Category: friends

Vacation: Day 6, The Pool

July 14, 2010

Oh, how these children love the pool. If they had their way, they’d never go to the beach. None of them can really get past the salty part, and they’re too small to really grasp the awesomeness of boogie boarding. Only Ellery loves it, as she is content to hang out in the world’s largest sandbox, mixing and stirring and building.

So we’re spending a lot of time in the pool.

Clearly, the best investment we’ve made so far is the killer whale pool toy, which has Neko beside herself with excitement. She’s been dreaming of a killer whale she can really ride, and before our eyes she has transformed the pool into our own private Shamu show.

Shep? He’s hiding from the camera this trip. But I swear he was here.
Vacation: Day 1, Asheville

July 9, 2010

With a massive drive to make to get to the beach, we decided it might be wise to break it into two chunks. So we stopped to see an old friend along the way. She has two kids, so it was perfect for us all to hook up.

One of the features of the place Julie took us to was a working farm. Where, out of all there was to do, Neko found a huge pen of chickens, and reached nirvana. I love that we travel so far to see new things, and she seeks out the comforts of home.

It was fantastic to see Julie and the kids, and we were overwhelmed by her hospitality. Exhausted, everyone climbed into bed far too late, trying to catch a few hours of sleep before we continued our journey.
Field Trip: 7/8

July 8, 2010

I had seen Peter and his drum group perform around town. They always had these great drums made out of gourds and other fantastic things. I noticed they always invited kids to come try out their instruments, and it occurred to me that he might be a great field trip in the making.

He happily obliged, and invited the kids to a small class at his drum barn. The kids were kept busy for an hour, drumming and tapping and banging out beats. Peter was fantastic with the kids, and they all got a chance to play nearly every instrument, learning the differences between wood, metal, and hide.

A fabulous field trip.
Field Trip: 7/1

July 1, 2010

I know I say it after every field trip, but I am always amazed at what folks are willing to do if you just ask. I give Susie full credit for this trip, as it was her idea to ask the man that runs the local geology museum if he would be willing to lead us on a fossil hunting trip. And not only did he say he would, but it would be free, as community outreach is part of his job.

So off we went, on a journey just a bit west of us, as he knew of the perfect fossil spots. The first one we went to was a home run for the kids, as there were fossils everywhere, but mostly one kind. Every kid had a full sack in about half an hour.

Then we wandered a bit further down the road where there weren’t as many fossils, but there were tons of different kinds. The kids hunted and sorted and chipped away at the rock with small hammers. Our guide was perfect with the kids, answering every question, and identifying the same fossil over and over, never losing his enthusiasm. He even joined us for lunch afterward!

We have so many great trips coming up this summer that I can hardly wait. Hooray for good people, who seem to be all over the place.
Gathering

June 27, 2010

After a week of crazy, we ended up taking a spontaneous trip to the Big City to hang out with a nice guy we met at the Letterpress workshop and his family and friends. Super-nice folks all around.

Good food, good folks, popsicles and water fun. Really, how can you go wrong?

In that last photo, Shep is sharing his new tooth, which is coming in quickly!
Photo workshop

June 26, 2010

Because I have completely lost my mind, I scheduled a Get-to-Know-Your-Camera workshop for the day after our week-long letterpress workshop. A basic class for folks who want to get off the green square on their SLR cameras.

It was a bit of a blur, but I think it went well.

This is one of my few photos of the day. I think I was demonstrating “shooting from the hip”, which I think we can all see is always a bit of a crapshoot.
Fun Hunt!

June 12, 2010

I’ve heard rumblings about the annual Fun Hunt that happens each year in our town. Started in 1973, it’s been going on nearly as many years as I’ve been alive. My friend Beth L. kept trying to convince me to join in, but we have three children and we're tired and we can’t find a babysitter and blahblahblah.

Anyway, this year my friend Tiffany sent out an alert that the Fun Hunt didn’t have enough teams, and it might be in trouble. I'm a sucker for things in trouble, so Tom and I rounded up the first people in our path, and created a team. I had no idea what we were in for. My friends told me to think of the Amazing Race without death-defying stunts.

So off we went, and omigosh, it was so much fun. Solving clues that lead us from one location to another, I loved seeing mobs of grown-ups huffing and puffing to outrun their neighbors. Kudos to the planning committee for a fantastic evening. They’ve given me another reason to love this place we call home.
Last day of school: Neko

June 4, 2010

Last day of school!

Lordy, it’s been a big week.

Teacher gifts were made. We like to give a token of appreciation to all those involved, even assistants and custodial, so I think we ended up making twenty gifts in all. Thank goodness I came up with this simple solution.

Wednesday night we prepared for the Annual Egg Drop, where students try to create a vehicle that insures the safety of a raw egg as it falls from the roof of the school. Neko and I spent the evening refining concepts and dropping them from the loft. Sure, it was one step away from prepping something for FedEx, but there was lots of talk about how to properly cushion something for an inevitable blow. Her ultimate product: an egg inside a plastic container filled with cotton balls, placed inside a cardboard box filled with balls of yarn.

Thursday night brought the graduation ceremony where Neko could barely hold it together. Public performance is one of her least favorite things, plus the week had been filled with angst about saying goodbye to Kaili, her big kid partner since kindergarten. When the ceremony was over, she didn’t even want to stay to see her friends. She got a hug from Kaili, grabbed a cookie and told me she wanted to go home. As we started our drive, I looked in my rear view mirror to see her, head against the window, sobbing.

I so love this part of our school, that the big kids are like family. Kaili has been a rock for Neko these past two years, the big sister she doesn’t have. I've made promises of babysitting and ice skating dates, but that doesn’t seem to help the fact that she won’t see her on the playground next fall.

Even though it was late, we spent some time in the hammock, holding chickens, talking about the night and watching the bats emerge for the night. “That was really hard for me,” she said quietly. “I know,” I replied. “And I am so proud of you.”

Today was the picnic and egg drop. The rain stayed at bay, the mood was light, and Neko’s egg made the fall intact. The day ended with no tears, but the inevitable buzz of adrenaline before falling into bed.

I’ve never run a marathon, but I think I might know what it’s like when you cross that finish line. Summer…here we come.
Last day of school: Shep

May 28, 2010

We made it to the last day of preschool for Shep! Swimming and a picnic cap off the year. Shep was running around so quickly, I barely had a chance to catch him in the frame.

After years of walking in Neko’s shadow, it’s been exciting to see him step out on his own.
Goodbye, Erin!

May 22, 2010

Yet another beloved Kindergarten teacher is leaving us. Like Heather, she’s sad to go, but life is calling her up north, so I suppose we’ll let her go.

Big thanks to Nancy A. for organizing a going away party so the girls could wish her well. Erin, you will be missed!

(Yes, Neko is wearing a cat collar. I’ll let you dream up your own explanation.)