Tweeting!

Meet Myrtle:

Thanks to her efforts, we've been watching something spectacular happen out the kitchen window. It started about fifteen days ago, when she began building this:

I planted a little step ladder near her nest and waited and hoped, waited and hoped, peaking in on occasion when she left her nest. About two days later, she left this:

And later that same day, this:

And the next day:

Aren't her eggs beautiful? 

I learned we would have to wait an additional 12 to 15 days for her triplets to hatch. Perfect! Days 12 to 15 happened to coincide with potty training lock down at our pad. Margaret, Louise and I literally did not leave the house for 4 days (with the exception of a quick visit to Sugar's house [my mom]). The timing could not have been better, because we got to watch this happen in real time:

Here she is, helping to free baby #2 from his little shell.

Within minutes, she flew away and this is what was going on inside:

I love how the two baby birds are huddling together. The third egg hasn't hatched yet, but Myrtle is still spending a good bit of time on the nest. We're hoping their little sibling will make his or her debut in the next day or so. In the meantime, I hope Myrtle gets some shut-eye. She looks tired, hence her dark circles. 

And if you looked past her nest, here's two other sites you'd see outside our kitchen window this morning:

Louise in the driver's seat

Margaret figuring out the tricycle!

A happy weekend to you!

Oy Vey and Mother's Day

Oy Vey (Oi Vei)! The Jewish expression is recognizable from this quirky quartet. It's a choice phrase of theirs.

We picked up a few Yiddish phrases while living in Seinfeld's neighborhood, and this one has been a choice phrase of mine a few times as of late. It's an exclamation of dismay or exasperation. Here are some examples of usage:

• "Oy Vey! My dog just used the bathroom in my car..the car I plan on trading in tomorrow." (Josh?)
• "I drove off from the restaurant with the to-go box on my trunk. Oy Vey!" (Liz?)
• "Oy Vey! A certain toddler is exerting her independence with her pointer finger."

Yikes! Sass in the foreground and euphoria in the rear.

Thankfully, these "Oy Vey" moments are less frequent than the proud and happy ones. And...here's a good - actually great - one to remember. It's after Margaret's first Spring program, all dressed up and feeling proud:

She rocked it on stage singing "This Little Light of Mine." I think her favorite part was, "Hide it under a bushel, NO!, I'm gonna let it shine." She really had the "No!" part down pat:)  

Now that I'm a mom, I realize the importance of having role-model mothers in my life to guide and support me along this road. I'm so thankful for the relationships I have with two in particular, the first of which is my mom, a.k.a. Sugar:

Mom, how you survived raising four kids is a mystery to me. You're amazing. As I witness some of Margaret's challenging two-year-old moments...repressed memories from my own childhood have been resurfacing...memories of me hiding my school shoes because I didn't like the way they buckled, pleading with you to redo my hair over and over again because it wasn't "tight enough" at the top, refusing to wear stockings because the middle seam hung down in between my legs, and the list goes on. I'm cringing! I'm so sorry! I'm hoping that the friendship we have now somehow makes up for the challenging moments from my toddlerhood:) 

The second is Josh's mom, a.k.a. Meme:

Meme, whatever you did to raise your son, you did it right. I pray that Margaret and Louise develop into the caliber of people that your children have become. 


To Margaret and Louise, I love being your mom. I love you to pieces, and I love watching you grow. Sugar and Meme, thanks for having me as a daughter. With the four of you, I'm in a pretty sweet spot.

The Best Medicine

Here's a healthy dose!

Down by the Bay

Josh and I are back from a weekend getaway. Based on the hours spent planning the trip and the multi page Margaret and Louise instruction manual we left Baileigh the babysitter, you'd think we were going to Paris or Fiji, or some other exotic spot halfway around the world. 


Our real destination was a grand total of 3 hours by car from Baton Rouge..to the great state of Alabama, down by the Mobile Bay. In Mobile and Fairhope, we had all the fun we were looking for. With tips from friends, Brad and Ida Ross and Brittany and Leigh, and this article  in Garden & Gun, we hit up some great spots!


First stop Saturday morning was Mobile's McCoy Outdoor Company which housed largely hunting and fishing gear and an impressive gun selection. If Josh were writing this post, it might be titled "McCoy Outdoor Company."

Next stop: Atchison Imports, an antique and interiors store in Mobile where I could have spent the entire day (and may have been abandoned by my traveling companion). The building itself was remarkable...104 year-old brick walls covered in ivy and bordered by a sea of hydrangeas. Behind these doors:

...is a beautifully renovated 20,000 square foot warehouse filled with antiques and reproductions, lamps, home accessories and a fantastic selection of coffee table books, all under one roof. 

This place alone was worth the trip. Josh was a big fan of the book selection. His top pick:



A GREAT gift for hunters and cooks by Wild Abundance Publishing



We left Atchison Imports with a pair of chairs, a lengthy wish list, and some great ideas.


From there, we were off to the great little town of Fairhope on Mobile Bay. Fannie Flagg has ties here, and it does feel a bit like a modern day scene from Fried Green Tomatoes.

(We didn't do a great job taking pictures in Fairhope. Above is from this site.)

Our favorite stop in Fairhope:

...featured on the Food Network's Diner's, Drive-Ins and Dives. My Black n' Blue Burger... 

and Josh's Seared Tuna Panini merited the honor!

Then my cell phone went *beep* and this appeared from Baileigh the babysitter:

Big babysitter brownie points for sending proof that the girls were doing just fine without us. 

After Fairhope, it was back to Mobile for dinner at NoJa. Our meal was delicious but even better was our waiter who had a striking resemblance in looks and personality to our favorite character from Big Bang Theory: Sheldon. Sous-vide capped prime rib? BAZINGA!


Last stop was The Battle House Hotel for 9 hours of uninterrupted zzzzz's. By Sunday morning, we were eager to get back to...

Admiring her treat from our trip..."Applejax" the My Little Pony and her bazillion accessories.

and

We're home!


P.S. Over the weekend especially, the victims of the recent tornadoes and their families were on our hearts and minds. Consider visiting this great state and supporting their economy as they begin to recover and rebuild.