Part 4

I did not take any pictures yesterday. Probably because my nerves were too shot after Maddox fell down at the playground at approximately 9:11 a.m. and then decided that the best way to deal with his skinned knees was to alternate between screaming, wailing and screeching for the rest of the day. We literally had to leave the playground because I was getting looks. We went home and Al took him inside to do first aid, and I waited outside for DSS to show up since the screeching was audible down the block.

We actually wound up having an okay time with our friends Ruth (the mom), Sivan and Rafi (the kids). Sivan is about 6 months younger than Maddox and they are just starting to play together, which is very cute. Ruth is another house widow, and is currently living with the kids at her mom's while her husband works on their new house. I think she and I will spend a lot of time, sans husbands, together in the future.

After naptime we capped off the long weekend by going to Wingaersheek beach in Gloucester with our friends Chris and Catherine and their kids. The beach seemed to reset Maddox's nervous system because he had a great time running around, digging for clams, wading in tide pools, and of course, snacking. Chava gave us great hope that we will enjoy another fabulous Cape vacation this year by literally parking herself in one spot with a shovel and a pail for almost two hours. She ate about a pound of sand but, since she's not concerned, we're just going with it.

Part C

Sunday dawned a bit cooler. Chavie decided fleece was more appropriate for the weather:



















We headed out to Castle Island, which is where we should have gone yesterday since it was delightfully cool there. Maddox and Al enjoyed a snack while watching people pull stripers in (none big enough to be keepers):














I didn't get any pictures of the great Somerville Memorial Day parade, which is legendary. I think every Shriner in the state participates, and this year there were high school marching bands all the way from Maine. Both kids loved it, and were particularly interested in what happens to the horse poop (the answer is that the DPW has a truck behind each horse team in the parade, equipped with shovels).

In any case, Chava napped after the parade and Maddox enjoyed the most excellent waterway that Nonna gave him for Christmas:














We ended the day with beers on the porch (just KIDDING!):

Part 2

Saturday was really, really hot. Maddox had a hard time getting motivated and spent the early morning lounging in our bed, watching t.v.:














Chava celebrated the heat by wearing a wool hat all morning:














The kids enjoyed some playdoh time:














And by the end of the day, Chava had completely worn us out. Luckily, Al came up with a creative parenting solution:

Our weekend in pictures, part I

I am making a dedicated attempt to carry the camera with me and take pictures along the way... not always do-able, though, since I'm often trying to hold on to Chava with my teeth while clapping my hand over Maddox's mouth (his new thing is that EVERYTHING is a tragedy and needs to be accompanied by ear-piercing screeching). But I'm trying.

Friday afternoon, Chava and I picked up Maddox from school in the stroller:














And we went to Anna's to get burritos for dinner:














What I didn't get a good picture of was the ice cream cone afterward, but here's the carnage leftover on the shirt:

I got nothing

It's impossible to take pictures of the kids these days because they want to be intricately involved. I just have to get better at taking the camera with us so I can get some action shots when they are too busy doing whatever they're doing to insist on being the photographer.



Maddox wanted to take a picture of his snot dripping down his face before he would let me wipe his nose.

Who wears the pants?

It's true: Chava likes to wear Maddox's underwear on her head. I'm assuming this is some weird Weiszian trait because, God knows, nobody on my side of the family is so weird.



This picture is of our neighbor's granddaughter, Mia, who lived next door for a couple of months and became Maddox's best friend. Maddox would jump up from the table in the middle of dinner saying, "Mia's calling me!" even when she was no where to be seen. Anyway, last week she moved back to Kansas but Maddox is still looking for her and asking us when she'll come back. No wonder, because based on this picture, she's the perfect friend to have.

My beautiful children

These pictures are at least a couple of weeks old. Al picked some blooms from a flowering tree outside to give Chava a hairdo. I have no idea what is dribbling from Maddox's mouth, but I love the picture anyway.

The Cruise

It wasn't all peaches and cream, but we did manage to have some fun. Eli and Michela were great with our kids, and Grumps, Nonna and Grandma Faye helped out a lot, too. Of course, Noah and Cat, as the guardians of our issue, are like the second parents.