We were thrilled to get the news that Manor Beach would be opening on Memorial Day weekend as planned.  Now it will really feel like summer!  We went on Monday, and though it was a bit chilly we had a great time.  We wore our masks while walking to/from the beach, and they had flags set up to help families keep a safe distance apart.  Of course, the kids were mixing somewhat down by the water but it was nothing extreme, and everyone had such a good time.  For now the pathway out to the point is closed, and the lockers are closed, and the playground is closed, and of course the concession stand is closed… but the sand and the water are fine!

One day we went out to Croton Point Park for a hike and to see some more birds.

Blaine was also gifted this balance beam from his physical therapist, whose daughter is no longer using it.  He is loving it!

We tried to watch the SpaceX launch on Wednesday the 27th; the kids were disappointed that the weather was not cooperative, but we tuned in again on Saturday and saw it launch!

Sarah’s wonderful kindergarten teacher did a “drive-by” visit on Thursday the 28th, and gave her a small gift and a letter which she mostly read herself.

On 5/28 we were back at Sheldrake, this time for “ponding”.  Sarah brought her net!

Shortly after the last photo, Sarah’s net broke in half and fell into the pond!  We had to fish it out with a stick.  Overall it was a successful excursion, though.  We saw a great blue heron, lots of giant frogs, and a cormorant.

The kids played detective after receiving these post-it kits in the mail from Aunt Jane!

And we finished puzzle #5!  We have now done maps of the USA, NYC, and the World, tree-dwelling slowpokes, and ocean creatures.

It’s officially summer, and we’ve been trying to enjoy what we can!

Our biggest coronavirus disappointment so far was the fact that it led to the cancellation of our much-anticipated trip to California for the wedding of Aunt Jody to Uncle John over Memorial Day weekend.

So we were so happy and excited when Jody and John decided to move forward with their wedding on May 23 and share it with us over Zoom!

Blaine suggested that we celebrate by having chicken fingers and french fries for dinner!  He was really looking forward to the wedding dinner that Aunt Jody had specifically arranged for the kids after witnessing his preferred dinner during our last visit to SF.  So we ordered takeout.

Then we all got dressed up for the festivities!  Blaine got to act as usher, as planned, and handed out programs that Jody and John had sent in the mail.

We set up the video for Sarah’s special role as flower girl!  The wedding was in a park looking out on the Golden Gate Bridge.  John arrived early to get everything set up with the coordinator and the officiant, and Jody arrived via Uber.  We got Sarah a bouquet and some rose petals to sprinkle, and the signal for her to drop the flowers was when Gram started playing the piano for Jody’s grand entrance…

Sarah even made it into the program!

The wedding was beautiful!  The day was perfect, and Jody looked gorgeous!  (As did John, of course.)  They had a small group on Zoom for the ceremony, with two readings done virtually, vows and the blessing.  After the ceremony we spent some time celebrating with the couple and drinking sparkling wine.  It was a wonderful celebration of a wonderful couple.  Congratulations, Jody and John!  Thanks for including us in your special day; we can’t wait to celebrate again in person.

What can I say about May?  Another month in quarantine… homeschool, hikes, virtual meetings, cooking, cleaning, screen time.  We did have some excitement, including some home haircuts!  And our first attempt at growing vegetables (cherry tomatoes)!

I mentioned that in April we saw a house centipede?  It made such an impression on Sarah that she wrote in her nature journal about the “deadliest bugs.”

One week the kids’ nature assignments focused on birds!  We particularly enjoyed an app they sent us that plays all sorts of bird calls.

And we enjoyed these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (recipe from my friend Elizabeth).

Sarah started working on her last big writing assignment for Kindergarten, a How-To Book.  First she brainstormed things she is an expert in.

And we finished another puzzle (#4?).

The kids’ PE videos were all about learning difference dances… the Macarena, the Electric Slide, the Bunny Hop, the Hokey Pokey, and the Hustle (below).

May was also the month that Andrew finally talked me into giving him a haircut!  My first ever, with much help from YouTube.  Andrew said it was not the worst haircut he’d ever had.  And I only cut myself once with the scissors!  🙂

I think I took this picture to show that it was briefly snowing one evening.  Also, Blaine was reading a new series called “Warriors” about clans of fighting cats.

On Mother’s Day we went for a hike at the Marshland Conservancy in Rye.  It was a beautiful day and we saw a flying turkey, many deer, and a woodpecker.

Here is Blaine doing his nature writing about trees.

We finally decided it was warm enough to plant the cherry tomato plants Blaine had been pushing for all winter, in this new planter he received from Gram and Grand-dad.  I went out for the first time to a real store, our local nursery, and picked up some cherry tomato plants (sweet 100?) and some herbs, and exchanged our propane tanks to get ready for some grilling.

One day the temp was up in the 80s so we tried to go to Rye Beach.  Everyone else had the same idea so we ended up parking in the Playland lot and walking around a bit on the boardwalk, and then we went down onto the dog beach for some time in the sand.

Blaine was so impressed with my hair cutting skills that he asked for his own haircut.  It wasn’t quite as successful as Andrew’s, because Blaine had a harder time sitting still.  Still, not bad!

Our first dinner of the year cooked on the grill!  Yum!

Sarah’s chalk drawing on the patio.

Sarah’s Paw Patrol NFL matchup.  I don’t know why I am posting this one (quarantine boredom?), except that I liked that the Eagles supporter is Rocky.

Sarah worked on her How-To book for a few days and here is the final result!  It’s called “You Can Learn to Make Drip Castles.”

The music assignment one day involved tuning an instrument with water in glasses.

More science!  This week the kids were learning about seashores, and we took a trip to dog beach.  Sadly, not long after this visit, Larchmont closed dog beach because they said it was becoming too crowded!

Sarah’s journal entry: “Yesterday I went to the beach on the way back I saw a horseshoe crab shell but there was a sign that said private property so I did not go get the shell.  Horseshoe crabs are cool.”