Frances visited the Chicks often. Lots of food for these little babes as they continue to grow and get ready to take off in the next few days! I loved watching her feed them today. She seems to be having a conversation with them before she gives them her food. I’d love to know what she’s telling them!

For any of you Mamas out there trying to hold down some big kids in your nest, Frances feels you.

The Chicks are busy kiddos today, and are gaining some more space to move around as Frances remodels the nest and gets things ready for Launch. What was once a cozy cup is now being transformed into a saucer. Frances has been zipping around the nest while dodging hungry mouths as she works.

Day 20 was a little quiet in the nest - at least when I was filming. The Chicks seemed to be a little sleepier than usual, and Frances wasn’t pulling the nest apart with such intention today, either. This day seemed to be a day of quiet calibration.

The Chicks may have had a break from Operation Nest Breakdown yesterday, but Frances was back at work today. She’s been busy pulling big chunks of lint and fuzz out from the rim of the nest, and seems to be advising them to practice their wing exercises.

Day 22 has been an active one! The Chicks are flexing their feather muscles. It’s amazing to watch them puff up and shrink again. They look like little puffer fish. They’re pulling out the last bits of baby fuzz and cleaning things out before take-off.

Frances is back at deconstruction! She’s been picking around on the nest a lot today. The Chicks are still working on picking and fluffing their feathers. They’ve also been practicing their flaps and getting lots of rest.

Alright, so things got a little busy around here as the Chicks got ready to leave, and I decided to slow down and enjoy watching the happenings with my eyeballs rather than on my computer screen. Days 24 and 25 were more of the same - with many more test flaps and sitting on the edge of the nest like big kids.

Frances is back at deconstruction! She’s been picking around on the nest a lot today. The Chicks are still working on picking and fluffing their feathers. They’ve also been practicing their flaps and getting lots of rest.

Day 22 has been an active one! The Chicks are flexing their feather muscles. It’s amazing to watch them puff up and shrink again. They look like little puffer fish. They’re pulling out the last bits of baby fuzz and cleaning things out before take-off.

The Chicks may have had a break from Operation Nest Breakdown yesterday, but Frances was back at work today. She’s been busy pulling big chunks of lint and fuzz out from the rim of the nest, and seems to be advising them to practice their wing exercises.

Day 20 was a little quiet in the nest - at least when I was filming. The Chicks seemed to be a little sleepier than usual, and Frances wasn’t pulling the nest apart with such intention today, either. This day seemed to be a day of quiet calibration.

For any of you Mamas out there trying to hold down some big kids in your nest, Frances feels you.

The Chicks are busy kiddos today, and are gaining some more space to move around as Frances remodels the nest and gets things ready for Launch. What was once a cozy cup is now being transformed into a saucer. Frances has been zipping around the nest while dodging hungry mouths as she works.

Frances visited the Chicks often. Lots of food for these little babes as they continue to grow and get ready to take off in the next few days! I loved watching her feed them today. She seems to be having a conversation with them before she gives them her food. I’d love to know what she’s telling them!

The Chicks are so cute. Seriously. Their little heads remind me of Hershey Kisses peeking up out of the nest when their fuzzy bodies are all tucked in together. I remember feeling scared last year when I’d see them get up on top to do wing flaps - it seems like they could fall right out at any minute. Now I see them differently this year.

Wings! The Chicks are practicing lots of flaps. I’m guessing it’s really important for them to get up and move a bit, even in their tiny little quarters. They’ve got to keep the blood flowing to all the parts they are growing right now. They move around a lot in their little nest.

Day 15 marks some pretty serious wing flaps. The Chicks seem much more awake today, and are taking turns stretching out and flapping their wings. They’ve even started pecking around on themselves and scratching their heads with their feet. So many new tricks!

Day 14 was a noisy one. It actually felt like a real Saturday in the neighborhood - lots of yardwork, kids playing, people out and about on bikes, scooters and feet.

Oh wow… Margie and Marlene are taking over the nest! Frances rarely stays with them during the day, and you’ll see why when you watch today’s footage. These two are starting to stretch out, kick their feet and flap their little wings. Mama shows up once in a while to feed them a meal and chat about things. She picks around and organizes the nest, checks on feather development, and reminds them to get their exercise.

Margie and Marlene are big enough to be seen above the nest now. Their little beaks stick up like antennae, and occasionally slurp at the air. Are they tasting for something? Or are they chatting (arguing) with each other? They are 12 today. 12-year-olds have ideas, opinions and a desire to share them.

Frances left them to hold down the fort by themselves quite a bit today. When she did sit on them, the stretchy nest squirmed beneath her like a pregnant belly. Pretty soon, she’ll only stay with them at night.