Yali Middle School

This year we again had the good fortune to host the leader of the Chinese delegation visiting from Yali Middle School in Changsha China. Since 2005, Foote has had an exchange program with Yale Middle School, founded in the early 1900s by Yale. This exchange annually brings a teacher from Yali to teach at Foote for the fall semester; during the spring semester, a group of Foote teachers along with the ninth grade class travel to China for 2 weeks. Additionally, Yale sends four Fellows to teach at Yali Middle School each year.

The children, along with Marc and me, really enjoyed our time with Mr Wu. He was a gracious guest. Hugo and Portia helped me trememdously with translating when Marc was unable to be around!

425 Park Ave So.

We popped in to NYC this weekend, taking advantage of Auntie Connie's and Uncle Alex's loft and enjoyed a fun production of Mary Poppins. The whole "Anything can happen if you let it..." motto is actually quite inspiring.

We stopped by our old haunts, made our regular pilgrimage to our beloved apartment building and just enjoyed the great walkability of NYC. Hope to be back often this fall and winter.

Wheee...can we come every weekend?




"I can't stop looking at my new purse, Mama"- direct quote


And guess what we had for breakfast? Hint: not the yogurt with fruit cup

How is breakfast complete without fries dipped in butter?


Sugar anyone?


Peanut's babies


Views, views and more views.







First order of business: LEGO store in Rock Center.


No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane - gorgeous set at the Amsterdam Theatre

Unequivocally Girl

Peanut and I had an afternoon playing nail salon.

Let me first remove my high heels...


Quelle couleur?!



My little Sophisticate

Parents' Night

What a fantastic window in to the life of MAG we got last night. The evening was an interactive one, filled with activities for moms and dads. A chance to complete our own "doodle", for instance. A doodle is a simple squiggly line on a piece of paper that when added to can evolve into pretty much anything ... that with the artistry of Marc can transform into a gorgeous, moustached man; or, in the case of Mommy, a simple piece of cinnamon swirl raisin toast; or, in the case of Hugo the squiggle fantastically became an elephant's tusk attached to an elephant sniffing out a giraffe in a jungle. Parental 'work' was then left in the children's folders for their viewing today. We wrote notes to Hugo in his journal, responding to all of the work on view in the classroom. Lots of learning, lots of fun.

Self portrait, complete with Schalke 04 shorts


A graph depicting: "Some things we learned about where we live"


Sketching in the community garden


'Friends' poem


A journal entry

Aaahhh, all this Aaahhht!

If ever anything were certain, this baby's keen on art! Binders and binders, walls and walls. Time for an exhibit.





"Male Bird delivering Mail"

My Boys

9th Grade and Beyond

Hugo constantly reminds me of how much he looks forward to 9th grade at Foote. For, if he stays, the class takes a trip to Foote's sister school in China. I, on the other hand, am in a state of perpetual denial that first grade - last year it was Kindergarten - will ever end. It's admittedly an ugly, no-win, uphill, inevitable personal struggle. (Yes, he's still wearing largely 3 and 4T button downs which, though it might appear so, is so not a subconscious effort to keep him little bittle. I just can't stand oversized clothes on kids!)

Bedtime tonight was a cute exchange about loving school and ended with:
"Mama, if only the main office had a suggestion box, I'd make the suggestion that Foote continue all the way through 12th grade." I do count my blessings, all the time - and having a little boy who loves his school is a big one.