April 2009 – A Design So Vast

Writing his name, and a dandelion

December 19, 2009April 29, 2009

Whit burst in the door after school today holding this mangled dandelion in his hands. He ran to me and offered it: “Mummy! I picked this flower for you!” It was so sweet it brought tears to my eyes. Then, in classic Whit style, he peppered me with questions: “Can you guess where I got it? Isn’t that your very favorite flower? Isn’t it so pretty and yellow?”

And the index card is the very first time Whit has written anything resembling his name! I am very proud. Grace writing her name merited a whole tabblo, which is now framed on her wall. I guess this is an awfully second-child style celebration of Whit’s milestone, but it is no less heartfelt!

On Angels

December 19, 2009April 27, 2009

All was taken away from you: white dresses,
wings, even existence.
Yet I believe you,
messengers.

There, where the world is turned inside out,
a heavy fabric embroidered with stars and beasts,
you stroll, inspecting the trustworthy seams.

Short is your stay here:
now and then at a matinal hour, if the sky is clear,
in a melody repeated by a bird,
or in the smell of apples at the close of day
when the light makes the orchards magic.

They say somebody has invented you
but to me this does not sound convincing
for humans invented themselves as well.

The voice – no doubt it is a valid proof,
as it can belong only to radiant creatures,
weightless and winged (after all, why not?)
girdled with the lightning.

I have heard that voice many a time when asleep
and, what is strange, I understood more or less
an order or an appeal in an unearthly tongue:

day draws near
another one
do what you can.

-Czeslaw Milosz, On Angels

Monday

December 19, 2009April 27, 2009

Quotes from recent days:

Whit:

I don’t want to drink any more milk. I don’t want to grow up and milk will make me grow up big and strong. I want to stay a kid.

Grace:

Remember when Whit kept interrupting me at the haircut place? I think when he grows up and goes to meetings he won’t hear the important stuff because he’s interrupting.

weekend, in photos

December 19, 2009April 26, 2009

Friday night Grace, Whit, and I had dinner with the Hawkins. The children had such a great time playing at the playground right next door and with Wally the golden retriever (Grace: was he named for Wall E the robot?)

As usual, Jen whipped up an absolutely delicious dinner – homemade pizza, one with pepperoni and one with pesto and sausage. YUM.

Sunset on the Charles driving home. Kids so wiped they both slept until 8 on Saturday morning: hooray.

Saturday night was dinner at the Ungers in Needham. I brought Dana a bunch of ranunculous (my absolute favorite after peonies).
Grace played Wii before dinner. Whit and Sam hit it off like a house on fire though Whit insisted on calling him “Benjamin.” Sam seemed impressively flexible about what name he answered to.
80+ degrees on Sunday. Morning at the playground.

Grace, Whit and I had dinner at Armando’s after taking Matt to Logan. Whit wore his exercise pants and a pajama top with robots on it (an outfit he selected carefully and insisted on). For dessert they had zucchini muffins that I put a few chocolate chips on top of and successfully sold as “cupcakes.”
Grace’s new favorite tee shirt, that I gave her this week.