Happy Easter

Making our Easter Egg wreath

It turned out to be quite spectacular!

Easter is such a wild a crazy time

Easter Egg hunt after mass








And the Milar tradition continues, with the help of a new generation









Fang Jr. made an Easter appearance





Wild Day! Giant Frogs and More

When we were at this location before, we could hear the frogs and see the splash when they hit the water as we approached, but never got close enough to really see one. We tried hard too, so it was really rewarding to spot them this time. I did try to catch one, but given their look (yikes! almost prehistoric!) didn't want to try TOO hard.

 

MACBETH!

Oh, what a day. Macbeth is the absolute favorite of both Charles and I and so it is no surprise (but so wonderful!) that the girls also love the language and drama of Shakespeare's story. K was cast as Macduff, who has such fabulous lines and much dramatic action and she was SPECTACULAR. No way to capture that in pictures, but the kids got a standing ovation, spontaneous applause at the end of key scenes, my heart was thumping as my little girl approached the castle to slay the king, and I was not the only one crying at the end.

This is her fifth Shakespeare production and she's done well in the past, but this time she brought all of the capacity (and volume) that I see when she practices at home to the stage. (She told me she doesn't mind being dramatic now because she sees that other kids are too.) It knocked me off my feet!

Macduff with "the usurpers cursed head"
"Behold, the usurpers cursed head.  The time is free.
Hail, King of Scotland!"

"Despair thy charm and yet the angel whom thou still hast served
tell thee... Macduff was from his mother's womb
untimely ripped!"

"Accursed be the tongue that tells me so.
But I must try to the last.  Before my body I throw my
warlike shield.  Lay on Macduff, and damned be he that first cries,
Hold Enough!"

 

Country Day: Ireland

Country Day: Ireland. K did her presentation on the selkie myth (half seal, half human) and G on Irish dancing, complete with demonstrations. That she has never taken a class didn't slow her down one whit, which is something I adore about her.

We also heard about the history of Irish soda bread, the Blarney Stone myth, the Titanic and her sister ships and the rivets used in building them (in Belfast), leprechauns, St. Brendan, and limericks.

One friend/presenter had made up a limerick about K:

There once was a girl named Katherine
Who had nothing to take a bath in
She thought, I'll use Macbeth's head
And put water in that instead
Only problem was, she could only put half in.

Hee, hee. K was tickled, even when it was repeated, especially with the references to slaying Macbeth, which she was slated to do in another context soon thereafter.

Ways of the Earth, Country Day Prep, and more



Learning about rattlesnakes





Happy to each have her own abacus

   We also made Irish Apple cakes and read stories about leprechauns.  Fun.



Cal Academy

Had to check out other areas of the Academy too; we hadn't been to the rain forest for a while.

SF History: Earthquake!

A trip to the Academy of Sciences to revisit the Earthquake exhibit.



Hamming as if shocked by an earthquake



Practicing duck and cover



San Andreas fault



In the 1906 ruins.



More duck and cover practice



Understanding plate movement by placing the continents in
their original spots within Pangea.



Baseball Game #2

First try at being a catcher and she did a great job. First base hit, first run... and the team won again (though we are not supposed to keep score, the kids always know). Very happy morning and so impressive to see the team improve so much in just a few weeks. 

I love seeing my girl having so much fun.  Funny aside:  She was sending an email to her Grandma recently - in a rush, I was typing, she was dictating.  Me:  "Do you want to tell Grandma about your baseball team?"  K:  "Yes, tell her I am the second oldest."  (OK).  "Also tell her that I am the tallest."  (OK).  Me:  "Do you want me to tell her that you are the only girl?"  K:  "No.  [Small smile at me].  That's not important."  Her mom's heart smiled at that.  Love my awesome strong girl.

SF History: A Bust

Ack! The day went all wrong. Late start. When we went to buy cable car tickets, we found out that both moms were missing wallets. Oh no... not enough on us to get the tickets. So we tried the recently opened SF History Museum, which we'd seen an ad for - it was only a few blocks away and we could walk. Unfortunately, it was a waste of time - the rooms had no rhyme nor reason, some were only very loosely related to San Francisco, and many were superficial. I mean, an LGBT room with no explanation and consisting of only a few photos of Elizabeth Taylor and Merve Griffin?   Across the hall was a whole room advertising the Disney Museum and another full room devoted to Shirley Temple because she has lived near San Francisco since the end of her movie career. A final nail in the coffin of the day's attempted plans was a trip to the St. Francis hotel. Since I was a kid, I have taken rides in the elevator for the amazing view.  We found that they have recently closed the elevators to non guests. Such a bummer.

On the other hand, despite plans that went awry and an inability to make lemonade out of the day, we did take time to think about what was nice and what we appreciated. On the way home, we listed the weather, our health, enjoying each other's company, and more... and really, what a good life lesson, more important than how a cable car operates, to be able to tell the nice people around us that we enjoy the time we spend together.

Simulated Alcatraz cells

In front of one, even if we couldn't ride it

Ever the baseball fan, K with Willie Mays

Ireland and Abacus Making

Making Irish Soda Bread

Found this just before we started on the bread!

Leprechaun

Making an abacus

Oh, cute!

A Girl and Her Dog. Love

Or: A dog and his girl. Love, love, love.

Wild Day: Vistas Large and Tiny

Happy Kids.