Ringing in 2016

Happy New Year! We rung it in with a parade and fireworks on the Boston Common followed by watching classic Star Wars movies. The kids really wanted to stay up until midnight, so we let them try. Phoebe fell asleep first, then Oliver. Bruce made it until midnight and was underwhelmed when we said, "Now it's midnight. Happy 2016. Go to bed." On January 2, I ran a 3,000-meter race at Boston University. I haven't raced on the indoor track in awhile and certainly not at so short a distance, so it went by fast.

10:50 and I felt too good at the end. I would love to try it again to go faster but I don't think I will be able to fit another one in with marathon training. Boston training has begun and I'm prepping for a 20-mile race in February.

The following weekend we went candle pin bowling as a family. The balls are small enough for Oliver to hurl down the lane, which he did very enthusiastically. 

Phoebe and I went on a mother-daughter date to a women's hockey game. We got donuts and watched Harvard trounce Colgate. 

Phoebe got all the players' autographs afterward and now thinks hockey is pretty cool. But she is still sticking with taekwondo. 

I got a date with my little man too. Oliver might start preschool in the fall so the days are numbered on our time at home together. We went to the Children's Museum and had a blast; it is a lot easier being there with one child rather than three! 

Last weekend we went to Rhode Island and stayed with our neighbor's mom who has a lovely house on the ocean. We relaxed, played games, threw rocks, walked on the beach, jumped in puddles, ate delicious food, played hide and seek, and chattered away. 

We finally got some real snow last weekend and the kids were eager to play in it.

They made snow angels...

...had a snowball fight...

...and pulled the sled around. More snow will come this weekend, although I'm happy it's not a foot of it like originally predicted. 

Last night was a school curriculum night where the kids shared projects they've been working on in their classes. Phoebe's class has been working on projects about same versus different. They made a video where the kids highlighted ways they were the same or different. Phoebe said she didn't have a favorite number and her friend said her favorite number was 24. Then they both said, "We are different." 

Bruce's class showed off their science experiments with plants. They've learned how to design experiments and have played with lighting and soil and water and such to see if beans can grow in various conditions. I think Bruce is going to take a more active role in our garden next summer. He hates pulling weeds, so I need to channel his energies elsewhere.

Merry Christmas!

Oliver got sick a week before Christmas. Really sick. Sicker than any of our kids have ever been. His breathing got bad, he started coughing, and he spiked a fever that lasted for days. At one point, his fever reached 103.5 degrees under the arm, he was breathing really fast, and he sounded like Darth Vader. We considered taking him to the hospital, but living with a doctor has its advantages. It was still rough though: we didn't sleep much and had to force lots of medicine into him. 

On Christmas Eve, we went for a little hike. It hit a record 70 degrees, so we had to take advantage of the nice weather. We hiked and played around a pond in the Fells while Scott went for a trail run.

Christmas morning was wonderful. The kids got up right at 6 a.m. and got right down to business. Oliver got a basketball hoop and a scooter.

He has been stealing other kids' scooters at the playground for months, so now he has his own. He already flies around on it. Phoebe got a skateboard and is quickly learning to glide.

Bruce got a Raspberry Pi computer for Christmas. He set it up and is learning to program it. He has big plans.

After presents were opened and things were cleaned up a bit, we had our neighbors and a friend over for brunch. The weather was quite lovely so we headed to the park for some play time.

Some of our neighbors were out of town so we did some cat-sitting. Phoebe loved petting the cats, feeding them treats, and generally feeling responsible. She wanted nothing to do with the litter box, of course, so I still don't think we are ready for a pet.

We are happy to borrow other people's pets though. Scott took Bruce and Phoebe to see the new Star Wars movie that afternoon, so Oliver and I hung out at the park and played with one of our favorite neighborhood dogs. His name is Boston and he is the most well-behaved playful dog. Oliver and Boston played fetch for an hour.