April 2019

It's been a great early spring. Sometimes--like on Tuesday nights when I'm huddled on the side of Samantha's baseball practice and it's 43 and misting--it sure doesn't feel like spring, but we've stayed busy and had some fun nevertheless. Here are some highlights of the past six or so weeks.

 

Orchestra

The kids have been doing exciting things in orchestra. At the end of March, Marcus's ensemble performed with the Soul Yatra Trio through the Celebrity Series of Boston at More Than Words in the South End. Marcus had a solo, and Robert got to watch them. Then in April, Samantha's ensemble and another performed in the State House rotunda and then got a tour of the State House.

 

 

 

Bikes

Our bikes are our faithful steeds, helping us sell Girl Scout cookies, go to school and baseball games and festivals and fun nighttime rides (Boston Bike Party!) with people with funky bikes and cool costumes.

 

Sunday School

Samantha's class learned about the construction of the tabernacle.

 

Aquarium daytrip with babywearing friends

 

Sundays with Evie

 

Birthday celebrations

Left to right: Louisa's party, Helen's birthday banner from school, Matilda's party.

 

2Cellos concert at Agganis Arena

Robert took Marcus and Samantha one Saturday night, and they both adored it. What a show!

 

Tilda time

Helen's preschool sends us pictures of her doings during the day. For several months, nearly every picture has included Matilda, her preschool bff.

 

Boy Scouts

Marcus is now a Boy Scout, not a Cub Scout anymore. He wears the full uniform and went camping with minimal help, packing himself and, paired off with one other boy, doing their own cooking for the entire weekend. The first night of their camping trip was in the 40s and absolutely pouring rain; he was particularly pleased that his tent was the only one that didn't leak. Robert was anxious all weekend long, but when Marcus came home and reported that "It was good. I fell in the lake," I'm not sure his fears were assuaged!

 

Girl Scouts

Samantha went on a glass-blowing activity with Girl Scouts of many levels, where she made some pendants and paperweights. Then her troop participated in a science fair where their theme was fairy tales--they had people come up and try to make a bridge for the three billy goats, or a way to get down from Rapunzel's tower, etc.

 

Outdoor time

 

Children's Choir cantata

In addition to singing, Samantha was a percussionist who had to audition, and then held two bells and used them at key moments. She took her role very seriously, of course, and was excellent at it.

 

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay cruise

We had free tickets through the school, and with another family from school/church we had lots of fun watching seals and porpoises and learning about the harbor clean-ups over the years. They "volunteered" Robert and Andre for a final song/activity, and led everyone in singing sea chanteys.

 

Dungeons and Dragons, JP Kids Edition

 

Art

Samantha researched armadillos and made an extremely specific diagram, with labels, for school; we read about sun prints and made some of our own; she assembled a few paper models of animals from a book; and she made individual Teacher Appreciation Day cards in different colors and shapes with special messages for each of her 15 teachers (classroom, music, art, dance, gym, Mandarin, computer, and cello/orchestra--the lollipops we attached to each have seeds embedded in the stick so you can plant them afterwards).

 

Baseball--Samantha

Samantha is on the Scanlon Physical Therapy team in the Regan Youth League, and she loves it. She pays attention to her coach's "quote of the week" from different baseball players, and she gives Helen batting lessons in the street in front of our house in between her own practices.

 

Baseball--Marcus

Marcus is on the Dodgers in the South End league. This is what his uniform looks like, front and back (Samantha drew him when he wouldn't pose for a picture).

 

Tasty treats

From left to right: at Robert's request, I made those Japanese souffle pancakes that are all the rage; at Double Chin we had an ice cream donut "bomb" with a syringe of strawberry syrup to inject into it; Samantha made shu mai one night; Helen devoured a burrito as big as her head; Helen helped me make kolouraki for Greek Easter.

 

Fish Weir Construction

Marcus's class helped build a traditional Native American fish weir on the Boston Common, in a historically appropriate location. Robert was the class parent on the trip, and he was pleased when Ms. Fong said she'd never, in all her years of having a class make it, finished so quickly.

 

Easter with friends

We did a block-wide Easter egg hunt with many houses participating, and then Sean grilled a leg of lamb and we ate a delicious potluck-style meal--smoked deviled eggs, strawberry cupcakes, carrot cake, mustard potatoes, spanekopita, olive salad, Sicilian baked artichokes, and on and on.

 

Wake Up The Earth 2019

We hosted some of the International Volunteers for Peace a week before the festival, and then Samantha was excited to find them in the art-making tent the day of the festival. Helen was fascinated with the display of fish on a hillside.

 

Visit from Mona

 

Engineering classes

The Northeastern engineers are back at the library, and this time they led Marcus and two other boys in an egg drop. No eggs actually survived the second round (a 14' drop) but much fun was had on a beautiful day.

 

School Vacation Camp

Marcus has aged-out of the daycamp the kids have gone to for multiple yeas, and instead he did a half-day tween program at the Arb with a few friends where they inspected microscopic plant life, scooped things out of the ponds in nets, and made a flower press. Meanwhile Samantha continued at the daycamp at my university gym, where she told me, at the end of the week, that she had met her "personal goal of having gone to the top of the rock-climbing wall in every position." Ooookay. #lifegoals?

 

Low-key time

 

 

 

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Created: 5/14/19. Last Modified: 5/14/19.