Curious Bird

birthday loot

a couple of things I picked up during a recent trip to Anthropologie. had a gift card burnin' a hole in my pocket.

(the top photo is a ring. love.)

we're still here...

busy wrapping up several projects. oh, and brushing our teeth (while wearing kitty cat pants!).

more soon,
l.

It is so exciting to be eating outdoors again. Love this warm weather.

Hope you had a great weekend.

-L.

introducing our boy to the South

king of the sweet suite.

oh gosh.

oval park.

so much to learn.

grabby.

W. loves "Baby Felix"

hey hey, pretty lady

farm hand.

good eggs.

hippie.

We had a great trip down South. As you can see, we spent loads of time outdoors soaking up the warm North Carolina sunshine. We explored Durham and found it to be lovely, really lovely. We eyed several neighborhoods we would like to call home -- we even started daydreaming about the possibility of living in a house with a big front porch and some greenspace in the back! Hopefully we can make that a reality. Living up here in the middle of a big East Coast city has made us long for big shade trees and grassy yards, and especially now that Felix is in the picture, we are even more aware of how much we want those things.  Not that I don't love my Philly neighborhood because I certainly do. It's one of the best. And I'm definitely aware of the many perks of playing in a shared greenspace -- running into neighborhood friends on the way to and at the park is one of the things I'm going to miss most. I'm hopeful we can learn to love another neighborhood and its parks while having our own little yard, too. Fingers crossed we find a good one in the coming months. Speaking of the move and all things Durham, now would be a good time to say THANK YOU to all the sweet people who've contacted me to offer up helpful Durham advice. We'll take all the help we can get, so keep it coming. Thanks again, Shari, Jennifer, Laura, Lisa, Maria, Kristen, Rupert, Sarah, Karen, Julie, and Hannah. Looking forward to meeting some of you once we land down there.

Okay, back to the play-by-play...

After poking around Durham for a day, we made our way to catch up with good friends in Winston-Salem. We had a great time hanging out with our peeps, Sherri and Brooks. They are hilarious, and it had been way too long since we sat around a table drinking wine and cracking each other up.  We used to do that all the time and it was nice to know that we hadn't lost our skills. I had laughter tears running down my face a couple of times, so you know we had fun. Looking forward to seeing them and their cutie pie boys on the regular once we're in the area.

We also took at drive out to see our buddy Jay, who lives on a little farm outside of town. He made us a delicious brunch and gave us a farm tour. It was exciting to see all the wonderful projects he and his roomie have going out there. One of those projects happens to be...guess what?... CHICKENS(!) so you know I had a busload of questions about chicken keeping. And even better, Jay is okay with being my mentor in the chicken keeping department. Now I only have to get a house...move...get settled...figure things out (all sorts of things) and then maybe, just maybe, get myself a few chicks. Lots to do in the mean time. LOTS to do. But it's nice to know I have a chicken keeping mentor...if I happen to need one.

Okay, that's the trip. Sadly, we didn't get to catch up with everyone we intended to see because traveling with a baby requires lots of downtime. Luckily, we don't have to feel bad because we'll be there again in a few months. We're excited.

Happy Earth Day.
Happy Birthday to my Mom.
Happy Good Friday.
Happy Weekend.
Happy.

xox,
L.

We're back from a fantastic roadtrip to North Carolina, well, except for the part when we had to park under an overpass during a frightening tornado. That part sucked. But other than that, we had a wonderful time. Once I get unpacked and settled in a little more I will pop in to say hi and share some details.

Until then, have fun.

L.

things I like: do it yourself greenhouses

I've been obsessing over all things garden lately which led me down the path of searching for ways one might contruct a simple, yet pretty greenhouse. I am completely inspired by what I found.

How sweet would one of these be?  Using reclaimed windows and building materials is just the ticket. I'm tucking this idea away for someday down the road.
Yes indeed.

(image via Haute Nature)

(I can't for the life of me find the link to give credit for this photo
-- if anyone knows, please share)

Instructables ( I love Instructables) gives tips for building one of your own. Of course they do.

We're hitting the road for a little family trip. Going to take a peep at our future home (Durham) and catch up with some long lost friends in the area. Felix gets to meet so many great people over the next few days.  He's a lucky kid.

I'll be back sometime next week.

Until then, have fun!
L.

