The Concord in a Canoe

Something I've wanted to do almost since we arrived in Massachusetts, is canoe the Concord River to the Old North Bridge. Of course it was out of the question in the winter, and we just weren't able to get to it this spring - until now. Nothing like waiting until the last minute. Richard's friend Darin was in town and made the trip with us. -- It was ABSOLUTELY beautiful! Perfect weather, no bugs, lots of geese and ducks and a few turtles, gorgeous scenery, a handful of lilly pads, stately homes with manicured yards, and only a couple of other boats on the water!

Preparing to board the two canoes. One canoe held Darin, me, Ivy and Tessa. For most of the trip, Richard, McKenna, Cooper and Maia were together in another. They were definitely the loudest! They were slow going at first because of an apparent lack of cooperation, however we could hear them even when we couldn't see them! (We did a trade of the teenager later and then the dad was able to calm down a bit.)

We passed under three of these beautiful stone bridges. So picturesque.
One of the homes on the bank of the River. There were a couple that were to die for (don't know why I didn't snap a picture - oh yea, because I had to paddle some time). I could have moved right into one - the yard was incredible, with lots of fun toys and a darling playhouse!

Most of the bank actually didn't have homes along it. So serene!

The non-cooperative group. Poor Maia was stuck in between the loud ones. She wanted so badly to get in our boat. We couldn't help but laugh at their lack of steering (McKenna and Richard differ in opinion on whose fault that was) but determined they got their money's worth as they mostly zig-zagged across the river as they moved down it, rather than traveling in a straight line.

Darin and Tessa keep us going, as I was mostly taking pictures.

Although Ivy was VERY nervous for the first half hour or so, she calmed down and enjoyed the ride. She even fed the geese! She was cute calling "here ducky, here goose" with her hand stretched out with bits of a granola bar on it.
Taking a break at the Old North Bridge - where the colonists fired the first shots at the British Regulars (killing some) and eventually chasing them back to the harbor.



Press play to see what a hard worker Ivy is. She paddled non-stop for a good 30 minutes. It was in our favor, however, that she is not terribly strong. She was rowing backward the entire time.

All together before heading to the car. Wait - we're not ALL together. The little one is missing. She decided at this moment to be in the "refusal" mode for picture taking. Up until that point she had cooperated with the camera. I can't win them all. As we stood here . . .

. . . Ivy walked away with her arms folded. . .

. . . determined NOT to be in the picture . . .

. . . no matter what. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

These are a few of my favorite things . . .

1. Al Turco
2. Linda Turco
3. Linda Turco's food.
4. Being invited to the Turco's home for dinner (or brunch!)


We've made some good friends here - and one of our favorite couples is Al and Linda. They are a delight to be with - and Linda is a FABULOUS cook. We've been invited to a many-course dinner (Italian, of course), the most incredible brunch I've ever had, and, last week, a barbecue.


The cook in her kitchen. She is such a bubbly, fun person.

Ivy, hanging out on their deck.

Richard's friend Darin was in town and came with us. I think he'd marry Linda if she weren't taken. He LOVED her food - and ate plenty of it! (But then, so did I. )

Posing for the camera. There was another family there (whom we had never met) because they are moving out of state as well. To put it as politely as possible, their children were terrors. Mine seemed like they were drugged and doing Yoga compared to theirs - and that's saying a lot.

Cooper playing in the yard. I should have taken pictures before it got dark, obviously.

Al had (with a smile on his face) had enough. He gathered the kids together and politely informed them he'd throw them over the fence if they screamed again. Cooper happily reported on the drive home that he had, indeed, screamed again and Al had NOT thrown him over. He thought that was very funny.

All of us - well almost all of us. McKenna was at home finishing some homework so that she wouldn't fail her social studies class (seeing as the next day was the LAST day of school) and Ivy was on the other side of the table refusing to have her picture taken.

Girls' Sleepover

If you recall, last fall we went to "The Berkshires" in western Mass. for a ward activity. The Lazenby family owns a beautiful home out there (with tennis courts, pool, hot tub, tramp, etc.) and make it available for family and friends constantly. So a couple of weeks ago, all the moms and Activity Day girls went out for a sleepover. Very fun! We ate lots, played games, swam and chatted (the moms, until 1:00 am). So here are some pictures, but the best isn't here because it wasn't taken by me, because I was busy doing a back flip off the diving board. I CAN STILL do them! So, maybe if Margaret e-mails them to me I'll show you my talent!

