Back to School

I have to be honest. All those times when I wistfully reflected on "how time flies" and "how quickly they grow up," I didn't really believe it. Most of the time for me, parenting seems to creep forward imperceptibly. Maybe it's because I still see the 2-year-olds inside my now 4-year-olds, or maybe because they're twins I'm more thankful than sad when they hit milestones (they can now buckle themselves into their car seats? Awesome! Bring it on!), or maybe because I (luckily) get to spend so much time with them I don't notice the changes, but I'm rarely caught up in nostalgia for the baby or toddler years. Sometimes, I'm embarrassed to say, I will time to move faster (we can be done with night terrors any time now, thank you very much). 

But the other night, as I sat watching Z & N fall asleep after the first day of school, their skinny tan legs akimbo on the sheets, my heart felt a little heavy. Just for a moment, I got a feeling that I would soon know the phrase "how time flies" much more intimately. Pre-K will give way to Kindergarten and elementary school and after-school activities and sleepovers and their own sets of friends and their own rooms (if they're lucky) and hours spent off by themselves doing lord only knows (reading, if either is anything like me). And I am beyond excited about all of that, I really am, but a little nervous. And a little happy that parenting won't always feel so interminable, and a little sad. Hurry up and slow down now time, please. 

Heading off to Pre-K at Pine Cobble School

Finishing Up the School Year

A couple of weeks ago, Pine Cobble School let out for the summer. They marked the occasion with a lovely Recognition Day ceremony and picnic. Like the slacker parents we are, we forgot to get "last day of school" pictures, but here are a few from that day:

Cuddled up with one of their teachers Mrs. Gundrum (if you didn't already know this about them, Noemi and Zora do not like crowds - it's a miracle they're smiling at all)

All smiles after the ceremony

The Beginners Class

I was able to cobble together a pseudo first day/last day photo from other pictures we took around those times.

On the left on 9/8/15 and on the right on 6/4/16

N & Z have grown like weeds and are way more into imaginary play, helping us with grown-up tasks, and are really good at writing their names and other words. They're growing into their own, distinct personalities more and more. They are quite different! But they still have a ball playing with each other and can (sometimes) be quite sweet, generous, and compassionate sisters.

They will be continuing at Pine Cobble in the fall in the Pre-K classroom with Mrs. Bizzi and Mrs. Gundrum, who will (thankfully) be moving up with their cohort. Looking forward to another year of discovery!

Zora and Noemi are 4!

Today is Noemi's and Zora's 4th birthday! Can you believe they used to look like this?

And this?















And now they look like this?

Google so helpfully made a video out of photos I took yesterday (Easter) and even though it's a little freaky that they do such things without asking, I realized it's a great way to showcase how sweet and active and creative these girls are right now. There are plenty of hard and challenging times, too, but we are so proud to watch these two amazing people grow into themselves more and more each year.

(video only visible on the blog itself, not in the email version)

First Time on the Slopes

Let me just say that we are not hardcore skiers. Mike and I picked it up in Utah, though, and Mike especially has gotten really good (a combination of natural athletic ability, not being a big scaredy cat like me, and friends who were truly hardcore dragging him with them down some tough stuff). And since it's one of those sports that's easier to learn when you're little, we always figured we'd get the girls out there sooner or later.

We got the opportunity at the end of February when our lovely and generous friends Jenny and Taco invited us up to Jenny's parents' house near Sugarbush in Vermont. We skied for just one morning, but there was so much about it that reminded me of the good times we had at Park City Mountain Resort, Solitude, Snowbird, and Alta (mostly pre-kids) and so much that was brand new (like it taking over an hour just to get all 4 of us into our gear!). I was exhausted before we even put our skis on.

But the girls loved it. They were a little hesitant at first, but after a couple runs on the bunny slope with Mike, Noemi was willing to go with Jenny. They didn't want to stop, but we wanted to stave off any major tantrums in front of hundreds of strangers so we broke for lunch and rest time. Good decision because they slept for hours that afternoon. Looking forward to next winter!

Mike and Noey in the marathon gear session

Boots and skis on

Mike (in red) and Zora in line for the magic carpet at the bunny slope

Better Late Than...

