Grandma Visits

Aquarium Rock Climbers.  We had a great walk from the Boston Aquarium, which is remodeling all around us (no penguins, no sharks...) and then we walked on the Harbor walk all the way to the Children's Museum.  Which proved to maybe be too much for a half day visit.  We left the Children's Museum early to take Sammy to a doctor's appointment, which meant a bee-filled lunch at Olecito in Inman Square and a little visit to the Stella Bella play room.

We welcomed Grandma with a post-airport Lobstah dinner....with the fabulous roasted corn salad and orzo with everything recipes we picked up from Elissa on Girl Weekend in July.

The next morning it was off to visit Auntie Kassi at Starbucks.

 Then Grandma went to work with Elliot on making puffy piggies while Julia helped me make super garlicky pesto.

Sammy trying on some novelty glasses.

And then the sequence - of Julia at the Children's Museum.  She was waiting out front with me while Ben was bringing the car around fro Sammy's doctor.  Beautiful day.  Julia loving her sparkly shoes that look to me more like cheap cardboard slippers.  I was loving snapping shot of her, but my camera is so delayed, it was annoying.  And then she was running and I snapped, but it didn't take, until she wiped out...which I did not realize I had on film until we downloaded here.  Poor girl was okay and I was running to scoop her up before the picture was even done forming.  

Back to School!

2012 - 2013 Back to School time.  We had our Back to School Feast, with this cake...not that we are celebrating or anything.  We made puffy piggies with Grandma and then had Tatie Anne's BBQ Pork, Green Pea & Ricotta Puree, Roasted Quartered Carrots with Ami & Papa.  

JULIA is ready to have Patty all to herself.  

Elliot has Mrs. Gross for First Grade at Angier.

 A tough name for a first grade teacher.  Elliot is watching to see who is walking to school and waiting for us to leave.

Samantha is ready for the Rainbow Room (pre-K) at Hills & Falls.

Rally for Aly

We dove into the Olympics at our house, head first.  I was already planning to make a big deal of it, but when I was driving to the grocery store and saw a construction sign "Congratulations Aly!" - i had to find out more.  Aly Raisman had just made the Olympic gymnastics team.  She was not supposed to make it to the "all around" let alone win the gold!  She is from Needham, which is the next town over from us...so I talked her up to my girls before the Olympics started.  Prior to seeing that construction sign, I had no idea a local was a contender.  And we watched ALL the coverage.  Usually the next day and after we screened it a bit. Didn't want another "Barbaro" story.

We also liked the synchronized women's diving.  And I still laugh when the Chinese team was cleaning house in this event and a coach was cheering and yelling instruction to her diver and Elliot said, in all earnestness, "Mommy, why are they yelling in Chinese?  They should just yell in English so everybody can understand."

But the Olympics.  Sparked continuous usage of our balance beam in the basement.  And finding all of Zoe's old leotards.  And a definitive choice of gymnastics over dance classes for the fall.  So I found a gym.  There are 2 in Newton. Aly Raisman trained at one of them when she was little.  And it is the one that allowed a class for Elliot & Sam at the same time, so Julia would not have to hang out for hours waiting for them, so yeah, we are crowding into the Aly Raisman gym with all the other glommer-onners.

And when a town the size of Woodstock produces an Olympic gold medalist in the most-watched sport at the Olympics, the whole state beams with pride.  Myself included.  When I saw there would be a "Rally for Aly" we were all over it.  A little parade that consisted of about 6 things: 2 gymnastics squads, a band, 2 convertibles and a fire truck & trolly with past olympians from the area.  It was perfect for us.

Aly cruised by and then THE WHOLE TOWN filed in behind her car and walked the rest of the parade route to their town center gazebo where all the local politicians spoke and applauded her.  And we frolicked around eating free ice cream from Sudbury Farms.  It was great.