There were 21 girls and 13 moms. At one point, we were all around the pool and two repair guys were working on something to do with the pool just feet away. They were there for a couple of hours. We were tempted to tell them we had all fled Texas and settled in Mass.

A great weekend - if you don't consider the HEAD LICE problem!!!!! One of the girls brought it with her and, luckily, my girls (or myself) didn't get it. But my head has been itching ever since!!

Just last night, McKenna came home from a sleepover there with the YW and their mothers. (I didn't go - too much going on in order to move in less than a week) - and I made her use lice shampoo the minute she walked in the door. I know (once the Lazenbys were informed) that they cleaned the house thoroughly, but I'm paranoid!

The Last Day of School

The kids were excited for the last day of school - June 18 - and that lasted about one day. They miss their friends and teachers. We were SO blessed to have ended up in Butler Elementary School boundaries. We could not have asked for a better school

Cooper and Isaac - he's also in our ward. His parents just bought Cooper's bunk bed for Isaac, so he and Cooper are going to have a late night so Cooper can see that his bunk bed is happy at his friend's house.

Maia and her very special Chae Bin. Chae Bin arrived from Korea just before school began and Maia has been at her side since then, helping her with everything. Her parents had requested that she be put in Maia's class next year, but were saddened to find that we were moving. They are planning a cross-country trip this summer and will be in Utah. We're making plans to meet up with them there.

Cooper and Mrs. Ruddock. This teacher thankfully raised three boys of her own, so she knew just how to love Cooper, and he loved her right back! He has LEARNED so much this year - more than any of my other children did in kindergarten. It's been awesome.

Maia and Mrs. Filippi. Again, we were blessed with the perfect teacher for our child. Maia felt very comfortable and safe with Mrs. Filippi and knew she was genuinely cared for.

The kids with Mr. MacDonald - the world's BEST principal. On the second day of school he had every child's name memorized (he knew my kids' names on the FIRST day) and from that day forward made every child believe he or she was his best friend. He played basketball with them, swung them, shared cookies, or just sat and chatted with the children. On bad weather days (we had LOTS of those) he met each car outside and personally opened the doors for the children and sheltered them with an umbrella while they collected their belongings, then shut the door behind them. Each and every afternoon he was outside the school to help "deliver" each child to their parents.

One time Maia's dad (NOT HER MOTHER) forgot to pick her up from school, for OVER an hour. It was the last day of school before Christmas vacation and every teacher had left school, but Mr. MacDonald, of course, stayed behind. He had tried calling (but Richard didn't pick up because he was on a business call) and so was just ready to take Maia to his house and feed her lunch when her daddy remembered her and ran to school. He knows Austin's and Tessa's names as well - because they would pick her up from school ocassionally. Of course he knows Ivy too. He made every family/student feel like they were special. This is a man who loves his job and has made the world better because of it.

On the Seventh Day . . .

Here's a look at (most of) the kids' Church classes. We have an awesome ward, and it's been such a good experience for our children to be "one of the few" Mormons in town. I'm listing everyone's names for my own record, not because I want to bore you with them!




You'll recall I told you about Cooper's class. Obviously he and Spencer are so alike. The girls are all angels. I'll have to get another picture with their teacher Janae Romney - but she's been out of town.
Cooper, Spencer Kelly, Grace Christensen, Camille (Milli) Sundahl, Summer Westover



McKenna's Sunday School class is taught by Dave Sundahl. He has his degree in ancient scripture and language or something like that. Great guy! Because there are so few youth, this class is for 12 - 15. Austin had an awesome teacher, Dave Boyce, for his Sunday School as well.

Dave Sundahl, Kimber Lane, Allie Romney, Kara Dame, Heather Lane, McKenna, Bennett Peterson, Zach Boyce

Maia had two great teachers over the past year. Her first was Meryl Leahey, an amazingly strong woman in the face of great prosecution by her husband. The second is the team of Brian and Jackie Fisher. I visit teach Jackie.

