Twenty-Three Piggies

We got home from New York to a message from the Youngs: twenty three baby pigs! We went over after church to check out the new additions. They are pretty darn cute, especially the spotted ones, a little pile of piggies either eating or sleeping, snuggled up on top of each other against one of the two Mama Pigs. And then there are the calves to play with, and fresh-cut hay to play in . . . ! Thanks, Young Family, for letting us come and visit so often.

Congraduations!

Hooray, Heather! After three years of hard labor, Heather graduated Friday from City College of New York with a Master's in Landscape Architecture. She got a special award for best thesis. We are all so proud of you, Heather! You will make New York's open spaces better for everyone. And we're looking forward to you having more spare time to spend in Vermont's open spaces, too. . .

We all had a great time celebrating Heather's graduation in New York. Lucy and Gavin were loving getting to hang out with Uncle Sam and Aunt Heather. They also got to see Aunt Rosalie and Uncle James, who we haven't seen since their wedding a year ago, and Uncle Dylan, who graduates from high school this week. (Thanks, guys, for being so patient playing with our kids! They really adore you. And so do their parents.)

Lots of fun was had in New York, but the highlight had to be Saturday's visit to the Natural History Museum. Those dinosaurs are so awesome! Grandma bought Gavin a Tyrannosaurus Rex, which he's been putting under his pillow at night (along with his "F" Subway Train).

Other New York highlights . . . playing in the park near our hotel at the WTC, where there were organized art projects, street-hockey games, and a fun playground with fountains . . .

. . . The Central Park Zoo . . . and just hanging out with Grandma.

Memorial Day Weekend Fun

We spent a memorable Memorial Day Weekend with Andrea, Keith, Bennett, and Leah Card, exploring some of our favorite Vermont haunts and discovering some new ones . . .

On Saturday, we made a pilgrimage to St. Anne's Shrine on a small island in Lake Champlain. The shrine was funky and interesting, and the grounds were simply lovely. The kids had a wonderful time playing in the lake and proving -- yet again -- that children only really need rocks, sticks, and a body of water to have a rousing good time.

Sunday we went to church then out to Allis State Park -- about ten minutes from our house -- for a barbecue and a hike. It turns out Lucy is an intrepid hiker! She did get a little tired toward the end, but then she found a magic walking stick that would lose all its powers if you stopped but would recharge if you went really fast. Gavin and Bennett -- with shorter legs and less imagination -- rode on their dads a lot of the way, but we all still had fun.

On Memorial Day we went down to the Queechee Gorge and walked up to the waterfall, then stopped at a place with a carousel and train. It's the same train as Hogle Zoo! Though without the buffalo and cheesy western kitsch that makes the Hogle Zoo train so fun. I was tempted to ask if I could drive, just for old time's sake, but resisted the urge.

We wrapped up the weekend the same way we started it: with a pilgrimage. A Mormon pilgrimage this time. We went down to Whitingham to visit Brigham Young's birthplace. There's a granite monument in the outfield of a baseball diamond, dedicated in 1950 by George Albert Smith, but the best was a small marker placed by somebody at the site of the farm where he was born, praising his "courage and superb equipment." You really gotta give old Brig credit for his superb equipment.

The best part of the weekend -- other than getting to have fun adventures with good friends -- is that Gavin decided he wanted to wear big-boy underwear just like Bennett. He now insists on wearing his superhero unders all the time (backward, of course, so he can see the superheroes printed on them). He has been clean and dry -- even overnight! -- since Sunday. Thanks, Bennett!

Gavin's Tail

Last night, Gavin prayed that Heavenly Father would "give me a tail when I grow up."

This is one of a number of interesting requests lately, mostly centering around Gavin's new interest in someday becoming Shere Khan from the Jungle Book. The desire to take up chasing Mowgli and Baloo as a profession has displaced his recent interest in becoming a firefighter (pronounced fider-fighter) and a superhero.

It all began a couple of weeks ago when we took the kids to see the Northfield Elementary School performance of the Jungle Book on stage. Lucy wasn't in it -- she was supposed to be one of King Louie's orangutans but decided she didn't like to go to "monkey practice" after school -- but we went to see her friends and the babysitter's daughter Malayna, who played Baloo. We were a bit concerned that Gavin was kind of young for a play and might get bored. Not at all. He was transfixed the entire time -- at one point, he shouted out "Mom! They're going to get Mowgli!" Our half of the audience laughed, and the other half looked over to see what was so funny.

Shere Khan's tail is a very important part of the story, for Gavin. In the play, Baloo grabs Shere Khan's tail and pulls it and chases Shere Khan out of the jungle. Now Gavin's favorite game is playing Shere Khan and Baloo, which involves a lot of roaring and pulling of imaginary tails.

I know he'll grow out of wanting a tail . . . but I hope he doesn't do it too soon.

Lucy's Dance Recital

Tonight's the big night for Lucy and her little troupe of dancing queens! She performs tonight at 6:30 and again tomorrow at 1:30. Her group has two dance numbers, one tap performance and one ballet. The dance recital is the event of the season in Northfield -- we had to stand in line for tickets, and it sells out the high school auditorium every year! Lucy is excited because she gets to wear lipstick and rouge and hang out backstage with her buddies. I got these pictures last night at the dress rehearsal . . .

Lucy is the one on the far left with the braids in her hair. In the video below, she's dancing next to Tasha, the assistant dance teacher. The music is "Put on a Happy Face." Let's hope we can all keep a happy face going into tonight's big performance!

Fiesta Oliver!

Lucy's Kindergarten class is writing a book about Oliver the Owl. The kids each get a chance to take Oliver, a little stuffed owl, home with them, then write and draw in the book about the "adventures" they have with him. Lucy decided to bring Oliver to the Cinco de Mayo party some friends threw on Monday. Oliver had a great time -- he rode around on Lucy's sombrero, sat with her while she munched her chips, and took a swing at the pinata. When Lucy and Oliver got home, she drew a great picture of her, Oliver, and a baby, with candy raining down from the pinata. The text: "Me and Oliver went to a fiesta. Two babies chewed on Oliver. It was great."

Oh, Canada!

Last weekend, we decided to celebrate the assumption of our new mortgage and financial responsibilities by hightailing it for the border! We drove to Montreal, got a hotel room in Chinatown (with a big Koi pond in the lobby, the kids loved it), and spent two days exploring the city. We went to Montreal a few years ago when I was pregnant with Gavin, but that was in February, not the ideal time to explore what the city had to offer. This time we wandered around in the streets, ate fabulous ethnic food, tried to speak French, and had a great time. It's hard to believe this world-class city is only two hours away from Northfield!

The highlight for Lucy and Gavin (other than crawling all over the public sculpture) was our trip to the Biodome, a huge indoor zoo featuring four different ecosystems. Lucy's favorite was the Tropical section, with birds and monkeys in the trees and alligators on the ground. We were able to sing the kids' favorite song about the "three little monkeys sitting in the tree, teasing Mr. Alligator 'can't catch me!'" while watching the monkeys precariously perched above a very menacing-looking alligator. Gavin's favorite part was the Arctic exhibit with three different kinds of penguins waddling around and jumping in the water. He could have stayed there all day.