Archive for October, 2015

Happy Halloween!

Saturday, October 31st, 2015

We’ve been counting down all month – and we’re ready!

-M

 

Reading buddies

Friday, October 30th, 2015

Avery’s reading is coming along (her homework is to read at least ten minutes each night), but she still prefers being read to. While waiting at the dentist’s office the other day she snuggled up to her sister for a book, and I just had to take a photo.

-M

Pre-Halloween partying

Thursday, October 29th, 2015

The four of us had two Halloween parties last weekend, and we jumped at the opportunity to dress up! The first party was thrown by a classmate of Avery’s, and a highlight was Avery playing games – and doing a lot of giggling – with a new friend there.

-M

Avery’s four seasons

Wednesday, October 28th, 2015

First grade is very art- and craft-intensive, and Avery’s most recent creation is a Grandma Moses-inspired piece on the four seasons.

-M

Zoe in her element

Monday, October 26th, 2015

Zoe’s teacher sent along this photo last week. Look at those (mostly) happy faces!

-M

Caramel apples, yum…

Saturday, October 24th, 2015

Avery had her first caramel apple the other day. Though she wound up peeling off the caramel and eating just the apple (not a bad thing!), she was a huge fan of the treat.

-M

Pumpkins, please

Friday, October 23rd, 2015

On the days I drive down to Stanford, I always go past a working farm that transforms into a pumpkin patch/Halloween play area this time of year. The four of us made the trip there weekend and picked out more pumpkins.

-M

A new gig for Zoe

Wednesday, October 21st, 2015

Between soccer, lost teeth and cute notes, I’ve written a lot here about Avery lately. Things with Zoe have been quieter but also good: She seems to really enjoy third grade, which has a big emphasis on writing, and she spends most of her free time at home reading (at any given time she’s working her way through two or three different books) or playing with her sister. And here’s something new: Yesterday, she started a new gig as a “mother’s helper” (Q calls it a “babysitting internship”) for a friend of ours, who happens to be a teacher at the girls’ school. The mom had observed how good Zoe was with little kids and asked if she would be interested in coming over once a week and playing with her three-year-old daughter. Zoe jumped at the chance and immediately checked out some babysitting books at the library and jotted down some ideas of things to do with the little girl. She reported last night that their time together went well; by the time Zoe’s old enough to babysit for real, she’s going to be more than ready!

-M

“Fens” forever

Tuesday, October 20th, 2015

When I dropped Avery off at school one day last week I took a peek at her journal, which she writes in most mornings. Her latest entry, with her inventive spelling and sweet comments about her two best friends, brought tears to my eyes.

-M

Then and now

Sunday, October 18th, 2015

Same location, same girl. Uh, wow.

2007:

zoe-in-wheelbarrow.JPG

2015:

Running around the patch

Saturday, October 17th, 2015

We go to Half Moon Bay – home to a lot of great pumpkin patches – every October. Here we are exploring our favorite one…

-M

A new career for Daddy?

Friday, October 16th, 2015

As she watched the Mets manager celebrate at the end of the Dodgers-Mets game last night, Zoe commented, “Daddy should go out for manager.” She paused and continued, “He’s good enough. And he loves the Giants.”

-M

Bye, bye, tooth

Thursday, October 15th, 2015

A photo of the happy girl.

-M

Best phone message ever

Thursday, October 15th, 2015

When I saw that I missed a call from the girls’ school yesterday morning, my first thought was, “Uh-oh.” I figured someone was sick, and I stepped out of my work meeting to listen to my voice mail. To be surprise (and delight), though, there was good news on the other line: Avery’s teacher called to say she had important news, followed by Avery telling me in a small voice, “Mommy, I lost my first tooth.” It was the best work message I’ve ever gotten!

-M

 

Avery and the Giant African Millipede

Monday, October 12th, 2015

The first grade science unit is currently focused on the life cycle of mealworms. Here’s how things were described in a recent school newsletter:

Working in pairs, first graders have created a habitat for their mealworms and are watching the insects transform from pupa to larva to—finally—darkling beetles… Our young scientists have conducted experiments, determining which color the mealworms like best and whether they like moist areas or dry areas. Last Friday, the first graders were treated to a special guest from the Insect Discovery Lab. Karen, a bug expert, showed our students 6 different kinds of bugs: an Eastern Lubber Grasshopper, a Giant African Millipede [note from M: that’s what Avery is holding below – eek!], an Australian Walking Stick, a Whip Scorpion, a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, and a Darkling Beetle…

“The most wonderful part of this 1-hour presentation was the respectful and informative way in which these intricate creatures were presented to the students,” says first grade teacher Barbara Eisenhauer. “The students were mesmerized!”

-M