Nest update

Yesterday when I peeked into the nest there were two eggs inside.

Today I see that momma bird has begun incubating so my assumption is that they are going for a clutch of three:

The green grass at the top of the nest is a "privacy fence" they added after they caught me peeking through the window at them. Prior to that, momma bird had been trying it out without that grass, but would get spooked every time I walked by the window. So they put in that privacy fence and evidently that's all she needed to feel safe. 

It's doing its job, though! I can just see her little tail feathers sticking up out of the nest (and they almost look like twigs). 

At this rate, we can expect the eggs to hatch by mid-May. 

*****

Update on the update:

Momma bird has left the nest again...so now my guess is that there are three eggs in there as of today and perhaps our pair is going for double or nothing (and that tomorrow she will lay a fourth egg).

Polar Plunge (Georgia Style)

It's really been a relatively mild spring for us. While we're usually hankering for the pool by May, this year our April has felt uncommonly cold. Today we were only in the 60°s, but the kids begged to go to the opening of the pool season, so we headed out there for a "polar plunge." It was a memorable FHE activity (that Rachel missed because she went driving with Grandpa, who was heading out to teach some temple prep lessons). Only Benjamin, Zoë, and Alexander really wanted to get in. The rest of us just stayed in our street clothes (though I did pack swimming suits for me and Phoebe, just in case we changed our minds).

Benjamin was the first to jump in. He was very happy that the diving board was back up (it was broken for most of last year). Zoë was next to go off the diving board. Benjamin really swam just fine, despite the shock of the water, but Zoë was struggling a bit to remember how to swim, with it being her first time back in the pool and having it be rather chilly.

So I told Alexander that he shouldn't jump into the deep end. He may have been playing in the deep end at the close of last swimming season, but I didn't want him jumping in the very first thing this swimming season. He reluctantly moved over to the 4 ft area, which is still well over his head, and climbed up on the diving block (which I still wasn't sure about). 

Little birdies, little bruiser

About a month ago, we heard some wild chirping outside and stumbled into two male cardinals trying to prove to each other who was the bigger man. 

Shopping day

This morning Andrew took Phoebe shopping. He's been taking her for a few weeks now and she loves it because she gets to wave at everybody and remind him that we need bananas. I love it because he used to always take the littlest kids with him as "shopping buddies" every Saturday to give me, like, my one and only break from little kids in the whole week...but hasn't done that since March 2020. 

That's a long time to go without shopping buddy time!

Today she reminded him of more than just bananas.

After they'd finished at Costco, they headed out to the van, put the groceries in, and then wheeled the cart over to the rack. Andrew took Phoebe out and started walking back to the van and Phoebe started fussing at him, "Dada! Ahhhh! Dada! Ahhhh!"

"Yes, those are the carts," he agreed. 

"Dadaaaaaa! Ahhhh! Ahhhh! Dad!"

"I know you like to ride in the cart. You can have another ride at the next store," he promised.

High Museum of Art

Sensing my "hey-you-just-went-to-a-fancy-art-museum-in-Chicago-and-I-am-getting-thrown-up-on-over-here" fomo vibes, Andrew and I coordinated to purchase a pass to the High Museum of Art while he was out of town (with six children, the family pass seems very affordable). Today we all went to the museum together. 

We started at the top of the museum—African and Folk Art—and worked our way down. Here are some of our crew admiring the truly amazing masks on display:

I'm sure they were trying to imagine balancing while wearing that very tall mask (I know I was).

Walking

Sometimes—even though...or because...I live in a city—I feel very trapped by my surroundings. Stranded, even. It's a very frustrating feeling for me. But there's just really no where to...go...not without driving. And driving is...fine...but, we also all know how I feel about driving (A—I don't enjoy it and B—I think our society's dependence on cars is morally wrong). 

The closest place to walk to is a full mile away (it's a church on a busy street). If we want to actually walk somewhere to, like, hang out...it's more like two miles. 

I learned this on Monday when I proposed that we walk to the park because it was "only" a mile. But, guys, my brain just got so excited when it saw the 1 that it neglected to absorb the .9 that followed it.

And so it happened that I took my kids for a four-mile walk on Monday. They did great, but it was a little farther than we bargained for. And not at all doable every day...not that we're not physically capable...but time-wise I don't think our schedule can handle an outing of that duration.

Here's Phoebe, so happy to be out of her stroller and running around:

A few cute pictures from today

Here are Zoë and Benjamin clomping around in the shoes that Andrew and I wore to church this morning:

Talk on Forgiveness

Today Andrew and I spoke in church. Reid came over to our house to hang out with the kids since we're still trying to navigate our return into public air (but really Phoebe is getting much better at masking so we might be close; today when she noticed Andrew and I were getting ready to go somewhere she quickly went to find shoes and a mask). Rachel was home, of course, but we didn't want to leave her home with all the kids because...they're a handful. Phoebe did great without us!

Miriam came with us, since we were still figuring out the specifics of her playing the organ for the Spanish Ward. 

And we figured out Zoë's baptism date as well...more or less. She wants to get baptized while we're out in Utah.

So, it was a productive morning at church! And then Rachel got her patriarchal blessing this afternoon! Busy day!

Anyway, I spoke on forgiveness and Andrew spoke on loving others.

Here's more or less what I said:

Lizards and spelling

This morning after Alexander finished his chores he came to me and said, "Mom, I finished putting away my dishes and everything so C-O-O-D-I-P-L-A-Y-M-C?"

I looked at him blankly.

"C-O-O-D-I-P-L-A-Y-M-C?"

"What?" I asked.

"Could I play Minecraft?"

"Oh," I said. "Sure. For a bit."

"I think you need to work on your spelling."

"Yeah, same, buddy."

*****

Zoë triumphantly announced that she caught a lizard the other day. She has it in an old spinach container, but she would like government officials to know that although she is diligently hunting earthworms and leaving out dishes of water for this small creature...she's not keeping it as a pet. She's merely protecting it from birds while its tail heals. Because apparently it dropped its tail in self-defense not too long ago.

15% chance

How, how, how are entire weeks going by without me writing a single word on this blog? I swore this would never happen to me. But here we are.

The three middle kids spent the past week sleeping in a tent. They have bedrooms...with comfy beds in them...but they prefer to squash into a flimsy tent on thin foam padding. Go figure. 

They were excited because there was no rain in the forecast this week...until last night, that is. Even then, there was only a 15% chance of rain. Coming from the desert, we figured that meant it wouldn't rain, but we moved the tent under the roof on the back porch, just in case. And a good thing we did, too, because we landed in that 15% and it rained!

I think everyone pretty much knows that that 15% chance means that in 15% of the however many million models run by meteorologists...it rained. I understand that, too. But there's some part of my brain that assumes that if there's only a 15% chance of rain, then even if it does rain it won't rain very hard.

Evidently that assumption is incorrect because apparently last night we had a 15% chance of being caught in a two-hour downpour! 

Thunder, lightning, wind and heavy rain!

I was so glad our flimsy, little tent was protected by the roof. 

We need to remember that in the south any percent chance of rain is a high percent chance of rain!