35 Moments From March 2012

This past March saw the passing of my maternal grandma, Patricia Loy. Her passing was done in her own home, surrounded by her whole family. It was a very sad occasion. Auric and I were able to make our way to Murphysboro during her final week. I had a few short visits with her and she even spent a quick moment with Auric. She was kind woman and very sweet and loving grandmother to me. This month had much of our usual silliness and frenetic pace; however, our lives were saddened by her passing. Below contains the happier moments from this month. (Click here to see the whole album.)



March was an unseasonably warm month; however, we did have occasion to spend some time at the indoor playground. Here is Auric playing on another piece of faux-exercise equipment.














Here is Etta being a mom to the two freakishly large baby dolls. Mommy Etta is living the nightmare of caring for twins that are 3/4 your own size.











We had sun and warmth and so the early spring flowers bloomed. And then Mother Nature remembered that it was March, and snowed all over our fantasy of Spring.








Auric did this completely on his own. He emptied out the lower compartment of food-related toys, took the "sink" out, and then crawled in.




























The two Pocock men, eating breakfast. (Yes, one of the men is wearing one of Thora's headbands.)








Here is a very cute moment of Auric painting a picture. Enjoy.

This one is entitled, "Ruining Dinner."










While in Murphysboro, Auric and I stayed at my Dad's cousin, Lea Ann's, house. Auric was very lucky, since the place is decked out in toys for Lea Ann's grandson, Gibson. Here is Auric discovering the jackpot of Gibson's outside toys.










Our time in Murphysboro was sad. Here is a photo of how I'd like to remember my grandma, with Thora in the fall of 2008. I traveled to Chicago for a visit and my grandparents drove up from Murphysboro to see us.










While in Murphysboro, I was struck by the blooming magnolia tree outside my grandma's window. I couldn't help but think about the cosmic cycles of death and rebirth, the connectedness of all things, and how my memories of her will continue to connect me to her over the rest of my lifetime.




My kids don't allow me to dwell on sad things for too long. Our divided family was happy to be reunited. After picking Thora up from school, Thora and Auric enjoyed a game Auric calls, "Run and Tickle." Enjoy.

Thora posing in a Wonder Woman-inspired pose, while wearing her Wonder Woman t-shirt.












Zach, Auric, and Thora appreciate the symmetry of the moment.












I ran a St. Patrick's Day 5K while pushing Auric in a stroller.














I heard one guy say, "Show off," as I passed him. (As I passed him.)












During March, Ally's family hosted the cooking class. Here the kids are lined up in an assembly line of sous chefs.









I need to start a collection of photos that detail all the times I take Auric out of the house in his pajamas as if they are regular clothes. This would go in there.













I also need another album just of photos in which Auric has "assumed the position."








I include this one because he looks like such a big kid boy. (I emailed it to my dad with the subject line "This looks like something out of your boyhood.") But it's also the same day as the above two photos, so I'd like it documented that I eventually did get him out of his jammies that day.









Again, spring sprung very early this year. This was captured during a stop at a playground in the middle of our run along the Charles River, on the Esplanade.













We pass under this magnolia tree on the way to Thora's school.















Auric "assuming the position."









The result of laying in fresh mulch.












Auric assumes the position again.











Thora continues to progress in her tae kwon do studies. The school adjusted the curriculum so that they could have a more formal belt ceremony every three months when the kids graduate to the next higher belt color. This March saw Thora move from the blue stripe belt to the red stripe belt. (The next one is a black stripe belt.) Here is a video showing the highlights of that ceremony, in which Thora and her fellow Advanced Tigers showcase some of the skills they mastered in order to graduate to the next belt. Enjoy!







We did have a day or two of typical Boston March weather.












Obligatory messy face picture (to frame and display at his wedding).












Auric and friends appreciate the symmetry of the moment. "Ice Cream For Sale!"













We made another tape road.










And we celebrated Thora's friend, River's, birthday! Here is Auric and River's sister, Lila.