Oops. We didn't post for Mike's birthday back in January. But it happened and he's looking more dapper each year! Here is a family shot of us enjoying his birthday chocolate chip cookie "pizza" - an Evans tradition - made with the help of Gram and Abba.

Winter Chill

After a mild fall, the new year has seen plenty of cold days. We still try to get outside when we can (two stir-crazy 3-year-olds are not as much fun as you might think) and have been revisiting some of our favorite summer swimming holes - Margaret Lindley Pond and Windsor Lake - to see how winter has changed them.

Noemi keeps telling me it's Spring (as in, "Mommy, why do we still have Christmas lights up? It's Spring!"). I hate to tell her we still have a ways to go, but we're still loving ice skating at the Williams rink. They want to be hockey stars just like their cousins Ray and Lucas and their Opa! Although I doubt Opa ever had second-hand Barbie skates like Noey does.

Slip-sliding on the ice on Windsor Lake. Despite the warm temps this day it was still frozen solid.

Braving the arctic temps at Margaret Lindley with Gram. This will be a sandy beach again soon!

Getting a ride around the rink with Daddy and their friend Max. They mostly push the chairs themselves and can skate a little without them.

Game Face Friday

You can make it to the weekend! Just put on your game face like Zora...

Chicks on Slides

Some of you may know that one of the girls' favorite videos when they were toddlers was "Pandas on Slides" (yes, exactly what it sounds like). It was so beloved (and gave us a full 2 minutes in which to brush their perpetually-knotted hair) that we soon added "Puppies on Slides," "Kittens on Slides," and "Ducklings on Slides" to the rotation. How, then, could we pass up the opportunity to make our own "Chicks on Slides" version?

Note: Videos may not be visible in the email; visit the actual blog webpage to view

Chick Sitting

One of the perks of being members of our local CSA is that the wonderful farmers (and our friends) invited us to foster a few of their brand new chicks. It's a win-win since the chicks get lots of cuddles and we get the joy of hearing little peeps ring through our small apartment without the long-term commitment. The girls showed how responsible, gentle, and curious they could be with our fluffy friends. They held them, fed them, shared their toys with them (I'm not kidding), and protected them from Mowgli, Flash, and Twyla (who really weren't terribly interested - old hat for them).

Feeling excited about the chicks!

We Really Did Try

As Christmas card season drew nigh, I went in search of a family photo. One that met the bare minimum requirements of:

1. Includes all 4 family members
2. All of us looking at the camera
3. Taken within the last year

Notice how I didn't say we all needed to be smiling. Or that I wanted one where you can't see the bags under my eyes.

No luck.

Plenty of cute ones of just the girls. Or just the girls and Mike. Or just the girls and me. Or just me and one girl... You get the idea.

So a few weeks ago we went to Caretaker Farm for our CSA pick-up and I asked our friend Bridget to snap a quick shot of us together. We were at one of our favorite places and it would take two seconds. Mike and I would even hold the girls so we'd all be facing the same direction. Easy peasy, right?

You be the judge:

Maybe next year.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Jingle Bell--

"Jingle Bells, Jingle..." Zora began singing.

"... Jingle Bells, Jingle All the Way," I joined in.

"NO!
No, Daddy.  
No my want you to sing."

"OK."

Pause.   "Um.. Daddy, What is next?"

"Oh what fun it is to ride..." Noemi and I sing together.

"NO! No, Noemi, No Daddy!" No my want you to sing!"

Sigh.

Dinner Last Night

The girls get up on their stools on either side of me as I prepare to make grilled cheese sandwiches.  Noemi had already explained to me with an exasperated sigh that she didn't want "grilled cheese."  She wanted "grilled cheese sandwiches."  

I give them each a small piece of the swiss cheese.  Nodding of heads.  "My like it." "My like it."

Then a small piece of cheddar, a cheese with which they are much more familiar.  More nods. More grammatically incorrect, but oh so cute "My likes." 

"Which one would you like on your grilled cheese sandwich?"

Fingers (many of them) point to the swiss.  "This one."

Great.  Trying something semi-new.  Small victory.  We'll take it.

I make the sandwiches.  But since we had agreed on the correct name for grilled pieces of bread with cheese inside, there had been some modifications to the dinner order.

