Home.

We are in our new home. The home where hope to grow and live and love and learn for the rest of our lives.

Every day we make it more our own. We empty a few more boxes, slather more paint over the patches, we hang a few more pictures and drill a few more holes for drapery rods.

Somehow, when we first saw the vacant house that fateful day a little more than a month ago, we knew that it was our new home. We walked in and felt a lifetime of growing boys could happen here. A lifetime of watching sunsets over the ocean. A lifetime of twinkling harbor lights in the evening and sunny afternoons on the patio. A lifetime of nectarines, peaches and plums from our mini-orchard in the backyard. A lifetime of laundry, pancake breakfasts, piano practicing, and family meals. And a lifetime of growing older and enjoying each moment as it happens.

We have such commitment and love for this home already and we've only been here 10 days...

Here's to 10,000 more.

Cousin Camp

This has been the busiest summer on record. Swim lessons, cousin camp, piano lessons, museum trips, travel, reading contests and so much more. Oh, and by the way, we are in escrow on a new house and could possibly be moving in the next two weeks. SURPRISE! More on that later, I promise.

Anyway, the rest of the summer looks like it will be even busier than the first part, so I figured I'd better get some photos up here. I'll start with what my Dad affectionately termed "Cousin Camp". Thanks Dzia Dzia for the name! I didn't actually sign Owen and Elliot up for any summer camps thinking that real life would be just as instructional. Which is true, of course. Although I do regret not having ANY time to myself to think. But, it's summer -- who need to think, right? But I digress. The first non-camp we had was definitely a Cousin Camp, where we spent quality time getting to know our cousins.

First, Evan and Bethany were here for a nice long visit and Owen and Elliot got to join the sweet girls Clara and Jane in some happy play dates:

Then, I took my boys up to meet their newest little cousin Aidan. We spent a nice long weekend up in remote Washington hanging out with this bundle of energy:

As camps go, these were truly terrific. I declare Cousin Camp success!

Eight Years.

A certain somebody turned 8 years old yesterday. Unbelievable.

Really unbelievable. Sometimes I look at Owen and still see the little baby who I held and rocked to sleep for the first few years of his life.... Sometimes I look at him and see the jawline and the posture of the man he will become. Always, always I see this: a thoughtful, smart, sweet, eager, earnest and energetic boy who is just as content sprawled reading a book all day ( like today) or splashing wildly around in the pool, or playing tag with the neighborhood friends, or cracking puns and silly jokes that only another 8-year old would really laugh at. I'm so proud of him and I'm full of hope and anticipation for all the exciting things in store for him in the coming years...

Happy birthday, Owen!

Painful and new

I've been a lazy and belated blog poster these days, so I was just going to bullet point the exciting changes going on over here, and then the metaphor I was inarticulately imagining became a REAL thing literally right on my front step...

Those of you who have been to my house know there are steps leading up to a little walkway in front of my door. Well, we have been keeping an eye on some cocoons we saw dangling from the top step. The other day we saw the new butterflies sunning themselves as their wings dried... the old chrysalis was already dried up like paper and the bright red blood from the birth was drying in a pool under the new lives. Vivid, violent and very potent.

What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly (a paraphrase of something attributed to Lao Tzu).

We've been wrapped in a cocoon ourselves here recently, but some exciting new events are signals of our growing and changing. Right now we see potential and excitement on the horizon, but next fall every single one of us in this household will be adjusting to a new schedule. I'm preparing for an adjustment period that may be a little rocky by keeping our summer very low-key.

First, Elliot "graduated" pre-school Co-op and he'll start a Montessori preschool next fall. He is so excited to follow in Owen's footsteps and to be going to class every day. He (and I) are ready for it...

This means that I taught my last Co-op too! Although I'm glad not to be burdened with the logistics of keeping the schedule and lesson plans and organizing the moms -- I was a little sad on that last day realizing when I turned over the key to the next Mom in charge that I've been teaching my rotations of the co-op for 5 years, and have been organizing it for the past 2. It's simultaneously a big burden lifted and a sad realization that toddler-hood is officially past us.

Owen completed 2nd grade at his local school with a lot of praise and accolades from his teacher. He had such a great year and is truly one of those kids that loves school. Which is good, because after much heart searching and discussion, Paul and I enrolled Owen in a different school for next fall that we feel will really allow his education to take flight. It was a huge decision to take him out of our local school and enroll him elsewhere.... but we are all excited about the possibilities of his new program and class. Owen toured the new school and met his new teacher for 3rd grade and is already excited about learning the multiplication tables over the summer so he can be ready. That kid.......

