No trip to the coast is complete without going to the beach. Luckily our vacation house was about a block away from the ocean, and we had plenty of time to spend there.

-M

As mentioned, our trip was full of family time: This was the first time all five Browdy cousins have been together, plus we got to hang out with Aunt Wendy and Uncle Craig and his family. Here’s a sampling of our time together.

-M

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The opposite of a crazy week is a vacation one, right? Our vacation happened to be last week, when we were in South Carolina to meet up and celebrate Passover with family – plus do a lot of exploring. We have tons of pictures, but for now, here’s one of my favorites – from our first morning there.

-M

One thing I love about first grade is all the cool artwork the kids do. One of Avery’s recent creations: Van Gogh-inspired flowers. (I misidentified them earlier, but they were indeed inspired by Van Gogh – not O’Keeffe!)

-M

When it comes to parenting, some weeks are tougher than others – and (excuse the pun) when it rains, it pours! Such was the case last week, when Zoe’s Tefilah and Avery being her class’s Student of the Week meant we needed to: put together a poster, make 2 dozen deviled eggs, procure other treats for the first grade class, and prepare a PowerPoint presentation of Avery’s life. And this all on top of regular stuff, like homework and busy work schedules! Luckily, it all got done – and both of the girls’ events went off without a hitch. But let’s just say that spring break couldn’t come fast enough!

-M

Last week, Avery was Student of the Week in her class. She got to be line leader every day, present an “All About Avery” poster to her class, and share a PowerPoint about her life prepared by me and Q. And, in the words of Avery’s teacher, “we will spoil her in class.”

-M

A few more pictures now from the service last week at Zoe’s school. Look how big these kids (including her bestie, Zachary) have gotten!

-M

Each year, the girls’ school hosts a Fun Run for students and their families. Zoe ran the three-mile course yet again this year, but this time (proud Mama alert!) she did it in around 19 minutes and came in first place! This wasn’t a competitive race, but we were proud just the same – especially considering there were plenty of older kids running. And I loved her response when I asked how she felt about the race after the fact. “I set a goal, and I accomplished it,” she said simply.

-M

The girls’ school have a tradition that I love: Once a year, each grade leads a prayer service for their families and fellow students, something that takes months of preparation. It was the third grade’s turn on Thursday, and it was so nice to see Zoe – so much bigger than the last time around! – up there.

-M

Avery and her first-grade classmates just completed a read-a-thon (thank you to those who pledged!), and their project, and the photo of Avery below, were featured in the school newsletter today:

For the third year in a row, first graders in Ms. Barbara Eisenhauer’s class have been reading to Heather Sanders and her therapy dog, Ginger, from the San Francisco SPCA. Students learning to read often face obstacles, including feeling shy or anxious when reading aloud. To overcome these obstacles, first graders have been practicing their reading skills by reading to Ginger. And to give back to the San Francisco SPCA and their Puppy Dog Tales program, first graders recently completed a read-a-thon to raise money for this wonderful program. After collecting pledges for reading minutes from family and friends, first graders took on the reading challenge by reading at home during a seven-day period. While pledges are still being collected, so far first graders have raised over $1,000!

“I can’t tell you how my first graders look forward to Wednesday mornings!” exclaims Ms. Eisenhauer. “The students have such a wonderful rapport with Heather and Ginger. They feel so safe and supported with their reading.”

This was the scene at pick-up one recent afternoon…

-M

As mentioned, we were visited by Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Sandy last week. Here are a few pics from our time together, which included visiting the Ferry Building downtown, drawing with Grandma, and playing Groovy Girls with Sandy.

-M

Avery’s class got really into Opening Day; see below for a Giants cheer and classic song.

-M

The Giants play their first home game of the season this afternoon. The girls won’t be there, but they still showed their team spirit today!

-M

I haven’t posted in a bit – there’s been a lot going on! My parents and sister arrived for a visit last Thursday, and the girls have spent a lot of time with them (photos coming soon). Avery has been keeping busy reading for her school’s read-a-thon (which raises money for the SPCA) and practicing for a musical that her class is performing late next month. Zoe, meanwhile, just joined a running club at school, and when she’s not playing with her sister or playing school at home, she has her nose in a book. In other words: It’s business as usual for all of us.

-M