“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2015.”

Lillia: This week you have been working extra hard on your homework and other school work. You got your report card last Friday and you got all A’s and A+’s, except for one B+ in Science. That B+ really bothers you, and I can understand that. When I was your age I was definitely very concerned about getting good grades. But, the important thing is really to learn the material. Grades aren’t always an accurate reflection of what you know, and the learning is more important than the letter on the paper, for sure. We were all impressed with your grades, but the bit that impressed me the most was your math score on your most recent standardized test. You went from the 80th percentile in September to the 95th percentile this month — that is a HUGE jump! I know you weren’t thrilled about being in math remediation, but clearly it has been helpful. Your hard work has really paid off and I hope you are very proud of yourself. [Note: Lillia is holding a drawing she did of Joseph Stalin for a research paper — she’s doing an oral report on him today.]

Zane: This week you got the tummy bug that has been going around at your school. Thankfully, it was a one and done sort of situation, and now you are feeling much better. The snow is starting to melt and we took a walk around the block so that we could check each and every drain to see how the water was running. You really need some rain paints because you’ve been coming in from outside just absolutely drenched from head to toe! The best part of your week was when the kids down the street invited you to ride your tricycle with them; they are 7 and 9 years-old, so it was a real treat to hang out with the “big kids.” Right now the age gap seems massive, but in a couple of years you’ll have no problem keeping up with them.

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2015.”

Lillia: This week you have been a little bit sad about your social situation at school. Nothing terrible is happening — no bullying or ostracizing or anything like that — but I think you are genuinely lonely. You said to me the other day that you sometimes wish I had skipped you ahead when I had the chance [Lillia started kindergarten at the age of four, and then we held her back a year to help her catch up, socially]. I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: someday you will leave Walpole and discover that there are other people who are just like you! I know it’s hard to be an introvert with interests that aren’t always in line with what your peers are doing (that’s sort of the formula for being lonely), but I think that if you are patient and you continue to pursue opportunities to do things outside of school, you will eventually find your “people.”

Zane: This week you have been doing a lot of building — Duplos, wooden blocks, whatever you can get your hands on. I’m always so amazed by the structures you create: they are visually interesting; frequently symmetrical; and you often build things that “look” like other structures you’ve seen (i.e. “Saurus Rock” — if anyone reading this has kids, you might know what that is!). Mémé says that when Daddy was your age he really loved to build things, too. It’s interesting to watch you as you build — I can see those little gears turning, trying to figure out the best way to arrange the pieces. Your spatial intelligence is so much higher than mine, even at the age of three; what a gift! Someday you’ll be really good at assembling IKEA furniture!

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2015.”

Lillia: This week you had an academic fair at your school. You had to do a presentation for all of the parents about an arthropod and they had to guess what it was. Your bug was the Japanese beetle. You were upset that no one guessed correctly, but I wouldn’t take it too personally — entomology is kind of an esoteric science! After your presentation you got to go down to the gymnasium to see what the “big kids” had done for their projects. It’s hard to believe that in less than half a year you’ll be in sixth grade; you’ll BE one of the big kids! In some ways, you’re already there.

Zane: At the beginning of this week you and I went to the grocery store in Keene. While we were checking out, I glanced over and caught you LICKING the plastic bumper on the edge of the conveyor belt! Ay de mi! No big surprise that a couple of days later you came down with a cold. It certainly could have been worse (I don’t even want to KNOW what’s living on the surface of a conveyor belt bumper at the grocery store), but you did miss more school because of it. It doesn’t help that it is still really cold here — we haven’t been able to do much playing outside. We had a few warm days when the snow started to melt, but then cold days came so most of the snow is now ice. Soon, though, baby boy. Very soon Spring will come!

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2015.”

Lillia: This week you had your first (and hopefully only?) black eye (this picture is from earlier in the week — here’s what it looks like now). On Wednesday night, Meme & her friend Anne took you to see the Ice Castles at Stratton Mountain. Somehow, while playing around on a small ice sculpture, you slipped and hit your eye socket on a piece of ice that was protruding out from the side of the castle. Honestly, there aren’t many people who could manage to accomplish such a thing. Thankfully, your eye itself was fine, but your eyelid is nicely bruised. Of course, you couldn’t wait to go to school and show everyone; kids love to show off their injuries. I’m very glad that you didn’t seriously hurt yourself, and this episode will make an excellent addition to your autobiography someday!

Zane: This week you came with me to Art After School so I could take pictures of the kids working on their projects. I’m always so amazed by your self-confidence and your good behavior. When we arrived everyone was standing in a circle to share something for which they are thankful. As soon as you had shed your boots and coat, you ran right over and joined the circle. When it was your turn to share, you said you were thankful for Santa Claus. You even did the project that all of the big kids were doing, without my having to hover over you or really help you at all. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that I can take you pretty much anywhere and know that you will behave yourself. (Of course, I’m sure there will be times when you’re off, and that’s okay.) I hope you never lose your enthusiasm for life, or your self-confidence.

“A portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2015.”

Lillia: This week you were on vacation from school. You spent the week sleeping in, reading, drawing, and watching movies. You also spent some time playing with your little brother, which I think is really good for you. Spending time with him gives you the opportunity to play in a way that you might not be able to with your friends, now that you’re older. We talked about this in the car on the way home from dance class — how the older one gets, the more difficult it becomes to really immerse oneself in imaginary worlds. I chuckled to myself when you said that sometimes if you use a funny accent it is easier to play imagination games. We both agreed that one of the tragic aspects of growing up is losing the ability to really play without inhibition. But, it’s not a total loss, sweet Lillia. Even as a grownup you will find things that make you feel happy and free.

Zane: This week you got a surprise gift from our church — a box with three little birdhouses in it. You were so excited you could barely get your words out! You picked up one of them and exclaimed, “Never in my life…a birdhouse with two holes…I LOVE IT!!!” It’s not uncommon for you to make such declarations; you are just so darn happy almost all of the time. You so often say things like, “It’s a great day!” And, your enthusiasm for life really is contagious. I find myself feeling better about just about everything when you’re around. We also got to spend some time outside yesterday — it was even warm enough to take off our coats! You rode your bike and sat in the sun with me. This coming week looks to be cold and more cold, but spring is coming.