Zoe is overall a happy kid, but she does have her ups and downs. (Let’s just say that we sometimes see pre-hormonal moodiness that I didn’t think would happen for few more years.) One day last week, when she was upset about something, she disappeared into her room for a few minutes and came back with a piece of paper. She had mapped out ways to make herself feel better, she told me, and I suggested she hold on to this for a while…

-M

During our recent trip to the children’s section of the San Francisco Botanical Gardens, the girls got crafty: They used half of a toilet-paper roll and freshly picked flowers and leaves to make bright and cheery pieces of art. I’m particularly fond of Zoe’s creation, below.

-M

Last weekend, with the arrival of sunny and warm weather, the four of us headed to the San Francisco Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park. As crazy as it is – given that the gardens are 10 minutes from our house and free to San Francisco residents – I had never been! But not surprisingly, we all loved it there – especially the children’s area, where the girls planted sunflowers, sampled various edible flowers, helped with composting and did some artwork. “That was awesome!” Zoe exclaimed as we left, and both girls have already requested a return trip…

-M

There was a lot to do when we returned from our trip: namely, laundry, unpacking and getting organized to head back to school. One morning I was, shall we call it, huffing and puffing about how much needed to be done and how frustrated I felt to be the only one doing it. (Everyone pitches in, of course – but it didn’t feel like it in that moment.) Avery came up to give me a hug and tell me, “I”m sorry, Mama. You work really hard. You should get paid for what you do.” She then dug through our coin jar and came back and handed me my earnings: a quarter and a nickel. :)

-M

Some final pics from our trip, including several from our time at Boone Hall Plantation’s annual Strawberry Festival. (As you can see, we kept quite busy during our trip!)

-M

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One of the things that most fascinated the girls about Magnolia Plantation was a large pond that doesn’t look like a pond at all: Due to a major moss covering, the water looks like a beautiful field of grass. Here, Zoe shows her method of testing whether the area was water or grass.

-M

On the last day of our trip to Charleston we went to Magnolia Plantation, the oldest public garden in the United States. It was hands down one of the most beautiful and tranquil places I’ve visited, and I would go back in a second!

As for the girls, they – especially Avery – were not at all excited about going. But they quickly changed their mind when we got there, and seeing an albino peacock and another peacock showing his full feathers was also a treat for them.

-M

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