Ten on Tuesday.

1. The sun is shining. Perhaps this isn't front-page news to anyone else, but here, on May first, we were in wool coats and UGGs and the north wind blew right through us. So sunshine, warmth, is very welcome.

2. Good news on the swimming front! Fisher walked into the pool on his own yesterday with enthusiasm!



3. I have no idea what we're having for dinner. None.



4. Alla's sixth birthdy party was this past Saturday - a bug-themed party. I think we've recovered.



5. The highlight of the party - pairs of kids wrapping each other in toilet paper "cocoons." Hilarious.

6. I'm willing to take a long break from parties for awhile, but then there's Fisher who hasn't had even one party of his own yet. And, of course, now that he's seen his big sister's party, he wants to invite "all the friends," meaning all of her guests, to his birthday, which he thinks will happen again soon.



7. I finally got some allergy relief for my poor, nearly-scratched out eyes: Allegra! It's all good except for this: it seems to be making me toss and turn all night. But if I weren't taking it, I'd probably be itching and scratching instead of tossing and turning. A trade-off, I guess, for a few more weeks.



8. I think Santa may need to bring Fisher a marble run this year, as he had quite a good time with it this morning in school. He happened to ask yesterday how to tell Santa what he wants, so I told him to write a letter and we'd mail it to the North Pole. He'd like his very own copy of the Oscar-winning movie Barbie and the Three Musketeers, which he calls "I For One," his version of the "All for One" song in the movie.

9. This will be a hard-earned spring, if it ever arrives. As a reward for our continued patience, a mama robin has blessed us by building a nest under our deck. Blue eggs and baby chirps coming soon! I read somewhere that robins or their offspring often return to the same place each spring to build again. So perhaps this is the child of last year's mama.

10. I'll leave you with an image of Saturday's party. I love that no matter how crazy it was, Alla was in her own little birthday world having a wonderful time. We love you, six year old girl!