September Smiles

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus

School Days
Lowell Elementary, Watertown Massachusetts

School started on September 6th. This is how the first day of school went: Susan Grace came home with a 245 page book that she was almost finished reading, Miriam ended up sitting in the corner of the room by herself after asking a few girls if she could sit with them and their reply was, "there just isn't any room left by us" (I really opt for the assigned seating model of classroom set-up it's just so much more merciful!), and Anna had an enormous grin from ear to ear, all day. I am proud of the girls. They have done a very brave thing by going to a new school and they have learned to cope very well. Susan Grace read books until she made enough friends to make it through recess and lunch without feeling awkward. She now lives for recess where she chases the boys and they actually love it. Miriam has turned very academic. She scores very high on the weekly quizzes and works hard to get her name in the weekly raffle (I guess sitting alone has some advantages). Anna. Well, to put it like her new teacher did, "Anna is a dream". Yes, I agree. It is a bitter sweet moment to see school begin and I have found some lame excuses to go down the hill and visit them or peek in on them in their classes.

September 12, Anna's Sixth Birthday

For Anna's birthday, I did the traditional "School Lunch Date". The cafeteria served tacos and they were so good! Can't wait for Gracie's Birthday! Later on that day, we went to Uno's Chicago Pizzeria where the kids made their own pizza, guzzled root beer and Anna got a brownie volcano. Then off to soccer for Susan Grace and Miri (which by the way they love). Unfortunately, on this night of soccer the pizza and root beer made for terrible indigestion and I had to run down the street to the gas station three times so they could go to the bathroom in desperation.

James: Soccer, Crafts and Playgroups One thing that I have really enjoyed about Watertown and our new ward is that they are so active and all of the activities are virtually free. James is on a soccer, t-ball, kick ball league, in a craft class and two play groups. Who needs preschool? One of the field trips we went on was to a butterfly museum. We also went to a horticulture society children's garden, and lot's of parks. We are so busy and there are so many great, fun people that we have met.

Margaret gets the Gomboo
Well, we made it through our first month here happy and healthy (our last round of antibiotics was August 4-14 on our way out of Chicago), but somehow the croup/asthma/bronchitis found us here just after our medical cards! (That nasty bug has great timing). It was all smooth sailing though and what a difference to actually have a bona fide insurance plan. (It also came in handy with Gracie's pink eye)

Kayaking/Canoeing on the Charles River

This month has been one beautiful day after the other. I can't remember a fall with so many beautiful days in a row. One really fun and fallish activity we did was canoe/kayak on the Charles River. The trees and leaves were so pretty. We paddled through lily pads and lotus flowers, and sat quietly observing the Great Blue Herons. It was really fun.

Book Group and Knitting Club

I have found two great groups: knitting through the Watertown public library and Book Group, through our Relief Society. I am currently knitting a baby hat. The book group is the best one that I have ever been to. Lots of people and real discussion. Books: The Thirteenth Tale (a bit Gothic and demented but very intriguing and well written), A Town Like Alice (verbose, romantic with a vintage feel). Our next book is the recently acclaimed, Twilight. And guess what? It's at my place.

Working it all Out
Jim has been enjoying the working world and doing some fun and interesting workshops and classes. One that sounds very interesting is an Entrepreneurship class taught by the business guru, Clayton Christiansen (Mormon Professor at Harvard). Jim is also plowing forward with his research.

Love to All!

Oldroyd Family Journal: Moments and Memories
September 30, 2007
James, age 3
Question: How do you fall to sleep at night? Close my eyes. I like to have Po and hold him. I sleep on my blue mattress in the loft. James dreams about water parks. I wish we could have a water park in our backyard.
Anna, Age 6
Question: How do you fall to sleep at night? Sometimes I just listen to some sounds. I hear the washer and I also hear the little wind sound against the windows. I think about me having a birthday each week. It’s a wish and I think about it. At my birthday we have water balloon fights, then go outside and play freeze tag. I am sort of scared because my bed’s next to the door, but I’m glad because it blocks it. I love sleeping down in the basement. First I hop in without my covers on and then I slide the covers down my back and then over my body, then Miri usually gives me one of her stuffed animals. Last night I sleeped with the horse.
Miri, age 8
Question: Where do you go if you want to be left alone? I want to be left alone if people get mad at me or are mean to me. In our old house, I would hide in the white dresser cupboard in James’ room. First, I would take out all of the blankets and climb in and Susan Grace would shut the door and then come and feed me crackers and water. We did it to trick Mom and make her think that I had run away. It was really, really fun. I loved it. Here in Boston, I have hid in the laundry room or under Maggie’s crib.
Susan Grace, age 9
Question: Where do you go if you want to be left alone? There was a curtain at the old house and I would hide behind the “Mother in law’s tongue” (plant). I would wait for my family to say, “Where’s Susan?” I was sort of like Claudia, in the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. She ran away so that people would appreciate her and realize how much she did. I would think, “This proves them wrong! I am worth everything in the entire world! Let them see how much a difference there is when I’m not around”. I also used to hide in the cupboard but it wasn’t comfortable anymore and like Claudia, I liked to be comfortable. At this new place, I like to sit down with a book in the basement or loft and if I hear footsteps I dash behind a piece of furniture. Something that makes me mad is that Mom tries to show me that her way is better and she always wins because she’s the bigger one and has Dad on her side.