Back Row: Jackie Fisher, Caleb Peffer, Alex Dame, Luisa ?, Reagan Haight

Front Row: Natalie Peterson, Emma Lane, My Maia

Front - Jackie's daughter Eden


With Sister Fisher

Tessa's class is taught by Tom & Sherri Lowery. More great people. They were out of town this week, so I've got to be sure to get their picture on Sunday.

Aleah Peffer, Jonah Sundahl, hmmm, can't tell, Bennett Lane, Victoria Beecroft, Tessa, Kira Bradford

The Green Team

Spencer's parents are the soccer coaches and were looking for another kid who could actually kick the ball and recruited Coop for the spring season. It's hysterical to watch because not only does Cooper fall a lot (his cleats are a full size too big - Spencer's old ones), he is an agressive player (surprised?). So, parents on the sidelines are CONSTANTLY asking us if he's okay, if he needs to be taken off the field, and how'd he learn to play. We just explain he was born liking to play with balls and doesn't really notice injuries unless there's a lot of blood. To the contrary, there's a boy on his team who had to come off the field THREE times in one game because he had DIRT on his knees!!! I'm not exaggerating!!!! His parents BOTH came to him and coddled him telling him it was his decision if he still wanted to play and continue to get dirty or to go home!! I am FLABBERGASTED at how many adults on the team baby their children. -- And then there's us shouting "hop up bud!" or chuckling as he slides and rolls.



We went to dinner with Spencer's parents the other night - and Denise was so funny. She's in the Primary presidency and remarked that they'll miss us in more ways than one. Now that Cooper will be gone, all the attention will be back on Spencer and his misbehavior. She has appreciated how Cooper's wigglyness has taken the focus off of her son. The two boys are in the same class and have a saint of a teacher - Janae Romney. She LOVES the boys and they return the favor.



I substituted in the class a few weeks ago. I finally sent Spencer out into the hall because he wouldn't quit talking. A few minutes later I hauled Cooper to priesthood to enjoy some daddy time. When I came back it was just me and three girls. We were having a fun lesson, and I kept saying "Spencer, are you ready to come back in yet?" He nonchalantly said "no, not yet. I'm not done." He was making paper airplanes in the hall. Soon after, Cooper was brought back to class with his daddy escort and behaved like an angel from there on out. The boys are two peas in a pod.



Spencer and Cooper hatching some subversive plan

I tried to put in a clip of Cooper's soccer practice here, but after 12 + hours it finally unlocked the processing (unsuccessfully) and let me save the page. I'm just publishing it as it. Anyway, all you have to do is imagine him running fast and playing hard with a smile on his face. He loves soccer.


Ivy likes to go to Cooper's soccer practice, because there's a very fun playset at the field. In this video, they're just leaving practice. I don't know if Ivy was upset with Richard or not, but she doesn't seem to want to talk to him here. Surprise surprise. Anyway, when she "calls" the other kids to come to the car, she is whistling like her dad does!

More Fun with Evelyn

We spent Sunday morning (Mother's Day) in Concord because we were trying to squeeze in so much sightseeing. Concord is my favorite place here - it's beautiful. Cooper came with us.

At Walden Pond

Cooper wasn't much taller than Henry David Thoreau, so he decided to climb up on his shoulders.

A Walden Pond

We would have left sooner, but . . .

somebody just had a few more rocks . . .

and sticks to throw.

At the edge of the Concord River near the North Bridge.

The Concord River from the North Bridge. This is where we want to have our family portraits taken. We're also hoping to canoe down it in the next 10 days!! (In between packing and school and stuff!)

A big beautiful tree by the North Bridge. Boy + Tree = Climb

2 old moms + tree = climb? The camera went dead on this picture so we couldn't do a retake, even though I wasn't looking. Cooper could climb higher than I could!!

This was the same day as the Swan Boats. This is near Boston Common - it's in front of the State House.

Mother's Day in Belmont. Richard and the kids made breakfast - and they even made us beautiful crowns because we were queens for the day! We had pretty placecards and notes waiting for us too.

Queen Evelyn

MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD because she didn't have a "princess crown"!!! She WOULD NOT cooperate for the prayer even. Tessa finally made her a crown because Ivy wouldn't even take a bite of her food until she had one on. I should have taken an "after" picture, because she perked right up once she was a princess. Let's hope she'll always be so easily satisfied with a printer-paper crown!!

Everyone is laughing at her here because she's making such MAD faces about the crown.