Today N and I went to RCP to practice batting and throw stones into the creek. Yesterday he went there with Daddy to see the place where they keep overflow stones from the Capitol. We are going to try to take N there a lot so that he gets outside more. It's just hard with work during the day. Hopefully with the longer days and warm weather, we can make it a habit to go toward the end of the day.

Today on the listserv, I posted that I had straw to get rid of (it was on our lawn covering the seedlings) as well as extra seeds that I wasn't going to plant. A lot of people came and took seeds and hauled away the piles of straw, and one person left me some plants to plant. I told N about it, and he said "it's like a trade". I said yes. Then he said, "It sounds like the 1800s, especially the straw. That does not sound like a twenty-first century trade." True! Very little about this existence feels twenty-first century, except the internet.

M GOT INTO NYSLI-Y OFF THE WAITLIST! THIS IS A BIG DEAL!!! She will have a 5 week intensive virtual Chinese program this summer, after Policy Institute! This is turning out to be a good summer for M, which is crazy. Of course, it would be better if she were going to be IN China… but we'll take it.

Some pics:

Birthday desserts – Daddy's chocolate cake, Grandma's trifle:

The new egg chair:

Opening presents on 5/7:

Cake from Grandma Dina and Grandpa Ron, which the girls opened tonight: