Parker

I make lentils now and then, and this time I guess I used a little too much heat in the spice.  Mimi was asking for milk, Yoda was avoiding it all together and Parker was taking dinner kinda slow. 
Me, "what's going on?"
Parker, "this is like, not mild"

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Greg introduced Monty Python's Holy Grail to Parker and for a few weeks he was galloping everywhere.  As I stood in the neighbor's yard, Parker started galloping in.  A friend of the neighbor, who did not know Parker, took one look at him and said, "um, there's a teenager galloping in towards you"
Neighbor, who knows how harmless Parker is, "yup, that's Parker, he's great!"

Eagle

Parker took on an Eagle project this past year.  He didn't know what he wanted to do, but he knew he wanted to do something outdoors and at a place he loved.  He asked at a few places and then finally decided to ask at our elementary school.  He offered a few ideas, but his 4th grade science teacher asked if he'd like to do a pollinator garden in the school's flower beds.  He was interested and felt like he finally found his project.

Here is the before.  

In the past it had been a "sensory garden".  A teacher long ago had planted plants that smelled, looked, and felt interesting.  Lots of them were herbs so the students could even eat them.  But that teacher left, and since the garden is slightly hidden by this brick wall, it was a little forgotten.  A self-propagating, pollinator garden seemed like a good fit. 

One day last fall we went in and tore out some of the weeds and leaves. 

We even got some helpers from the troop.

Over the winter Parker spent hours and hours researching plants that would work in the garden.  They had to be perennials, attractive to pollinators, deer resistant, drought tolerant, etc.

He also worked hard to find a greenhouse to donate flowers.  This was not easy.  He knew he had some donations from family and friends, but we needed a few hundred.  One store was willing to give him 50% off anything he bought and the PTA was willing to donate some funds, but he kept looking and found a greenhouse willing to donate a bunch of plants.  He also ended up working there and learning more about plants as a bonus. 

Fast forward to Spring and it was time to plant!

Getting the flowers from the Greenhouse.  Thumbs up!

Loading the van with all the goodies. 

Preparing the soil with a tiller donated by a tool rental company.

Here's Parker directing the work to be completed. 

How did Parker feel about all this?  SO TIRED!

End of the day!  So tired and sweaty and happy with the results! 

Stats:

2 flower beds 

400 sq ft

200+ plants

dozens of bulbs

lots of seeds

40 bags of dirt

water bottles

granola bars

pizza

20 volunteers

and one little snake

Now all that's left is the paperwork! 

Mimi is smart

Mimi recently had her worst allergy attack, but it still didn't seem as bad some people suffer.
Mimi, "why is my eye watering?"
Me, "you have mild, seasonal allergies"
Mimi, "Mild?"

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While watching Little House on the Prairie, Mimi saw a female character plowing a field, "She should just wear some of the men's clothes."

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And here's Yoda reading in the backyard...

On the walk home from school

Texts

A text from a friend:

[Yoda] just asked where the bathroom is and my husband (who thinks he's hilarious) directed him to a tree outside. [Yoda] looked at him like "are you insane?"
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When I asked if I should buy the new Star Wars movie on DVD, Greg texted back:
"Parker says 'buy it quick' "

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As I walked to school with a neighbor kid and Yoda, I texted this to Greg:
"It's so cute listening to Zach and Yoda talk about asthma and inhalers"

Last of Spring Break

Wednesday was Greg's bucket-list day.  He never went to these places while we lived in Boston.  So we went to John Adam's home in Quincy and Plymouth, MA.

First up, the Adam's home.  Of course we were off season, so it was all closed, but still beautiful.  The visitor's center in town had lots of information so it ended up being worth the drive. 

Then to Plimoth Plantation.  Also worth the trip and the entrance fee.  It's a living museum with people in period dress. 

And because you know I want to include old photos, here's baby Parker, my mom and me back in 2004 visiting Plymouth.

Of course on this trip, Mayflower 2 is being restored and it away from the museum, so we missed it! 

And then the LONG drive home.   We got home at about 6am.  What a great trip!  

Spring Break Day 4

Still with me?

This is this fun little bridge, no tourists here.  When you stand on this platform you can create a fun echo.  Of course it's been here forever and has a long history, because this town is 300 years old. 

We checked out another old apartment and Yoda refused to get out of the car.  "I'm not participating because I never lived here!"

This apartment was right across the street from a T stop, or subway and an office building.  Greg would just walk to his bus that picked up reverse-commuters that came from Boston and it would take him to his office in Wellesley.  It was the best commute he's ever had!  Now that company is in the office building across the street! That would have been an amazing commute! 

 And of course I have to include an old photo in the same place! 

Boston Common, the public gardens and the Ducklings! 

 Aaaaand, here's baby Parker visiting the Ducklings back in 2006. 

We spent some time in Newbury Comics.

Mimi was less impressed by the location of the Boston Massacre and more interested in the unicorn on top of the Old State house

It was chilly and the kiddos were getting to the end of their ropes.  We cut short the Freedom Trail, got pastries and sat in the new park over the Big Dig. 

Waiting for the T back to our car. 

But before the night was over we HAD to go Candle-pin bowling.  Bowling in New England is not like bowling anywhere else!  The ball is smaller, the pins are narrow, and the pins don't get swept away until you roll the ball 3 times, so you can use fallen pins to hit standing pins, and you tell the thingy to sweep the pins away.  SO fun!

Spring Break Day 3

Off to Belchertown!  Home of our very old and weird apartment on the town's common.  We spent some time walking around looking at the beautiful old library and dumpy laundromat and talking about how poor we were. 

Here we are back in 2003 with baby Parker on the town's common. 

As we were driving east towards Boston, we stopped and talked about the Quabbin.  Which has a super interesting history.  They flooded towns to create the reservoir to bring water to Eastern Massachusetts.  The towns have been gone a long time but people still feel sad about it. 

And here we are back in 2003 at the Quabbin with Grandma Shauna! 

Visiting the North Bridge, importation to our nation's history

Next Salem.  Mimi's 6th grade teacher has an ancestor who was one of the people accused of being a witch.  This is the memorial built in 1992 to those that were killed. 

And here we are back in 2007 with aunt Jill and aunt Tina.  Look at that little Mimi and Parker! 

Of course we visited off-season so lots of things were either closed on a Monday or closed until April. 

  So we found a cool light house to take a picture with.  It was a beautiful day! 

One special request was to hit an amazing seafood restaurant.  My chef-friend Kimberly took me here long ago, so it's my go-to seafood place.  (Yoda had grilled cheese that so, so amazing!)

We ended the night with our visiting some friends who made us some yummy brownies.  We wish we could have visited more people but time just didn't allow.

Here's Parker with is long-ago friend.  They might not remember each other very well, but I do! 

 And here they are back in 2005 at a Thomas the Tank Engine Birthday party.  Look at those cheeks! 

 More to come!