They had both decided they didn't want the bread grilled or toasted at all.  "So just sandwiches?"

"Yes."

OK.  Then Zora decides she wanted hers dressed up.  Slowly she has become our food risk-taker, though in the world of three year olds and especially our three year olds, our family wasn't even  pushing Martha Stewart out of her comfort zone.  Zora asks for ham, pickles and mayonaisse in addition to her cheese and bread.

Great. I make  the sandwiches, the girls start in on them. Zora picking up and munching the whole thing with two hands.  Noey leaving it all on her plate and deconstructing it.

After a few bites, "Daddy.  Why you give me this cheese?  My no like this cheese.  My like cheddar."

"But, Noemi, you said you wanted the swiss."

"No."

"Remember, we did the taste test and you chose this one."

"My no like it."

"Could you just try it again?"

I lift it to her mouth, she opens her mouth, the cheese moves towards her mouth.  There is the slightest possibility that the cheese actually touched her tongue, but if so, only for a split second, before her head starts shaking and then is tipped to the side with a sad expression on her face... "No... No, my like it." 

Argh.

A another small victory is vacated from the records of one Michael Evans.

Oh Daylight Savings Time...

... You used to be lovely.
An additional hour of sleep.  Magically appearing in early November.
Regardless of all the naysayers and those calling for the end of you....

However, DST, what you haven't considered is this whole thing where little kids don't understand that they are granted an extra hour of sleep.
Can you make this a little clearer in your promotional and training materials?
Perhaps a few extra slides in your powerpoint or prezi, if you're into that sort of thing.

Let me just explain how hypothetically it might play out.
Two girls.  One house.   Typically waking up at 6am.  Fine.
But 5am?... C'mon, Daylight Savings Time... Help us out.

Like Pumpkin, Like Child

Halloween 2015

Falling for Fall

Mike is not here right now to approve the title of this post, but I am sure he would give it an enthusiastic thumbs up (or at least a patronizing guffaw). If there's anyone who appreciates my corny sense of humor, it's him.

Fall in the Berkshires is, frankly, stunning. Watching the progression of green to red to orange to brown on the hillsides makes me want to pull over with the leaf-peepers and survey "our valley" as the girls call it. But as a local (albeit newly transplanted), I have to be cooler than that. And the photos never do the leaves justice anyway.

I have captured a few glimpses of these blissful fall days, when the sun still has the power to warm, but the smell of wood smoke has begun to hang in the air. (One of the first things Noemi usually says when we leave the house in the morning is, "I smell a wood fire," and I think how sweet it is for her to to grow up in a place where fall is synonymous with fireplaces and technicolor vistas. So sweet that I stop myself from telling her how horrible it is for her health. Protecting her innocence and all that.)

It's not an exaggeration to say that you can literally pick apples on every street corner in Williamstown and that even the Canada geese winging overhead refuse to poop until they've passed the town limits we are so picturesque (okay, maybe a slight exaggeration). I'll need this story (and these pictures) to keep me going through all the weeks I can't feel my toes.

October at Caretaker Farm

Picking herbs at Caretaker Farm

Yep, picking apples on the street corner

first time climbing a tree

Fall Leaves

Noemi is excited about the leaves changing colors!

Exposed!

Tonight Katy turned to me and said,

"Zora's really good at exposing the fallacy of parental control."

"You tell her not to do something and she does it anyway.  And she's like what are you going to do about it?  Put me in timeout, maybe?"


It's true.

We may be screwed.

Last weekend

snuggly collaboration

exercise & celebration outside Mommy's new office

Things I Never Imagined I'd Have to Say #38

"Please take the chicken off the window, Noemi."

At the Shore II

Just a few more shots from our week down at the Jersey Shore with Gram, Abba, Aunt Chris, Uncle Nate, Cousin Josie, and Kathy in August. Can't believe autumn is almost here!

Surfing the waves with Aunt Chris

Josie and Noey

Abba, Josie, and Zora

Building a drip castle with Kathy, Daddy, and Gram

A quick visit to the Philadelphia Zoo on the way back home:

Thanks to Abba and his spiffy camera for these shots.