Several more things, for want of a better title

1. I am very proud of myself, because I just finished a big project for our family reunion in June. Everyone is planning to bring something to share with everyone else and, assuming the postal service continues to operate, we will have ours finished in plenty of time. I've been putting this off forever, so I am extremely relieved to have it nearly done. Whew! I'm not saying more because I think most of our blog readers are family members (and friends, of course!) and I don't want to ruin the surprise.

2. Our poppies are blooming in our front yard. They are my favorites of all our flowers, and they come out ever so briefly every spring. I've continued to have a rough time emotionally over the past few weeks and these poppies make me happy, nonetheless, whenever I see them. Keep blooming, guys!


3. Mateo had to make an insect for a preschool show and tell thing last week. It was a joint effort, although most of the effort was mine! He did help with everything he could, though. We made a centipede. The kids were supposed to present their insects in Spanish to their little groups. I asked his teacher later how that went and she said, "well, it went really well for him because he is bilingual." The fact that his Spanish immersion school teacher said that is a testament to just how consistent Sacha has been with him for his whole life. And, here he is with the big centipede!


3. We had Sunday dinner at Apa's new apartment this weekend. It was awesome. It's up at the top of a building across the river and you can see all kinds of stuff. The kids have the run of the place and there are no nearby neighbors that we have to worry about in terms of noise volume. He made us lamb/pork/beef burgers and coleslaw and then we went on merrily home for bedtime. It was great. Here are the kids and Sacha searching for Miss Kitty, Apa's cat, under the couch.


4. We went to a new place today for an impromptu adventure with some friends. It's a botanical garden outside the city, kind of near where Talia was born. We managed to take the little tour during the one hour of the whole day when it was sunny, so that was good timing. I just have to throw in a few photos of the kids, because they are so cute. The three big boys were actually holding hands at one point. And, the one of all the boys and Talia together is priceless. Can you tell naptime was imminent?




5. Finally, we hit a new milestone yesterday. Mateo and I both needed haircuts, so I took the three of us to the place where we all get our coiffing done. I wasn't sure how it would go, but we managed to get Mateo's hair and my hair both cut within about half an hour and no one had a meltdown. I'm sure the lollipops they have on hand helped a lot, but still, the kids did great. You can see Mateo's new 'do in the photos above.