J&M got Maui'd!

Elsy finally went to school yesterday for the first time. This was many months in the making, seeing as her original debut would have been a year ago, but we had decided to have her taught virtually for the 2020-2021 school year. She was quite excited to go and took to the class very well. The backpack she brought was about half her size and about half her weight, but we did include everything she might need: clothes, rain gear, lunch, snacks, masks, you name it. The first day went fairly well for her. She did say she met a nice girl who turned into a bully, but we will see how the rest of the year pans out as things settle down this first month.

Elsy found a feather attached to my mom's shoe. She asked for it and has held onto it for quite some time. I asked her what kind of feather it was. She told me: "It's a bird feather." Yup, she's my kid alright.

We were planning on going to the beach this morning but our plans got derailed when Serena stomped on Elsy's face and we had to wait for the bleeding to stop. It took so long that there was a chance we needed to go to the hospital. In the end, we thought it too risky to leave the house this morning lest the gusher started again, and so we set up the water table at home instead.

So I am used to the soft chimes that you hear in the neighborhood when the ice cream truck comes by. This year we already had three visits, mostly on cold or rainy moments of the day. This was in contrast to the infrequent visits to our old neighborhood when I was a child. In addition, we were too poor to really enjoy a cone of soft ice cream when it did show up so I never built up that sense of tradition that others would share with their children. As suck, when the truck does drive by, I don't rush out to grab a cone for my kids. Also, the pandemic does not help either. Still, maybe one day this summer we will indulge our kids. Maybe. Oh, but that was beside the point. Today I heard the ringing of a bell. This was not the sound I'm used to for an ice cream truck so I decided to investigate with Serena. As the truck drive by, I wondered to myself how such a small truck could be used to sell ice cream much less any kind of food. But then it dawned on me: this was not a food tru...

Serena has started walking now. She does not do it often, but it is a matter of time..

 Serena's babbles are starting to sound more like words now, although her vocabulary is limited to "hi" and "bubble". We had taken advantage of the good weather this past weekend to enjoy the cherry blossoms in the ravine. The trees this year are much more blossomy than prior ones. I had thought it might take a little longer for the trees to fully bloom, but it seems as if this year is the year where it is worth coming to see the grove. The snow we got last week did not seem to affect the buds, and the area was busy with visitors. I am sure next year will be even more crowded now that the trees are producing quite a number of flowers, although word is already spreading so people have been coming over to visit this year despite the lockdown.

So Maggie cut my hair again last night. This time it took about half the time and was a lot easier to clean. Preparation and practice helps. I do enjoy not having my eyes poked out all the time and using a lot less shampoo. Also, sunglasses, hats, and masks should stay on a lot easier now.