and it's not even my birthday

happy happy happy

I have been remiss in reporting on our exciting birthday adventures so far this month. As you know, May is a big month in the Beeton household.

We kicked off the month with Mr. Beeton's birthday which we celebrated over the Cinco de Mayo weekend. On Friday, we took a family trip to the zoo and then got takeout sushi from Spices in Cleveland Park. It used to be our tradition to eat at Spices after we filed our tax return at H&R Block every year, but since our good friend Mr. T. has been doing our taxes, we haven't ventured over to that neighborhood in April as we usually do. A birthday seemed a good excuse to stop in. On Saturday, we headed to a Derby Party near H Street, and on Sunday, we went to Grammy and Papa's house for a cookout. The best pictures of the weekend are from the zoo. Earlier in the year, we had snapped pictures on the bear statue pictured below. Check out these comparison shots.

This past weekend was my birthday, and Mr. Beeton surprised me by asking Grammy and Papa to babysit so that we could try out Mintwood Place. The deviled eggs and baked Alaska were amazing! And, walking around Adams Morgan for a bit after dinner made me feel young again. If only Tom Tom's was open...

The birthday train makes its next stop this weekend with Baby Beeton's first birthday! Hard to believe. We're celebrating with a big party on Saturday, and then our family celebration will follow all week long. Stay tuned for pictures and details. In the meantime, we've got to keep practicing blowing out these candles!

Keep sweeping, Martha

up

I don't really know Naomi of The Rockstar Diaries, but on some level, I feel that we are kindred spirits (as Anne of Green Gables would so earnestly say). Her Mother's Day eve and reflections on it are so eerily similar to my own thoughts about my first Mother's Day. We've had a stretch of good sleep (knock wood), don't get me wrong, but Saturday night left a little something to be desired. Eating pancakes at Zest in Eastern Market soon followed, though. It's amazing how breakfast foods can erase just about any bad feelings. I can decidedly say that despite its downs motherhood is the best challenge I've ever faced. Of course, looking into this little face helps.

Keep sweeping, Martha

may oh may

Mother's Day pancakes at Zest in Eastern Market. The only way to celebrate.

Keep sweeping, Martha

cheese

We had a wonderful birthday weekend with Mr. Beeton, but before I post about that, I need to share a funny video. Look what we taught Baby Beeton to do.

Keep sweeping, Martha

tuesdays with

Tuesdays have always held a special place in my heart. My love of Tuesdays started in graduate school when Tuesday night would bring yoga, a trip to a special coffee shop on Main Street to order a latte from one of the two baristas I had a crush on, and end with Gilmore Girls. Then, Tuesdays became about quizzo with a rag tag team of Delawareans. When I moved to D.C., I tried to keep my Tuesdays special, which was easy. In a city this big, you can always find a Tuesday evening yoga class, and without discerning taste, you can usually find a Tuesday night television show to obsess over.

Today feels like one of those Tuesdays. Maybe it's because I got a full six hours sleep last night (thank you, Mr. Beeton!). Maybe it's because I've finally had a significant breakthrough on this book project. Maybe it's because it's May, filled with birthdays and my first Mother's Day. Maybe it's because we have reservations to go to Mintwood for baked Alaska. Maybe it's because I found the perfect birthday gift for Baby Beeton (thank you Young House Love!). Maybe it's because the sun is shining. Maybe it's because I've got bookclub tonight. I'm not exactly sure what it is that's given me this feeling, but I know I want to hold onto it.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Finished reading Richard Russo's Straight Man.