Ballet!

Rehearsal day for the big recital on Sunday at the theatre.

A little tutu fun play before the real deal




Cut to the theatre




















Icing on top of a great day

Le Tennis

Last day of pre-season lessons before summer tennis kicks off. Awesome new tennis program. Hugo and Portia have made great strides over the past month and have loved their teachers. Yet another sport in which they've managed to surpass me skillwise. They've been working on back and forehand, playing rallies, and today volleys. So fun.

Peanut in action:



"That is so down the line!"









Chach in action:






Too many s'mores, lover!

Camp Out

Whoa, way to end kindergarten on a high note! K1 had its camp out today. A huge success. So much so, that Hugo, in a surprising, sudden and very well-executed British accent, tells me at bedtime: "The highlights of the camp out, Mama, were, mmmmmmm (rubbing his tummy) dirt cake, s'mores, popsicles and pancakes and our surprise, bubbles." He was just floating today, happily recalling all of the excitement of the day. I confess to peeking (drive-by to avoid being spotted in the bushes) today at lunchtime, and saw all 15 children and 2 teachers in the Sacred Woods next to the K building, delighting in a delicious cookout with their caged newly hatched chicks standing guard. I caught Hugo gleefully prancing down the hill, with dirt cake cups in each hand for anyone who hadn't received any. "Who didn't receive any yet?" he called. What a year it has been. It has made such an impression on Hugo that at bathtime, he announced he really didn't want to graduate. I just hope Megan honors my request to not either a)retire or b) move to another grade before Portia's time rolls around.

Hugo's tent...


Just one last s'more. When you've had 5, along with dirt cake, popsicles, hotdogs and pancakes, why even ask?!


The "Bonfire"


They just hatched (classroom project!) and are already such grown up chickie babies!

Happy June

Well, now that May has come and gone, it seems like a good time to report on all its goodies. Surprise party for Ama succeeded without any leaks, May Day was everything we'd anticipated and much more, clocking lots of good friends time, and enjoying our first days at the beach. On the home front, Hugo now reads to us at night time- pick a book, any book, he can read it with terrific inflection in his voice as if reading a script. It's truly astonishing to experience the transition to a fluent reader. Portia is not far behind, having made her way through most of the BOB books. Cool stuff when you can bike and read together as a family. My favorite way to exercise is to jog with either child biking alongside me. Portia joined me for a 3.5 mile bike/run the other day. On the school front, it's a bittersweet week since Hugo has a mere 3 days of kindergarten left. How that happened is anyone's guess. Tomorrow is the big camp-out in the Sacred Woods, complete with sleeping bags. Come Friday, my tears might be as plentiful as they were on the first day of school.

Wish I could have preserved this bouquet forever. Is there a smell more gorgeous than that of peonies? Yes, in fact, if you pair them with roses and irises:



In preparation for Ama's surprise,Portia made placecards secured by garden rocks for all:






40 something



May Day is a beautiful tradition at Hugo's school. The children, from K through 9th, prepare and rehearse for months leading up to the celebration. The dance K-1 performed (brief excerpt video of the show below) was so sweet! Each child has his/her own partner.

















Friends we'll really miss when they leave at the end of the summer for the midwest




Last time chez Visconsi




First of many beach days



Giving seaweed a try