Thora and Mia










The gang









I'll end this month with a few videos of Auric. This first is one called, "A Brief Conversation with Auric." I have to preface this video by saying that it was recorded right before a nap. He's usually more articulate than this, but like everyone, he isn't firing on all cylinders while sleepy. (Side note: spaciness is kind of cute in 2 year-olds.) Any conversation with him will likely involve discussion of his current favorite movie, Kung Fu Panda or Kung Fu Panda 2, or a scene from another movie that he's trying to understand, in this case a scene from the movie, Cars. He will often employ unexpected shifts in topics to keep you guessing. And finally, you'll have to talk about trucks if you want to talk to Auric. Enjoy.




Auric went through a phase when he would observe everything (everything!) as he sat in the stroller, riding down the street. This video captures a brief moment of that and also one of my favorite Auric-ism: The Vroom Car. I still don't quite know how he determines which are vroom cars and which are not. At first I thought he was referring to cars that looked like race cars, or ones that he saw going fast. You'll see in this clip that the car he designates as a vroom car is neither of these things.

And finally, Auric puts a lot of things that aren't food in his mouth. Not quite as much as his sister did (still does!). However, this habit of theirs is part of my explanation for their robust immune systems. Here, I capture Auric just as he's come from playing house with his friends at a playground. (I think there was a "kitchen" in that "house.")

19 Great Moments from February 2012

Okay, and we're back. We had a bit of a compatibility problem with our various computer programs, but I think we're up and running again. So February... what was that like? Click here to view the whole album. It was a short month, made to feel even faster with a trip to Tucson in there. So this update contains only 3 of February's 4 weeks. It started on a high note, with Thora's k-8 school celebrating the Chinese New Year. While Thora's class is the first Chinese Language Immersion program at the school (and in Cambridge), they've had Mandarin Language instruction at this school for close to 20 years. So all the kids have knowledge of Chinese culture. Each class performed at this celebration assembly. Here's a shot of Thora's JK/K class performing their version of the song, "Sticky Dumplings for Sale."

And here is a short video of their performance. It contains the first half of the song and then another poem that they memorized. Thora was pretty nervous on the morning of the performance, worried that she would forget the moves. It was sweet. Enjoy!

Here is a version of the song that they performed, complete with Chinese subtitles. They used this video to learn the song.

During February, we hosted a "cooking class" at our house. A group of our friends started this. Each month, a family hosts a dinner that is kid-friendly to help prepare. Our hope is that the more foods our kids cook for themselves, the more foods they'll ultimately eat. At our class, the kids made their own hummus and falafel and then had fun with these letter press cookie cutters for making and decorating cookies.
















Here's Auric being cute, wearing his lion leash on the front, kind of like wearing a baby in a front carrier. This arrangement often impedes his vision a bit, but it allows him to give Lion hugs and kisses at will.









And speaking of Auric being cute, here's a video called, "Auric in 126 seconds," which kind of illustrates what he's like on a normal basis. Enjoy!

And more about cute Auric, I often leave the house in the morning with him still in his jammies. Here we are shopping at Trader Joe's at 8 in the morning.













And here is when I inadvertently dyed his hair pink, just in time for Valentine's Day, which worked out pretty well in the end. Something you should know: the pink washout Manic Panic hair gel works great on very blonde hair. It just lasts until the next bath. The "Vampire Blood" color turns the very blonde's hair pink for a couple weeks. Just in case this information helps you...







Here is Auric and Etta being cute, reading to one another on the couch one morning.















And Auric in a ball pit...












And Auric looking at the board book I had made for him from our trip to England...








Okay, enough of Auric for a moment. Let's focus on Thora's cuteness for a minute. Here is a short video mash-up of some moments from Thora's Tae Kwon Do lessons. Enjoy!

And here's a great video of Thora and Auric tap dancing. Thora really knows how to turn on the video magic. Enjoy!

Sean got a new Oregon winter hat, designed exactly to his specifications! The irony is that we had like 3 days when it was cold enough to merit wearing this hat. But now Sean and Auric had matching hats! Cute.















