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- News
Feb 2008

Beach Day

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The start of the day we slather up with sunscreen, pull on our swimsuits, and dive in!
Joshua, the fish, was finding clams with Daddy, collecting sea glass
and other treasures from the sandy bottom, and spending most of the day in the water.
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Hannah hasn't quite gotten the logistics of this hat thing down yet.
That morning, both kids needed a hat against the sun
so mommy bargained from 1 hat for a hundred
to 3 hats for a hundred thirty five.
Practicing my bargaining at garage sales growing up really pays off now!
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Hannah helped bury me, my legs at least.
She became very bold in the water by the day's end.
With her turtle goggles on, she didn't cry whenever saltwater got into her eyes,
and she worked in the waves to catch me, or pull me along by my feet as I floated.
Joshua would come out of the water sometimes to roll in the sand (camouflage?)
and then back into the water he went.
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Hannah does NOT attempt to hide her feelings
about her fish still having it's head and tail attached.
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The guys, however, seize upon this opportunity for adventure eating.
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David and Joshua found a clam out in the waters,
bringing it to shore for all to enjoy before returning it to its depths.
Then it was time for some shade and a book!
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Such a big girl now stands Hannah with her goggles and pigtails.
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Moments of reflection between dashes to the ocean.
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The boat ride home, all exhausted and yet exhilarated with the memories of the day.
Pockets full of sea stones and shells, we are grateful for woobies,
fresh water, and a return to creature comforts.

Refrigerator Box City


I played in refrigerator boxes when I was little.
How fun to cut windows and doors in these boxes for our children now.
Washing machine and fridge came. We smell better now and can eat at home. Smile.
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Hannah spends quality time with her thumb.
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Busted.
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The architect/designer.
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First Day of School

This photo of the first day of school looks a bit heartbreaking.
Joshua, whom we had been so concerned for, loved his school. Before he learned one of his teacher's names he called her "the teacher who loves me". For the first week, Hannah, our extrovert, cried every day we dropped her off! David let her bring a baby doll to school (someone she can talk to in English) and she has done beautifully. They even had a field trip today to the zoo. We love their school. We aren't sure what happens there most of the time, but they try really hard to make it work for us. They serve their students 3 meals a day and are open from 8am to 6pm. Apparently this is very typical. All parents work. We only send them from 8-11:30 am and pick them up before naps at 12:00.
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Last week, I went to an event at school to which parents were invited. I was vague on the details so I packed snacks, gifts for teachers, a water bottle, and the three of us for this "field trip" . Turns out, it was parent teacher conferences. Oops. I was not interested in joining the rows of parents sitting in child chairs to listen to a presentation by the teacher in a language I did not know, so I stayed in the hall and talked with one of Hannah's teachers who knows some English. She gave me her phone number and wrote down Hannah's other teacher's names for me as well. Joshua tugged at my jacket, wanting the names of his teachers as well. How had we gone for almost 2 weeks without this information? Well, we were going to get it today. In Joshua's class they were playing with clay and we were invited to join a table (no language necessary for clay). Joshua pointed out a friend to me whose name is "Pineapple". Awesome.