Here he is before school on his last day...

Next fall we will be trying to adjust to a new start time for school (7:40AM, goodness!) and for a new carpool regime ( both boys off to school and neither of them within walking distance).

This summer, though, is open for play.

A Typical Monday

After a rough start before school encompassing: squabbling, injuries (both real and imagined), tears, time outs and a rushed heave-ho to get out the door in time for school --even though we are all up at 6:45 am and 2 hours should really be enough time to get ready -- we finally got our day turned around.

The rest of the day went something like this:

Legos. Legos. Legos:

Home Made Playdough (color: Lincoln Green):

Lunch.

Castle:

Errands.

Pick up Owen from school.

Homework.

Legos. Legos. Legos. Did I mention Legos?

Dinner.

Doesn't sound like much when you list it like that. Why am I always so exhausted?

May

A little heat spell prompted this backyard vision the other day after school:

We have also been riding scooters, making masks, sketching, playing fort in the back yard and generally enjoying the spectacular early summer afternoons of May.

Busy-ness is always there. I seem to always have a list of things to do, and the bathroom never quite gets cleaned the way I would like. And sometimes I open the kitchen drawers and am shocked by the dirt crumbs in there. Really, I didn't invite them in! How have I not noticed them accumulating?

But, spring has come and all we want to do is be outside with the windows wide open. Those dirt crumbs wil have to wait (presumably for when the kids are off to college.....). So if you happen to stop by, my apologies for the messy house, but we'll be out in the fort reading Huckleberry Finn...

Hello Spring Break!

I've taken a brief respite from the blog lately simply because I have not found any time to update anything. I've been in rehearsals and working quite a lot while the boys have been having extended playdates with friends, grandparents and babysitters. In the few moments I had at home, we were busy doing things which gave me precious little time to reflect and document the doing.

Today, however, is the first day of Spring Break. Owen is off school for the week, I'm finished with my rehearsals (now that my show is open and running) and the week is off to a wonderful start. So far, the morning chores are done, Owen is reading a chapter book to Elliot, the sun is shining on our newly planted garden and we are all still in our pajamas. This feels quite decadent for 9:30 in the morning!

This past week we put in a concerted effort to plant our garden. Elliot and I did most of the work since Owen was still in school, but we are all quite excited to see what will succeed this year. I planted quite a few things that I'm pretty confident about, and we also planted some other things just to see what would happen. Here's the list: Carrots, radishes, sweet peas, broccoli, kale, chives, chamomile, sunflowers, corn, tomatoes, yellow peppers, celery, beets and edamame. we also have the wonderful herbs that have been thriving since last summer: parsley, sage, oregano, thyme, rosemary.

We got a couple shots of the garden so far:

Here's Elliot showing us how high he wants those corn stalks to grow (did I mention we planted some things "just for fun"?):

Wish us luck!

4

Well, it happened. Elliot turned 4 on Friday. It's is always so surprising to remember the emotions and excitement of 4 years ago and realize that these past 4 years have gone by in the blink of an eye. We spent the day doing what Elliot loves best which means we went to the zoo! Normally we go just for an hour or so and see a couple of things, but this time I decided to follow the birthday boy's lead. We took the bus tour, we rode the Skyfari, we saw the polar bears and the giraffes and we had lunch while the peacocks roamed around the table. We spent most of the day there.....

Then we went home and made pizza and decorated the cake. it was a nice, quiet day all about Elliot with no big extravaganza party to plan. Nana spent the day with us, and Grandma and Grandpa joined us for dinner and cake. It was lovely! And Elliot was supremely proud to turn 4.

Then, on Saturday, we went to Medieval Times. Now, this is a little hard to picture if you haven't spent any time with Elliot lately... but he is obsessed with knights, castles, Robin Hood, jousting, and pretty much anything having to do with the Medieval era. It kind of started last fall when we spent time learning all about Robin Hood, and that naturally segued into getting book after book about medieval castles from the library, and then Elliot received a play castle and knights for Christmas and he's been obsessed ever since. So, naturally, we figured this would be the perfect way to spend his birthday. Boy, were we right. We ate like kings, watched impressive swordfighting and jousting, saw the Royal Falconer training his falcon and spent the evening being entertained medieval style. I'm pretty sure Elliot will remember this birthday forever....

We are so lucky to have this young Knight of the Realm in our family. We love you, Elliot!