The West Woods

Here's a nature shot for my mom, wood frogs in the middle of the pond. It was spring break for the kids, but I was unable to take the entire week off due to work. Most of the other school districts take their break after Easter, so I had a full week doing programs. Sam was having a difficult time believing that all the noises were coming from frogs in the water. He told me that all he could see were tadpoles in the vernal pools because adult frogs weren't around yet.

West Woods is a nature preserve managed by the Geauga County parks district. It has several trails, and we decided to hike the trail to Ansel's Cave. It was a nice day, clear and sunny, and not too cold. Even Abby managed to walk most of the way. The kids were not impressed with the actual "cave," which turned out to be a gap between ledges of rocks with a stream cutting through the middle. They were disappointed that a boardwalk took us up to the cave, but not actually into the cave. I agree, it would have been more fun to climb around on the rocks and splash in the water, but on the other hand, if we want to have beautiful natural places, then we can't have everyone climbing on the rocks and splashing in the water. It's a constant struggle trying to make places enjoyable without ruining the parts that bring joy. Especially with naturals areas that can't just be restored or reconditioned.

Slumber Party

Lillian had a slumber party for her birthday this year. We had a gaggle of seven girls over. They didn't stop talking for six hours, I think. I went to bed before they fell asleep. They were quite proud of staying up till 1AM and waking up at 6:30AM.

Lillian had been planning this party since last year. She read books and magazines (American Girl had a special slumber party issue this month), and they had a good time. I was very impressed by the dinner menu: falafels and pitas with a delicious fruit salad and sliced vegetables. Lily did not want pizza because one of her friends was allergic to pizza. We also made homemade ice cream and cheese popcorn.

Activities included making sand art in jars. The girls' favorite was "rainbow sand", a mixture of all the colored sand that had spilled on the floor. They also made Sharpie marker tie-dye shirts (mark on a cotton shirt with a permanent marker and then drop alcohol on the spots). I think the girls had the most fun with crazy hairdos.

Lillian sent us to bed after the movie so they could play "Truth or Dare". Her one complaint was that her parents hovered too much. It was our first slumber party, so who knew. The best thing we did was send the other kids to my parents. Oh, it would have been an unpleasant event trying to keep big boys from teasing the girls, and to try keep the little kids out of the way. Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa.

Science Olympiad

Joseph's middle school competed in the Science Olympiad for the first time this year. Joseph and his teamates have been preparing since December studying subjects like human anatomy, amphibians and reptiles, and physics, and building catapults. His team took 9th place in the regional competition held in Akron, and since another school placed two teams in the top eight, Joseph's school got selected to go to the state competition in Columbus next month. I think Joseph was even happier that his school's team beat Jacob's school's team. Joseph also got a medal for sixth place in the individual competition for amphibians and reptiles. He was very happy to have a medal.

Preschool Beach Night

Sam's preschool held their annual Family Beach Night this month. It was a time for families to get together and move their bodies using their gross motor skills. Basically we got to eat a potluck dinner, do some crafts, and participate in carnival events, like bean bag toss, dancing with streamers and ring toss. The hit activities were the scooter obstacle course and parachute.

I forgot to wear one of my flowered shirts. I was not thinking. I was also not thinking when I sprinkled the cinnamon sugar on my fruit salad. One family brought little beach buckets filled with fresh fruit salad full of berries, melon slices and grapes. Plastic spades were the serving utensils, and the buckets were sitting on a platter covered in a light brown sand. I thought that it was great idea to use cinnamon sugar to carry the theme on this display, and added a bit to my fruit. Later, I tasted a strawberry and wondered why no one had bothered to rinse it off. It didn't look dirty, but it was very gritty. Then I tried a piece of cantaloupe. It was also sandy. Then I realized that the cinnamon sugar sand really was colored sand.

Honors Band Concert

Jacob performed with the school district's middle schools honors band and orchestra. Since January, he practiced with the band every Monday evening until the concert. I am beginning to understand what my parents meant when they said there was never any time to do anything fun, like take a family trip somewhere. Jacob has been very involved in various activities, including scouts, band, and Model UN. Now track is starting. And he is traveling to Columbus to compete with the mock trial. He gets the role of baliff this year.
Abby was not nearly as impressed with the band as we were. We tried to entertain ourselves by taking silly pictures while the orchestra got set up for the next piece.

Funky hair and wax museums

Emma did Abby's hair on Friday, and Abby responded by acting like her hair. Actually, the hair probably better respresents how Abby normally acts. I chased her around the house for a bit trying to get a good photo. I got her on the stairs, in Emma's bed playing peekaboo with the covers, balancing on the back of the couch, leaping over the house (not quite), and then Sam decided he needed to use the camera. We've been letting Abby's hair grow out for a couple of years with just an occasional trim to even the ends, so this is rare moment when you can see her face. Normally her hair covers her eyes like a sheep dog or anime character. And she does dress herself in several different outfits every day. So far since 7 this morning, she has changed three times.


I caught Lily doing Emma's hair Saturday afternoon. Their cousins, Elena and Jasper, were visiting from Toledo, and somehow Lillian convinced Emma to have her hair done. Lily can be quite convincing because it did not look like Emma was enjoying the experience, and Emma rarely likes the finished hairstyle.




This week at Lily's school, the fourth graders put on the African American History Month Wax Museum. The idea is to research a famous African American, write a brief biography, dress up and recite that sketch for visitors to the "museum". Lillian was Condoleeza Rice. Rebecca made the skirt to match the jacket Lillian had in her closet. I was pretty impressed by how many kids had their sketches completely memorized. Each script was about 3 minutes long. In addition to two Ms. Rices, I met Muhammed Ali, Beyonce Knowles, Garrett Morgan, Sojourner Truth, Michelle Obama, James Earl Jones, Hank Aaron, and many others representing various accomplishments, such as early woman aviators (the 1920's were an amazing time), first female physicians, entertainers, politicians, inventors, athletes and abolitionists. Great stories and a great way to present them. The kids did a fine job, and kudos to their teachers for using an innovative, engaging way to learn history and bring alive for the other students in the school.

Sam and I are sorting through my boxes of school stuff that was stored in my parents' attic. We are doing this in part to calm Sam's requests for something to do. The last time my parents moved 15years ago, they just shoved everything into a couple of boxes with the intent that I would eventually take it, which I did last month. Sam and I have found many treasures, and they brought back many memories. Like the crushed pheasant feathers I found while cutting through fields in Pullman, WA, or the Kool-Aid man stuffed doll that I saved all those Kool-Aid points for, and my collection of bow ties. I am culling through this material to try and get it down to one treasure chest. I am resisting my inner desire to collect and hoard. Hopefully, photos of the less valued materials will suffice for memories.