I hate that I'm writing this so much later. Because I'm sure I would've written very passionately about the warming temperatures and the beauty that is Spring after a New England winter, or about the fun we had while Sean finished up the last week of his recovery from surgery, or about the giddiness I felt when the weather got so warm that we could pretend we were already in the full embrace of Summer, or what I'm most ashamed not to have better documented, the kids' lightening-fast development. But alas, it is from vague memories that I write all this. Please forgive me.
So, back to May. (Click here to see the whole photo album.) The colors burst onto our landscape and over one very lucky day, we got to take it all in at the Public Garden in downtown Boston. The tulips and trees were in full bloom in all sorts of colors all over the garden. Color exploded from the ground and the air, everywhere.
That's Thora running through the grass.
Thora finds a stray tulip on the ground amidst this stand of tulips.
(She knows to pick only weeds, never flowers.)
During May, I took Thora shopping for some summer clothes. It was a kind of chaotic girls day. Thora couldn't tolerate the hour or so in the mall. But it wasn't all bad, because she scored these awesome red boots. I was in the Gymboree outlet store, stocking up on reduced-priced staples like sundresses (she can't get enough of these), as well as the occasional stretchy t-shirt and shorts. While I was wandering around the store, trying to find her size on the various sale racks, Thora repeatedly found her way to the only full-price rack in the store, showcasing items for Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. She kept asking me if she could get the boots. I kept breaking it to her that they weren't the most practical thing, especially since we were there to get her some sandals. (Her gold ones finally went to sandal heaven.) After the third or fourth time that she found herself admiring them, she turned to me and said, "Mom, I'm just in loooovve with these boots." I had to admit that they'd totally grown on me since we'd been in the store. And since we couldn't find the right pair of sandals in her size, with a cringe, I obliged her.
Well I needn't have feared. Thora wore those boots everyday until they went to boot heaven at the end of July. (Actually, I couldn't bring myself to throw them away, and so I turned them into planters where they're currently housing some yellow begonias on our front steps.) She ran around parks in those boots, wore them with any and all outfits, climbed all sorts of playground equipment in them and got at least 5 compliments a day. She even ran a kids race wearing them in June in NYC's Central Park. Here she is the day we got them.
Auric continues his love of all things motorized. The city has been doing work in a few spots along our route to Thora's school and everyday he points out all the equipment. Here he is fulfilling his dream of driving a Bobcat (driving a back hoe is up there too), at the Children's Museum.
The dads all took the littlest kids to the Children's Museum that day while Hilary and I took the older ones to a birthday party. Here are the dads enjoying a much deserved beer with lunch.
Clockwise from left: Ellie (sleeping in the stroller), Daddy Dave, Daddy Sean, Auric, Daddy Greg, (aka Buba), and Etta.
Later that same day, our friends watched all the kids while Sean and I snuck away and met up with our old Tucson friends, Hans and Lisa, and their kids, Emily and Steven. We did an abbreviated walking tour of the Freedom Trail through historic Boston. It was great to get to see them!
During May, we cashed in a few gift cards for the kids and got Auric his first train set and Thora some incredible dress-up clothes and accessories. Below, Auric plays with his train for the first time. (This is, by far, his most beloved toy. Thank you, Grandma Jane and Grandpa Terry.) Click here for a video called, "Auric's Budding Vocabulary Part 4" which features the trains, along with a new expletive. Fun! Additionally, it shows his newfound understanding of color. Initially, I think he may have combined the words "color" and "yellow" so that whenever he was asked a color, he always said it was yellow. Then, he added the word blue. So that whenever you asked him the color of any object and it was yellow, he was probably going to guess it right the first time. If the object was blue, he'd most likely get it on the second guess. (In this video, he actually does the opposite, although this was very rare.)
The kids are getting to be more like peers everyday. Despite Auric's forays into the terrible twos, they find more ways to play together and get along. For a very cute, if a bit long, video of Thora and Auric doing what they do best (Thora plays the teacher, Auric, the happy-to-please student), click here.
Below, is another sweet, and sadly rare, moment. They were watching a video, having some down time while I made dinner. Auric cuddled up with Thora and she began playing with his hair. They sat there just like that for 20 minutes or so. It was beautiful.
Here's the whole gang at Zach's house. Thora, Zach, and River all had gymnastics together. We'd all get together, and two moms would watch the little siblings, while one mom would drive the older kids to gymnastics. When they returned, we sometimes had impromptu pizza parties. Here they all are, eating pizza and watching a video, while the moms got a brief moment to relax as well.
From left: River, Ellie, Auric, Zach, Thora (wearing the red boots, naturally)
and Lila, the only civilized one of the bunch, eating at the table.
Zach turned 4 in May and Hilary put together a great treasure hunt birthday party in a nearby park. Here the kids listen to the instructions.
Zach got these awesome kid play guitars, which re-opened the door to let in Thora's rockstar persona. (The red boots, again.)
Auric. He amazes us everyday with new abilities, new charm, and new defiance (which is still cute, somehow). He is very much his own person, but he takes so many cues from his sister. Click here for a short video of the first evidence of him singing, "Singin' in the Rain." (As I write this in August, he can sing it all. Video of this to come.) And here's another video, called, "Auric Sings with Feeling." I love his expression in this one: eyes shut tight, emotion (of what, I have no idea) all over his face. This is another example of his ability to dramatize a moment, something that's been modeled for him by his sister everyday of his life. And lastly, here's another short video of Auric being cute, called, "Auric Falls Out of a Box."
May gave us some rainy days (click here for a short video of Auric splashing in a puddle, one of his absolute favorite activities). But it also gave us some warm days in which we had lots of fun. On one of these days, we traveled out to Lincoln, MA to visit Codmon Farm, one of favorite trips to see the animals. Click here for a short video of that. And later that day, we enjoyed our first cookout of the season. Below is a shot of us after dinner. Sean likes to wow the kids by making these long baskets into the kids' hoop. Here he is mid-shot. And to prove how good he is at this, here is a video of our backyard fun which includes Sean shooting baskets (and wowing me), of Auric saying some words (through a mouth continually full of cantaloupe), and a great flashback to Thora of two years ago. Watch all the way to the end for that little treat.
And lastly, here's Auric's friend, Etta. She's a darling girl. Auric plays with her almost everyday, along with their friend, Ellie. They're just too cute. I had to include this.
Thanks for checking in with us. I hope to have June up before long! Check back soon.
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