sounded like. Maybe I'll hear it some time in the future when someone else asks him his name.