Happy, Happy Birthday, Emilie Dear!

Emilie's birthday celebrations began several weeks ago with cards from grandparents, aunts and uncles appearing in the mail, brightening Emilie's days leading up to her 11th birthday. Emilie's first official celebration was last Friday. With my parents in town to celebrate with us, we planned a scavenger hunt party for 15 of Emilie's friends. We picked up the girls from school and met for a quick after school snack at a near by field during which I gave the girls directions and rules for their adventure. 

The girls were given 15 clues, assigned to a car and driver, and told that they must return to our house at 5:00 pm, with as many creative photos of themselves in front of locations scattered around Sudbury. They received points for accuracy, speed and creativity. The girls gobbled their cookies, jumped in the cars and raced off, solving riddles as they went. 

"Standing in a row, one, two, three;

these stone slabs are as old as old can be."

"I like you and you like me.

Friends together, here we'll be."

"A fellow they say, was this grieving poor man;

along an old path, this is where he once stayed.

Lucky for us, his tale is here to read 

and if you work hard, I'm sure you'll succeed."

"It's bubbles for babies, but laps it is for ladies."

"The stars, the moon, the galaxy;

Are they really so far for you and me?"

"Bring your canoe, we'll paddle along.

Some say I'm a road, but this time they are wrong."

(Willis Lake which shares a name with Willis Road)

"Within these walls a rule was broken.

Now children sing a song in memory and token."

(Mary Had a Little Lamb School House)

Each of the four teams made it back home just in time, qualifying them to win one of four awards. The team that won the award for solving the most riddles received Extra gum for being extra smart detectives. The team that won the award for the most creative photos was given Starburst for being a burst of fun. The girls who visited the most locations were presented with Skittles since they "skittle scattled", and the overall most correct team received Score candy bars. While they ate pizza, cake and ice cream, a slide show of the event played on the TV to some of Emilie's favorite music.  Sandy, a friend of mine and one of the designated drivers, mentioned that she wasn't sure who had more fun, the girls or herself! Much to my relief, the afternoon was a success.

On March 31st, Emilie celebrated her actual birthday. Thanks to a house full of brothers and sisters, the day felt like another party. Emilie requested German pancakes and a smoothie for breakfast, which we all enjoyed around the table while we each gave Emilie a birthday wish for the day. (These ranged from a wish that her piano lessons would be canceled to a wish that her art time in class would be doubled.)

 Jonathan instigated having the entire bus sing Happy Birthday on the way to school after which Emilie was able to wear the Happy Birthday pin in class and was presented with a small gift by her teacher. She ended the day with her favorite meal: clam chowder in bread bowls, apples with toffee dip, roasted pear salad and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Each family member shared their favorite memory of Emilie. We ended up spending the entire meal telling "Emilie stories". 

Emilie opened her presents which included earrings from Jonathan, a notepad from Annelise, a homemade card from Sophia, an IPod from Steve and me to replace the one that went through the wash in February, and many sweet cards and money for Emilie to set aside for her next treasure. I also gave her a charm for her bracelet that I give her each year. Ever since her fourth birthday, I have added charms based on what events are happening in her life. She has an artist's palette, a piano, a skier, a dancer, and now a soccer ball, to name a few. 

(Sophia proudly pointed out that she made the "O" in her name look like a hot tub! What goes on in her mind, I wonder!)

Each year Emilie looks forward to celebrating her birthday with Grandpa Ebert. What a great surprise it was to have Emilie arrive on Al's birthday. In Utah, Grandpa and Emilie shared their cake and their birthday song. Since we have moved, Emilie continues to look forward to sharing part of her birthday with Grandpa, always trying to beat Grandpa to be the first to make the birthday call! (This year she gave him a break since he was on vacation in California. Emilie was well into her math and reading at school before Grandpa was even awake on the West Coast, we assumed!) She has always loved sharing this special day with her Grandpa Ebert!     

Protecting the Homefront

Recently Jonathan, our history buff, was reading a World War II book. He asked if we could go see a WWII site. He remembered going to Pearl Harbor, where he saw the oil from the USS Arizona still seeping to the top of the Pacific, watching, in black in white film, the Japanese Kamikazes attack the US Pacific Fleet, and learning about his relative who heroically sacrificed his life for the crew on the USS West Virginia, receiving the Medal of Honor. What other WWII site in the United States even exists? Where could we take him to see anything that would meet his expectations, I wondered. After some thought, I remembered reading in a guide book about Battleship Cove, the largest collection of Naval Ships in the world, which was in Fall River, Massachusetts. Last Saturday we loaded up the kids and headed about as far south in our state as we could go. As we approached the Atlantic, we spotted huge hunks of grey steel floating in the sea. We climbed from one ship to another, reliving different aspects of World War II's naval battles. 

The first stop on our tour was a Landing Craft, similar to the ones shown in the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan. Our kids were interested in learning about and climbing on this simple boat that brought 120 troops onto Normandy Beach on D-day in 1944. We then toured a PT boat, identical to the one that brought JFK his glory for his heroic efforts to save his crew. We were interested to learn that these boats made up the Mosquito Fleet, engaging in stealth missions, usually shrouded in darkness. 

We climbed aboard a destroyer, where we talked to a WWII veteran who showed us a map of the dozens of downed WWII Naval ships in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Emilie and Jonathan were fascinated to learn of the cause of each sinking: hurricanes, water mines, submarine attacks, etc.  

We finally made our way onto the USS Massachusetts, the pinnacle of the tour. This ship was known as "Big Mamie" by her crew, due to her power and large size. She was a "city on the sea", we were told. Her first mission was to North Africa where she destroyed a French battleship in just five shots. The kids were particularly interested in touring the eating and sleeping quarters of the ship, which 2000 sailors rotated through each day. We decided that "Big Maime" was entitled to her grand reputation.

Although we couldn't provide a family outing that was quite as impressionable as Pearl Harbor, our day was full of education, a sense of adventure and family togetherness.            

A Biologist, an Electrician and a Metallurgist

Each year our children look forward to three major social events at their elementary school. The highlight of the year is the Halloween Monster Mash, but garnering almost as much excitement is Bingo Night and the science fair. In Jonathan's opinion, these events are looked forward to because you can run around in the halls with your friends and you don't have to walk in straight lines to the cafeteria. Emilie, who has junior high just around the corner, wondered aloud if she could still come to the events even after she graduated from Nixon this spring. I assured her that she could accompany our family for the next 11 years, until the last Ebert has moved on. I pointed out that at 22 she may not be interested in the Monster Mash anymore.

So to Emilie, Jonathan and Annelise's delight, March 18th was the much anticipated science fair. For weeks scientific ideas swirled around our home. Ideas involving mold, explosions and rotting eggs were discussed. Finally three projects were chosen. (My sale techniques regarding the benefits of all doing one project together failed.) 

Emilie got Skyler on the phone and together they planned an experiment creating an electrical current from a battery. The current ran through wires and moved the needle of a compass back and forth. For anyone who yearns for more information on AC vs. DC electricity, Emilie is your go-to girl! These two fifth graders were quite impressive project managers. They choose and researched their project, conducted the experiment, and put together their poster on their own. And all along the way my ideas were politely but assertively not taken into consideration. In fact, upon offering to type the wording for their poster, they agreed to let me do this as long as I promised not to glue a single thing onto their poster while they were away at school. These girls are ready for the big league of junior high!

Weeks ago Reed approached Jonathan on the playground and asked him to be his science partner. Unlike the girls, these third graders needed a bit of direction. It appeared that the project was perhaps secondary to the running in the halls, mentioned above, that was being anticipated. Jonathan and Reed settled on a metal conducting heat experiment. They put five pennies in a bag, holding and rubbing one coin that had the year of their birth on it, before placing it in the bag with the others. They could pull out the 2000 penny by feeling the heat that the penny had absorbed from their fingers. Presented as a magic trick with a scientific explanation, they were quite excited about their project. And as a bonus they were introduced to atoms and electrons!

Annelise told me that she would like to do her experiment with me, just like she did last year. How flattering -- I know my days of being chosen over a friend are limited! Annelise's experiment took us to Honey Pot Orchard to search under the trees for the most rotten apple that we could find. In an attempt to learn the import role that our skin plays in keeping bacteria out of our blood stream and away from our organs, we slit an apple and filled it with the rotting insides from the moldy apple. We spread some rotting insides on the outside of another apple. We placed both apples, along with a control apple in ziplock bags and waited for the rotting to begin. Surely enough, after a week at the top of a warm dark closet, the slit apple was unsightly. Annelise had a quick lesson in gangrene and other bodily infections. We put together her poster and away we went.

The fair was just as the kids had hoped. After the scientists interviewed them and friends and teachers complimented their efforts, the elementary social scene was hopping, with Jonathan and Reed running in the halls in every direction but straight!            

A New England Tradition

With spring briefly emerging every few days, I have realized that we only have a few weeks left before our time is consumed with one sports event after another. I have decided that we must take advantage of the few Saturdays a year that are tucked in between near arctic temperatures and full days in pop up canvas chairs on the sidelines of soccer, lacrosse and baseball fields. So this past Saturday we left Sudbury for the Pioneer Valley, which is the middle section of Massachusetts, stretching from top to bottom. Our main event for the day was a tour of a maple sugar house, with breakfast served in an adjoining tiny cafe. After that we had no plans but to meander along the Mohawk Trail, stopping at any point that caught our attention. We did our research on sugar farms and followed one windy New England country road after another until we reached our destination, a little maple farm truly off the beaten path. Smoke billowed out of a small red shack and as soon as we stepped out of the car, the sweet smell of maple syrup engulfed us. A burly New Englander, donning a plaid flannel shirt and rubber boots welcomed us. This was his farm, which had been in the family for over a hundred years. We had chosen the ideal weekend to enjoy this Northeastern tradition. The weather was ideal for maple sugaring, with freezing temperatures at night and warmer temperatures during the day, allowing the sap to run. He walked us around his property, pointing out maple pails, tubing running from the trees to the boiling house and the gathering process that only takes place a few weeks during the year. He then took us into the sugar house. We learned all about sap boiling, the grades of syrup and why this area of the world is just perfect for maple. 

After plenty of questions, we thanked the man and were turned over to his wife and daughters in the cafe. They brought us Belgian waffles heaped with blueberries and french toast and pancakes for the kids. Of course each plate was dripping with maple syrup right from the very trees that we could see from our table. 

Afterward we sat around the family's fire pit, with a box of maple sugar candy to share. We found that the pace in this area of the state was much slower than what we are used to. While we warmed up, Sophia and Annelise headed off to play Indians and Ezra searched for muddy puddles to stomp in and treasures to find. 

Upon leaving, one of the son-in-laws pointed us in a scenic direction where he promised we would see quaint town centers and white steeple chapels while on our way for a quick peek at Historic Deerfield. 

Along the way we realized that Jonathan had learned not only about maple sugar, but also about family businesses. He suggested that we start a family business of our own. After a moment in thought he decided that a hair salon would be great for our family.(I always thought it ironic that despite having few skills or interest in the art of hair styling, each morning I am requested to curl, braid, twist or straighten three heads of hair.)  The girls could work in front, cutting and dying the hair, and the boys would work in back, managing the books, he suggested. I mentioned that the backroom workers would also be responsible for such duties as mixing dyes and sweeping up locks of hair. Suddenly I don't think he could quite see the concept becoming a reality. Later I asked Emiie about her future as a beautician. She was unenthused.

After a short drive through Deerfield, a picturesque town that we visited last spring break, but that Steve had missed, we arrived at the Yankee Candle Factory. This was also a favorite spot that we visited last year. This time the kids were excited about the additions to the retail area. We first entered a toy shop that rivaled FAO Shwartz in every way except scale. There was truly something for everyone, including a Santa's workshop where the girls made green paper carnations for St. Patricks Day. 

We then made our way to the candle dipping area. Jonathan and Emilie immediately spotted the wax hand creations and Annelise had her eye on the candle making area. Sophia picked out a ballerina candle to dip and for just 99 cents, I let everyone dip their own tappers.

The kids couldn't wait to bring home their candles to light and scent our home.

Our last stop for the day was a visit to Bart's ice cream shop for homemade ice cream.

 This Saturday turned out to be a random, but memorable little adventure.  

A Day for an Adventure

Last Saturday it took only one glance at the weather channel to convince us that it was a day for an adventure. With 60 degree weather, warmth that we hadn't felt since Autumn, we simply couldn't stay in-doors. I loaded the kids in the car and we headed into Boston. (Unfortunately Steve couldn't join us because he was busy at the computer preparing his Sacrament talk for the next day.) I had read that it was the 239th anniversary of the Boston Massacre and that there were various activities at the massacre site throughout the day. We timed our visit to coincide with the children's reenactment of the event, which included children volunteers from the audience in the production. 

The massacre occurred at the Old State House. In colonial days it was the equivalent of the modern day capitol building. The Old State House is also Boston's oldest building. It is significant for various Revolutionary War era meetings, as well as the building that includes the balcony from which the Declaration of Independence was first read to the Bostonians in 1776. We toured the museum that is within the Old State House while we waited for the children's reenactment to begin. After studying old maps, trying on costumes in the children's area and watching a multimedia presentation of the Boston Massacre, we made our way outside and waited for the museum guides to choose children to perform in the reenactment. 

Jonathan was chosen to be one of the five Patriots killed in the massacre and Emilie, Annelise and Sophia were part of the mob who threw snowballs at the Red Coats, sparking the killing. 

After the event, I took my acting crew to Faneuil Hall Market Place for an afternoon of pizza and as much time as Ezra could handle of street performer watching.

 

When the weather is good, this area of Boston is one of our favorite places to be!