April..

is the cruellest month. No lilacs here yet! Tomorrow, snow!

The weekend came and went with a couple playdates and a birthday party and baking and swimming and somehow I did not take one single photograph. I don’t know if that means I was in the moment or somehow distracted. Exhausted? The end of the term does seem to bring this on, every time, and the next few weekends are brimming with college responsibilities: comps, a conference, a senior ceremony, and another conference. Will it all get done?

Ah, okay. What can I be positive about? Lots. We are happy that Becca is enjoying new books. Lowry is a favorite. We are happy that we are planning for summer and my longtime friend is coming up for a visit next month.

I am beyond looking forward to Memorial Day weekend in Michigan with springy jogs along the lake and ice cream cones and horseback riding and reading paperbacks in the sand. And that’s a wrap.

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Kids’ spring break 2018

Woo hoo, 17 degree temps and snow on the ground! These poor kids.

The grandmas left on Monday, so Jake and I spent a lot of time hanging with the kids at home last week in between working. Here are a couple pics of them hanging out at their desks and then eating ice cream (brr) at Chicory Cafe with their amazing babysitter:

We decided they needed some excitement to end their break, so yesterday we took them to the Museum of Science and Industry and out for deep dish Chicago pizza afterward. Happy kids:

Passover 2018

Well, the grandmas came to town for Passover 2018, and we hosted a fairly large group this year: 9 kids and their parents. Here are a couple pics from the festivities:

The pics show our Seder plate, the grandmas, the kids’ table, Madeline and her Haggadah, Marjane asking the first of the four questions, Madeline prepping the dessert plate with Sarah, Morrie finding the afikoman, and friends around the room. M was jealous when Jake and I were busy with cleaning and cooking, but I’m hoping that’s not what she remembers most. XX

We also had a bakeoff on Easter (when it was cold and everything was closed); MJ, Becca and Madeline were the judges of homemade pizza, cupcakes, mandelbrot, and scones. I’m stuffed just thinking about this again. Here are a couple pics.

We spent my final day off today jumping at Skyzone and brunching at Uptown Kitchen with grandma:

Weekend…

We had a pretty packed weekend with friends’ birthdays, and now we are gearing up for Passover and the grandmas’ visit this week. Here are a couple pics from over the weekend: the kids hanging out with pal MJ, celebrating our friend’s Kristin’s birthday, M practicing drums, and Becca practicing Harry Potter spells:)

Madeline, the drummer

Madeline has been taking drum lessons for a few months now, and she adores it. She doesn’t practice all too frequently, but when she does I cannot help but snap a photo:

My mother recently asked, “is she reading music?” She is! She explained to me whole notes, half notes, and quarter notes the other day. Not a bad start. She also puts a small trinket on the top of her drums when she holds private concerts in the house. Who is this kid? Jake often says, she looks just like you, but she acts nothing like you. I can agree with that. She is totally her own person, and I adore that person.

Dear March

I just read an Emily Dickinson poem about March, but it is not at all matching our northern Indiana March here.

Dear March – Come in –
How glad I am –
I hoped for you before –
Put down your Hat –
You must have walked –
How out of Breath you are –
Dear March, how are you, and the Rest –
Did you leave Nature well –
Oh March, Come right upstairs with me –
I have so much to tell –

she wrote. This spring break week “off” in march came with wind, snow, rain, sun, and mostly 20 degrees. Like this:

We spent the weekend hanging with friends – swimming, eating, and going to birthday parties – and playing mostly indoors, though Becca and I took a slow walk around the neighborhood. She is so ready to begin biking again. We’ll see. We expect snow again next weekend.

I have been bad about taking photographs of the children, I think because we’ve been bigger homebodies more so lately and also because sometimes, I just forget. Here are just a couple from the last week eating dinner and practicing yoga w/friends:

We’ve also spent time plotting out the summer, coordinating schedules and signing up for an array of camp programs and daydreaming about the Michigan beaches and summer adventures. And planning for Passover.

The spring will come. It will be brief. And then, summer.

Spring break

I signed up for the Notre Dame half marathon, but I don’t think I’ll be running it this year. It’s hard to jog beyond 5-6 miles, even on weekends. In other news, the kids and I read a TON of a Wrinkle in Time yesterday so that we would be able to watch it today at the theatre. Jake and I also hit up the Crooked Ewe for some veggie food, watched Call Me By Your Name, and perused travel websites while contemplating a trip. This week is my Spring Break (but not the kids’), so it will be good to take a moment for more reading, but also to catch up on some work:( And I have no pics to share! But I think I know what the Wagmans will be for Halloween this year: