Eno River field trip

Lucie's class went on a field trip to the Eno River.






Lucie and Roxy made this sculpture, then spotted a crayfish.


Lucie enjoyed finding snails. Here she's showing one to Ethan.


Annisianna, Orla, and Lucie

Sibling harmony

And a movie

Spence's Farm

Milo went to his friend Lena's birthday party at Spence's Farm. He had a great time running around with his friends, and he even got to ride a HORSE. Can you believe it?




Lena and Milo feeding a goat


Milo spent much of the time hitting things with sticks.


Milo waiting very impatiently for his turn to ride




Strawberry shortcake and chocolate ice cream


Milo and his buddy Carl


Lena gives Milo a push

We feel very lucky that Milo is able to spend his days at Sherrill's house with this great bunch of kids.

Hockey night in Hillsborough

Lucie and Milo and I came out for one of Daddy's hockey games. Lucie turns out to be a natural born sports fan (see video). I don't know where she got that.










Milo had a freakout when asked to share some cookies (he's reached the "mine" stage), but calmed down again when Lucie decided she didn't like them. He seemed a little confused by seeing Chris in hockey gear.

Strawberry Festival

This weekend was the Central Park School for Children's Strawberry Festival, perhaps the best kid festival in Durham. (We were there last year, as well.) Lucie got a cool strawberry manicure.

Orla's party

Last weekend, Lucie's friend Orla had a birthday party at West Point on the Eno. All but one of the invitees were girls, and the event was notably harmonious. (Cf. earlier post, Boys and girls.)


Here the girls are patiently waiting in line to go on an egg hunt. In this video, note the sex of the one kid not marching in line.


There was an insect theme.

In the country

Saturday we spent the night at York and Elizabeth's compound in Timberlake. Anne and Jon joined us (and brought massive steaks).




York and Wiley




Lucie discovered root beer


Anne got a new tattoo


Jon did, too


While the steaks were cooking, some of us went on a walk

Anansi the Spider Man

Lucie's YPPC theater class performed "Anansi the Spider Man and the Sky God Stories" this weekend. Lucie played the part of one of Anansi's many children.


Anansi tells his children that he will go to the Sky God to get some stories to tell them.


"If you're hungry, why don't you eat that big green frog over there."


"And they all lived happily ever after."


After the show

Dirty white boy

It's always a pain getting the lawn mower started.

Boys and girls

People are always asking me, now that I have a boy, how that experience is different from having a girl. This movie pretty much sums it up.

Achoo

Here's Milo imitating me sneezing.

The great outdoors

C and I took turns seeing movies at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival today. While I watched In the Shadow of the Moon, Milo enjoyed the great outdoors with Dad.

Below, Milo digs one of our new garden beds.



Milo gets very excited about bumblebees.

Good dancers

Lucie and Milo are both very good dancers. Unfortunately, Milo was more interested in playing with trains when I shot this video.

Pretty creepy

In reference to a particularly strange caterpillar...

L: How creepy would it be if you saw a live ghost, a mummy, your dead soul, and a spider that was poisonous?

K: That would be pretty creepy.

L: Well, it was just a little less creepy than that.

Mortality rate

Overheard backseat conversation:

Sadie: ...but it'll be a long time before we die. [pause] Unless there's a terrible sickness...

Lucie: ...Or we get shot.

Sadie: ...or murdered.

Lucie: ...Or run over.

Balls out

Balls out, the movie

Shout out to Anne and Jon for the continued enjoyment of the Ball Hut.

Every while and now

Among Lucie's charming and creative uses of language are "every while and now," as in, "Every while and now, I get this really great feeling in my foot. I thought it only happens when I take my socks off, but it happened just now, and I'm not wearing socks."

Another would be "not in the world," as in, "I am not in the world going to wake up an hour early for Daylight Savings Time," or, "Milo, you had better not in the world come over here."

And although it is unrelated, it is worth mentioning here Lucie's reaction to a passage from the Wizard of Oz. While reading aloud to Lucie that the wizard "ruled the Emerald City wisely and well," she interjected, "Not like George W. Bush!"

Spring is here