Here is Auric showing his completely absurd method for eating ice cream (this is toy food), which is exclusively with the tip of his tongue. You can imagine the mess that ensues. Unless it's toy ice cream. Then there's no mess!







I took my Valentine's Day Date for a ride on the train. He's a cheap date.













One Friday morning, the morning I have to myself when my friends take the four little ones, I got this photo texted to me. Auric and his gal pals are eating a snack in the Museum of Science cafeteria, overlooking the Charles River and the Longfellow Bridge in the distance.







I couldn't help including this one of Etta. Without any real help from anyone, she managed to turn herself into this brilliant character, half washer woman, half fancy lady (white glove).









And finally, a video of Auric and his friends enjoying a slide at the park.

I hope you enjoyed February's installment. Stay tuned for our great 5 Days in Tucson!

29 Great Moments from January 2012

January, you were pretty rockin' too, with the help of a Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker concert in the middle of the month. But even without that great night, we had a blast, if you can omit the G.I. bug that passed through our house (at least 1.5 times), and the bouts of coughs, colds, and ear infections that we could not shake. I felt like I had a terrible cold for at least a solid 2 weeks, and the kids' immune systems definitely got a good crack at fighting that cold. At least we didn't get the pneumonia that was making the rounds through the Boston Metro area. So we count ourselves very lucky! Now on to the fun stuff. (For a look at the whole album, click here.)

The beginning of January found us just returned from our brief holiday in Chicago over New Year's. And upon return, we jumped right back into our old routines. We were happy to be back to one of Thora's beloved activities, tae kwon do, especially because it was stripe testing time! About once a month, they all get a new stripe of tape on their belt (it wraps around one end, perpendicular to the belt). Once they earn all three stripes, at the next stripe testing, they're eligible for the next higher belt. At the January stripe testing, Thora was eligible for a new belt. Here's a brief video of the new belt ceremony for her and the few other classmates who moved up in rank.

Thanks to Grandma Beverly and Granddad Brian, Thora and Auric got to pursue some fun classes this winter. Auric enrolled in a music class that he takes with his friend, Etta, on Wednesday mornings. And Thora got to try out a 4-week acting class with the Boston Children's Theater. Sadly, I don't have any pictures of either of these. (Delinquent Mother, I know!) Since I'm mixing it up with Auric and Etta during music class, I don't have the time or the hands to snap photos. (I'll keep trying.) And as for Thora's acting class, it was a drop-off class, with only a show for the parents on the last of the 4 classes. And of course, my phone told me at that very moment that its memory was full and it couldn't take any more photos. Arggg!

But the class was great fun for her. (Of course it makes total sense, but on the first morning, I was surprised to walk into a room full of Thoras. Talk about extroverted and attention-loving, strong-willed kids! I watched knowingly as one mother was having a stand-off with her daughter. I watched as the kids narrated their thoughts in song at the top of their voices. It was like a society of little performers. Thora fit right in!) They spent each Saturday morning learning about drama through games, crafts, and acting out story books. They learned about awareness of the audience and how to project your voice and actions towards them. They learned about being aware of the other actors, and how when telling a story, you need to know when it's your turn to convey the story, and when it's the other actor's turn. When the parents arrived early on the last day, they told us the story of The Gigantic Turnip. They acted out the planting and harvesting of the garden. And there was my Thora, picked to act out the part of the Turnip, the one vegetable in the garden that was so big that it took the whole cast of characters of the book to pull it out. Thora was acting her biggest, and most defiant, not budging as the kids pretended to pull and pull. And then finally, when all the characters were working together, POP! Thora exploded from the ground and everyone toppled over. Thora had a great time and I think it was a good introduction to her training as a thespian. Thank you Brian and Beverly.

The long weekend of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday was a very busy one for us. First, there was a great tradition, Thora's friend Olive's birthday party. For the past few years, we've all been entertained by Curious Creatures, a company that sends a couple dozen unusual and friendly animals and a very knowledgeable companion to show the animals around and tell us all about them. The kids sit on a rug and take turns getting close looks at the animals and most of the time getting to touch or hold them.

I love the above photo of Auric miming out what he wants to do to that animal! (There's Thora, and Olive, the birthday girl, in the blue shirt.)




Again, I love Auric's little hands patiently cupped and ready to hold the next creature.













Thora got up close and personal to a skunk.










And speaking of Thora and skunks, here's a little flash back to Thora's first Halloween costume. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)











Auric holding a kimoto dragon.












On the Sunday night of our long weekend, we rocked out, 5 feet from the stage, to Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker. It was awesome!









Sean and Thom, ready to rock!









Lisa, Summer, and I, also ready to rock! (Our friend, Jaime, Lisa's husband, was there too and I failed to get a picture of him. Also, Hilary and Dave came later, after the show had started and so I missed getting photos of them too. Guh!)



Sean has been a fan of Camper Van Beethoven since his college days and he introduced them to me during our early years together. Seeing them in concert, and VERY up-close, was awesome and incredible!

Camper Van Beethoven formed in 1983 but broke up in 1990. The lead singer, David Lowery, went on to form the band Cracker. They've all rebanded, and now tour together, with CVB opening the show and Cracker headlining.

Here's a short video of one of my favorite CVB songs, "All Her Favorite Fruit." Enjoy!

While I don't enjoy standing there during my favorite songs, my arm upstretched and motionless so that I can record, (I want to rock out!), for some reason my camera has stopped me from recording for more than around a minute. So in case your interest is piqued, here's the audio of the above song in it's entirety, a track from their excellent album Key Lime Pie.

After an intermission, Cracker took the stage. And they also completely rocked the house down. Needless to say, I did not want that night to end.









We actually got some snow in January! And each snow storm left snow on the ground for about a whopping 24 hours! Here is Auric happily stomping around in some snow.











One morning the kids decided to enjoy the snow by walking Thora to school.









A stomach bug swept through our house. One day, when we were all home but beginning to recover, we were playing picnic. Thora thought it would be a good idea to bring our "puke bucket" along on our picnic. Smart girl.








I saw this online (Pinterest) and had to give it a try. Masking tape all over our living room is a great way to use all those vehicles! We added a curvy road that made a huge loop around the "parking lot" road and even had to crest Mt. Wicker Chest next to the couch. Good times.








Auric often parks his cars when he's playing with them, so I had to make some parking spots on either end of the road.






Auric is getting more coordinated and more daring by the day. Here is his recent favorite exercise, hand stands. And check out Thora's head stands. Enjoy!

One snow storm was heavy enough to allow for some sledding. We met our friends, River and his dad Thom. Here are some pictures from that cold and fun afternoon.































Here is the second sick day of January.











If all the precipitation that we got in January had been snow, we would've been buried under as much snow as last winter. However, it almost always came down as rain. And then you have Auric's favorite activity: puddle jumping. Here is one of my more inspired videos. Enjoy!

Another Pinterest-inspired project: Moroccan-style lanterns (glass paint on the inside of recycled jars with gold puff paint designs on the top and bottoms). Thora's love of all things fancy compelled us to make these. Now our candle light dinners are very fancy indeed.








Silliness: Auric is expecting!










Now for some progress of Thora's Chinese instruction: here she reads from one of her many books. Each week they study a concept. I think this particular week was learning about comparisons between two things, like this animal is faster than that animal. Also, they were gearing up for the Chinese New Year and so all the animals in this book are the animals from the Chinese calendar. Enjoy!

Greg and I took Etta, Auric, and Ellie to the aquarium. I like this photo.









Poor Mr. Potato Head. He made some bad choices.

Time Out.

And finally, Thora and I started on our annual winter tradition: a castle out of recycled cardboard. Initial construction complete!


Stay tuned for our fun-filled February, including almost a week in Tucson!