Goodbye to Liz

I keep asking Patrick and Madeline to slow down on the growing up, but they just keep moving along. And so we sadly have to say goodbye to Liz, our beloved nanny of five years. Luckily she'll be working for a family that lives just a few blocks away so we'll get to visit her often. We took a photo of 'Liz's kids' as a thank you. Five kids, five years, all the better for her loving care.

Using the Force

Patrick has been singing the Star Wars theme song for weeks and Madeline has been gamely playing along as a storm trooper/spiderman, and so for a special birthday treat we had a movie night with Fynn to watch the real thing--episode 4, the very first Star Wars movie. We served Han burgers and Vader veggies, and even had Wookie cookies for dessert. We loved watching the kids act out scenes from the film, and especially love sharing a piece of our past with a new crop of Jedi.

Birthday Boys

"I'm a hand" (five fingers) Patrick has been proudly announcing to everyone. Donald is ahem, slightly more hands, but both Thomas boys had a birthday celebration that not even a few raindrops could dampen. Thanks to some tents (and a pink shopping cart full of beer) we waited out a passing thunderstorm and had a wonderful time. We even got a real rainbow in honor of the special day. Aunt Whitney, Cousin Colton, and Gran T were on hand for the weekend festivities, which featured a moon bounce water slide, Star Wars cake, shark pinata, and goody bags eagerly assembled by Patrick and Madeline.

Fireworks, Fireflies, and Fun

A fun-filled Fourth of July week in Connecticut featured a rowdy pirate hunt, mud puddle poking, a massive firefly roundup, construction of a cardboard box house/car, Grammy's 70th birthday party at Rocky, Patrick and Madeline's first fireworks celebration and a major development...after two years of swim lessons and countless pool trips Patrick finally took the plunge and started swimming underwater! He also loved launching off Donald in the neighbor's pool. Cousin Soph, as always, provided hours of entertainment.

The Secret History of Mount Vernon

As told by five year olds:

"George Washington lived a long time ago, when people lived in forts and slept on the ground. Like ninjas."

(Upon spying a spinning wheel...)
"This is where they spun straw into gold."

(Viewing a kitchen display with faux food...) "Did the people eat pretend stew?"

The Genies do not miss a trick.

A Visit From Aunt Melissa and Uncle Greg

In May, Aunt Melissa and Uncle Greg came for a fun weekend of playground hi-jinks, vegan pancakes, and backyard games from many lands. A good time was had by all!

Graduation Day

And just like magic, our little Munchkin became a Genie and walked down the aisle wearing an "Abra Alum" t-shirt in June. We've shared dozens of birthday parties, hundreds of drop-off dramas and pick-up laughs with the 14 sweet children of Patrick's class. Our tears of pride for all that Patrick has accomplished in his three years of preschool were mixed with ones of sadness for the end of this era—and laughter for the unforgettable dance the 'real Genies' performed to a Justin Bieber tune after their official graduation performance.
Genies, we love each and every one of you.