Charlotte

My mom insisted that I have to brag about Charlotte.  She is worth bragging about, but I have tried to refrain because I don't want to a) seem like she is better than her brothers, and b) make all the other parents feel jealous.

Charlotte on her first day of school

About 6 months ago, Charlotte was our little sociopath. On some days she was delightfully charming, and on other days the words of a teenager would come out of her mouth, or she would lie on the floor and have a tantrum for no reason, or just argue with every single thing we said.  She is in a new phase now (it's always important for me to remember that the phases are temporary) and is just a joy.  She is helpful, funny, and kind. I had an earache one morning and put some drops in my ear. The next day she asked how my ear was feeling.  It seems like the first time in her life that she has noticed other people exist.

Sunny day at Sesame Place

 In addition to her more pleasant demeanor, she has been accomplishing things in every area of her life.  Over the summer she learned to swim and dive- although some dives are more like belly-flops. She worked hard on her handstands and has perfected her cartwheels.

apple picking

Her competitive spirit is alive and well and gets to come out every Sunday night when she participates in the Healthy Kids Running Series. She gets to run the 75 yard dash and takes her work seriously- booking it for the finish. She has come in 1st place both weeks and has her eyes set on the trophy at the end of the series.

First place (not in the highlighter green shirt), running in a skirt

 It is a joy to watch her strong body move.  She is muscular and graceful.  She still has her rounded baby edges, but she is solid and strong. She is so determined.

Charlotte has been eager to help around the house. She helped my mom get ready for Rosh Hashanah by setting the table and polishing candlesticks, and she likes to help me bake at our house. She has even started cleaning up her room occasionally! She is nothing but a joy. She comes to me every morning when she wakes up and insists that we snuggle together. Sometimes we do puppet shoes with Gray Kitty and Black-and-White Kitty, sometimes we doze together, sometimes we just make each other laugh. I love waking up to her cheerful face everyday, and I love having these days with her.

Maine and Cape Cod 2017

Due to our California trip earlier in the summer, we had only a short time in Maine before we went to Cape Cod for our annual vacation.

Our three days in Maine were jam-packed: an afternoon at Eric's grandparents' place on the pond, dinner at the beach, a day at Funtown/Splashtown, a visit to the Portland Head lighthouse, and a huge water balloon fight.  Whew.

Benjamin fished in the pond and caught a fish on his first try!

Our annual photo of the boys on the rocks at Wells Beach

Charlotte loves getting thrown around

The lighthouse

We explored the rocky shores and the ruins

My monkeys in a tree

A good reminder in our tumultuous times

Asher likes to spoil our "moments"- an attempt at getting just Eric and me in a photo

 In Maine we managed to have some ice cream everyday. The boys saw their cousins everyday, too.  It is tough that we are far apart, and that our Maine family isn't able to come and visit us regularly.  But we make the most of the time we have, and it is chaotic and fun when we cram all 9 grandchildren into Memere and Pepere's house!

We left for Cape Cod on Saturday morning, planning to get there quickly in time to spend a couple of hours with my cousin William and his family. Of course there was traffic, but we did manage to squeeze in a couple of hours of sun at the pond.

Our week at the Cape was not our best ever- we had pretty lousy weather, with most days cool, with some clouds, and a few days just plain cloudy or cold. We didn't get in the ocean a single time, and I don't think my dad swam at all.  Unlike previous years, the kids didn't manage to get into a groove- they didn't play at all with any of the other kids there, and they frequently fought with each other or whined at us. We had many wonderful moments, and the week flew by, but we are discussing going earlier in the summer (more kids, warmer weather) in the hopes of making next year a better trip.

The boys at the pond

Charlotte at the Marine Supplies store in Provincetown

Charlotte practicing her headstand. She practiced all week

Fire on the beach to roast marshmallows and make smores

grownups went out to dinner in Provincetown

My sister, me, Eric

10 minutes of cooperative play

Reading break

 For the first time since my Grandma Sonia passed away, we went back to the flea market. Asher was really excited to go, and took his wallet so he could buy himself a treasure. He was completely thorough in his search and made me go to every single table with him. In the end he settled on panda earmuffs for $2, and then proceeded to wear them the rest of the day, including to the beach.

On the beach, in ear muffs

The good part about having nothing to do for a week was that I managed to read several books. I enjoyed most of them, but 2 of them weren't worth finishing (1 was so bad that I only read 1 chapter). I read so much that I had to go out and buy 2 new books while we were there!

Our last night on the Cape- before our lobster dinner

The down side of going right before school began was that I found myself anxious about everything that was waiting for us when we got home. We arrived home on Sunday evening and had one day to pull ourselves together before the boys started school and I went back to work for 12 hour days.  In typical fashion, I didn't sleep well the whole time we were there, which didn't help, either.  Hopefully going earlier next year will help alleviate some of my anxiety as well.

We plunged right into real life as soon as we returned- so far the kids are happy with their new teachers and they each have plenty of friends in their classes. We are enjoying the weekends that still feel summer-like by going to Sesame Place to ride the water rides one last time, and swim in Jane and Ed's pool one last time for the year. The kids all seem to be adjusting well to their new schedules, and much of the fighting and antagonizing that was prevalent at the end of the summer, they are mostly getting along.

2nd grade

Benjamin

Asher

The boys had their first day of 2nd grade today. New teachers, new classes, hopefully new friends. Benjamin's teacher is Mrs. Steele and Asher has Mr. Seka, both of whom are supposed to be excellent.

Because I have been on vacation with them for 2 weeks and have to take evenings off to go to back-to-school nights, I worked until 7 tonight and they were asleep by the time I got home, so I have no further details.  I just can't believe how grown-up they look!