Happy Happy

It is hard to believe that we are now at the 10 month mark. We're certainly closing in on his first birthday, aren't we? Geesh. Lately, I've been getting a kick out of thinking about what I was up to last year at this time. One thing that sticks out in my memory is how I was doing my damnest to find a comfortable sleeping position. The great "pillow throne" was in full effect and poor Dustin was doing his best to find a couple of inches of space for himself. Fast forward to now. My pillow usage is back to normal and I'm sleeping comfortably most nights with only a wake up here and there to calm the little guy one room over. Or if not calm him, listen to him having one of his 3am play parties!

This boy of ours continues to impress us with all that he does. He loves to play peek-a-boo and other silly games, like the one that involves me clacking two toys together while making funny faces. So simple, yet sooo hilarious. That giggle of his makes me weak in the knees, so I'll clack toys all day long if I have to. If you can't already tell, we are totally smitten with our 10 month-old baby boy. This is such a great age.

The highlights from the last month include:

He has mastered the crawl! I would be lying if I said he has lots of stamina just yet, but I'm sure he'll turn up the volumn any day now.
We've witnessed lots of clapping lately. He gets very excited about a certain Happy Baby product (PUFFS!) and claps enthusiastically each time he hears the word or sees the container.
Lots of "Mama" and "Baba" is being said-- Dustin may have to change his name from Daddy to Baba...
I'm not completely sure, but I think he may have made the sign for "milk" a couple of times. Still trying to figure that one out.
He took his first trip to the Philadelphia Zoo when his grandma was visiting. I didn't get to join in, but according to Dustin he really loved the flamingos and a very ugly bearded pig(!), but had little interest in much else. I plan to take him again to see for myself. I'm also intrigued by something called a bearded pig. ;)

Happy 10 month birthday, Felix Augustus!

May the long time sun shine upon you.

Love,

Mama + Daddy

up and at 'em

More film shots from the roll I picked up last week. I love how these show Felix belly crawling his way around the playground. But as of the last week, our little boy is now longer a belly crawler! He has mastered crawling and is intent on using his new skill to explore every corner of our living room -- so far he hasn't figured out that he can also explore the dining room and kitchen. It's only a matter of time, though. Baby proofing the house has moved to the top of our to do list. Eeek!

 

happy indeed

Thanks so much for all the birthday love. Having a birthday land on a Friday is perfect because it easily becomes a Birthday Weekend.  It was full to the brim with chocolate cake, vases overflowing with tulips (I received two beautiful bunches as gifts!), a delicious dinner out with the hubs, a long afternoon nap (best gift ever) and lots and lots of sweetness from friends and family. 35 is fantastic so far.

More soon,

Leya

woke up this morning...smiled at the rising sun...

 
 Today's the day I entered the world. Apparently it was a little harrowing for my mom. It took me a couple of days and there were forceps involved! Sorry. There were. Thanks for everything, Mom. I have a newfound appreciation for all you did to get me into the world on this day so long ago. It's hard to believe... I've been chuggin' along for thirty-five years now. It has been a beautiful adventure. I've had the privilege of traveling to faraway places and eating great food and laughing a lot and getting a wonderful education and marrying the sweetest man and birthing an amazing little boy. My thirty-fourth year was a doozy. I can't wait to see what my thirty-fifth has in store.

Being the list-maker that I am, I couldn't resist making one for my birthday. So I present you with thirty-five things I'd like to do during my thirty-fifth year on the planet. Wish me luck.

Learn every lyric to a few of my favorite songs
Make a lemon and chard lasagna
Watch the sun rise
Take Felix to swim lessons
Grow some herbs
Get a massage
Introduce Felix to Oscar
Go to a North Carolina beach
Knit another cowl
Ride a rollercoaster
Make crepes
Introduce Felix to our sweet friend Jay and his hens
Fly a kite
Make a fruit crisp
Go to the optometrist
Go camping with friends I've never met in person before
Organize my recipes
Throw Felix a birthday party
Get some family photos taken
Go to the zoo
Get a facial
Take Felix on a sailboat
Finish graduate school
Make new friends
Make paneer
Watch Felix learn to walk
Find a yoga class in NC
Go to the Nasher
Sleep in, like, past 9 o'clock
Bake a pie
Eat fresh figs with gorgonzola
Take the family to the aquarium
Watch the sunset
Get in touch with old friends
Explore a new farmer's market
Squeeze my little family into a photo booth

Thanks for reading, friends!

Onward and upward,
Leya