one hundred

Because who wouldn’t enjoy some after-bath accordion music? I’d like to think that she’s celebrating the 100th photo in my 365 photo project!

I want to thank everyone who’s been following along! I’ve been having fun snapping pics and posting daily…even on the days when the pictures are few and the inspiration is low. Are you enjoying the glimpses into our life? Would you like me to post more, or less, of something? Too many kid pics? Too few? I’d love to know what you think!

ninety nine

So many things for me to love about this photo. Let’s start with Esme’s lack of shirt. She was insistant on that point. Then we’ll continue on to Catherine’s ‘salad’ made from carrots, broccoli and cauliflower that she cleaned, cut and slap-chopped all on her own. Notice the chopsticks she’s chosen to eat the tiny bits with!

And then we must examine how the three of us all organize our money: Catherine’s in a heap, mine left to right in true Bank Teller fashion and Esme’s right to left, tucked under the board like Papa taught her.

Not to mention that things that the photo doesn’t quite show. The way the girls move each other’s pawns when the other can’t reach. The way they say please and thank you when collecting their rent. The fact that both girls made it through an entire game from start to bankrupt without losing interest. There were no sore losers at the end, and, most amazingly of all, Esme sat on the table the whole time and the game was never knocked over!

ninety eight

On our way to Great Neck Park today we passed by numerous other parks and playgrounds and trails and conservation areas that we often visit. Both Catherine and Esme can name most of them and certainly recognize all of them. A dozen, at least, without exaggeration.

These are all areas of natural interest and beauty and recreation. They are all within a 30 minute drive from our house. And they are all free to the public.

An awesome playground and the ocean’s edge on a warm, sunny spring day? Yes, please.

We are so spoiled!

ninety seven

And thus ends an otherwise not so great day.

ninety six

It started out as a sunny spot off the highway to eat lunch. Just a parking spot in a strip mall lot and the driver’s seat of a 2001 Corolla.

But God uses ordinary things to highlight extraordinary lives.

And so I spent my lunchtime thinking about a life lived for service and love. A man who gave and gave. A church full of the community that joined in, and benefitted from, his work. A world that was made so much better by his caring and action.

And I wondered- what does this mean for me? How do I go forward, using his example, to make my life a service to others?

ninety five

At 6 and 4, our girls, thankfully, know very little about war. What little they know has come from history books and historical fiction. Because of this, I was a bit hesitant about our site seeing trip today to the Bunker Hill Monument and Old Ironsides (and the Charlestown Navy Yard). I wondered about the questions they would ask about the battle. Would there be concerning museum exhibits that would lead to new (and maybe uncomfortable) discussions about war and death? Would they be totally bored and get nothing from it?

They have both been asking for months to climb the Bunker Hill Monument. We can see it on our approach to Boston whenever we drive into the city and it has intrigued them for some time now. I had used the winter weather as an excuse to put off a visit, but today seemed like the right time to head into Charlestown.

I shouldn’t have been surprised that we all had a great time. We wandered our way up to the monument and got our NPS Passport stamps. Catherine found a Magic Treehouse book in the gift shop that she has read and immediately made some connections (Revolutionary War on Wednesday). The three of us steadily climbed all 294 steps to the top of the monument and took in the views. Even Esme was able to point out and name several Boston landmarks and sites that she saw out the window.

After a picnic lunch at the foot of the monument we followed the Freedom Trail down to the water to visit Old Ironsides. The Visitor Center’s movie introduced the practices of dry dock ship repair and mechanized rope making to the girls and they were able to draw on that info during our walk outside. We saw a modern warship in dry dock, boarded the USS Constitution and had a tour of her three main decks.

We walked back to the subway station singing “The Ants Go Marching” in a weak attempt to forget about our sore feet and aching legs.

I don’t know why I was so worried about the ‘war’ topic!

Living in Massachusetts, the Revolutionary War will surely make more frequent appearances in our adventures. I know it will come up in conversation again and when it does we now have a small, but concrete, foundation to bolster our discussions. We’ve seen a model battlefield with tiny Redcoats and Rebels. We’ve learned that Old Ironsides is undefeated in her 33 battles and a handfull of military terms are now part of our lexicon.

Even though we didn’t reenact the Battle of Bunker Hill or delve into it’s ramifications for the British and American forces, we definitely had a brush with history today. We are fortunate in that we can return time and time again and each visit will bring new insight, at varying levels of understanding. I am so glad that despite the military history focus at these sites, we can (and will) continue to learn so much more from our experiences that will stay with us for far longer than our visits.

[You can see photos from the rest of our day here!]

ninety four

ninety three

It is always a wonderful thing to find people who truly see and communicate the connections between us and everything around us. Life is art is dance is science is music is life.

ninety two

I’m afraid that this photo leaves nothing to the imagination regarding our parenting philosophy. Is it permanent? Is it dangerous? Is it affecting others?

No?

Why worry?!?

ninety one

“It’s just a little drizzle, Mama!” ~Catherine

That being said, it wasn’t the rain that sent us walking home from the park- it was a couple awesome cracks of thunder and lighting!

What is it about playing in the rain that makes a person feel just a little bit rebellious?