Samantha is Sixteen Months Old

Spring is here in Boston!

Bob preached his first sermon at First Church in Harvard Square, and Christina and Samantha went to hear him. Marcus got some early spring playtime in at the Harvard Square Kempe Playground meanwhile with Robert.

Samantha has an intense love for coloring and chairs. Sitting on a chair at our kids' table to color is clearly her favorite thing to do at home these days.

She and Charlotte have had Tuesday mornings together for playground time and companionship.

Marcus got to go to Chez Vous, a local skating rink, for a party from school as a reward for good attendance. He had fun with his friend Mario, who only looks two years older than Marcus, here, because Mario was still wearing skates and Marcus was just in his socks and about to leave. Both boys had been involved in a complicated hula hoop incident in gym class that gave Mario a black eye and Marcus a cut on his nose and also involved Nicholas somehow. "What are their hula hoops made of, iron?" Robert wanted to know. No hard feelings emerged on any side, though, so we just shrugged it off.

We had some nice weekend excursions around the town--checking out a new daycare for Samantha, eating Puerto Rican lunch in the South End, eating Indian lunches in JP and Cambridge, hearing funky one-man bands. . . we've been enjoying our time together as a family.

But of course, it's work hard, play hard, sleep hard, after all around here.

 

Samantha is smiley and adores accessories--she gets dressed up in a hat and jacket often around the house, and sometimes puts on Marcus's shoes for good measure. She is getting a head start on babywearing, too.

Minnesota cousin Brian and his girlfriend Bridget came out to Boston last week; our time with them was too short, since we happened to be going to Wisconsin the last two days they were here, but we did get to hang out a few nights at least. If you ever need to entrance Samantha, ask Brian to blow some bubbles with bubblegum. She was speechless with delight watching this, and then demanded, "Again! Again!"

On Samantha's sixteen-month-birthday, Patriot's Day, with Robert at work, I took the kids to watch the Boston Marathon. We went to the spot I go every year, Comm Ave and Hereford Street, which isn't too crowded, is only six blocks from the finish line, and has a very long vantage point on the racers--you can watch them come out of the tunnel from Kenmore and then down the block and turn to go onto Boylston Street. We got there a few minutes after 10:00 in the morning and came equipped with sidewalk chalk and an elephant bubble shooter and snacks. We enjoyed the giveaways (granola bars, hummus, pita chips) and the make-your-own sign people, and we attracted other families with kids because we were clearly having so much fun. Marcus and a five-year-old Japanese boy had some silly times with bubbles and this costumed samurai who walked by, advertising the MFA exhibit. We saw all the wheelchairs, cheering and banging tambourines on the metal fences, and the elite women and the elite men before we headed off to the Whole Foods for lunch around 1:00 and then home.

The kids were happy, the day was sunny and gorgeous, and we had a lovely time. We stayed in the rest of the day--witness our glorious triple nap on the couch in the afternoon. I don't know what next year's marathon will bring, but this year at least we had a beautiful day and then were all home asleep long before 2:50 p.m.

 

Go back to web essays or over to links.
robertandchristina.com was made with a Mac.
© 2013 C&R Enterprises
Email christina@robertandchristina.com or robert@robertandchristina.com
Created: 4/15/13. Last Modified: 4/15/13.