News from May

First of all, Nathan is cute as ever.


Logan completed a semester of Homeschool soccer classes (a friend recently home from England calls it Home Ed--a much more accurate description in my opinion, and easier to type). It was helpful to me to see that he doesn't pay attention to his friends consistently, so it's not just me! By watching the class, I could see where his gaps were, so we practiced some at home. Logan got the hang of dribbling with his feet to stay in control of the ball. I learned that Logan needs a calm, low-distraction environment in order to take in new instructions, and a few reminders to focus his attention, along with demonstration plus verbal description. "Net" result? He had the best time running around with other kids his age every week this spring. He was absolutely impressed with the trophy handed out at the end, and proudly displays it on the mantle in his room.


Logan was a weather man at the Children's Science Center in West Hartford. We also visited the turtles, reconfirmed the physics of gravity by comparing golf balls on two ramps, drew up a bubble around his whole body, and dusted for fossils. The most surprising thing we discovered this trip was how satellite dishes focus sound waves. Have you ever been to the whispering points in an oval room like the first congressional meeting house? Because of the curves in the walls and ceiling, the sound waves are focused to a particular spot far from where you are speaking (thus allowing the leader of "the other side of the aisle" to listen in to conversations assumed private!). The Science Center has a pair of satellite dishes which achieve the same thing. It was terribly cool.

Some time in May, Logan had a birthday, and I can't find a single picture of it. My usual backup photographer, Nana, wasn't there due to a horrible bout with the flu that night.


We planted a garden! Having a vague idea of Square Foot Gardening, I went with it, without reading the book at all. Seemed simple enough. Micheal gave us these oak beams, salvaged from one of his freight customers. Andy dug up the grass underneath the 4' x 10' area, and then we filled it with approximately the recipe my mother gave me from her careful study of Square Foot Gardening. And then I planted it willy-nilly with basil, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, beans, peas, and broccoli.


Nathan tried three kinds of cereal. He is NOT digging it at all. Not interested. Clamps his little gums together and says no way.