Resting up

We are on spring break!  As is the case every year, spring break arrived not a moment too soon.  After an exhausting week at work, it feels good to stay close to home and rest up.  This works well, as thanks to a little girl with a sad tummy, we are having some enforced quarantine as a family.  Plenty of TV time for kids, and a chance to start a few painting projects around the house as we wait to see who else falls to the bug...

Also a chance to catch up on the blog with some of things we were up to, back when we could leave the house.

Jack has been enthusiastically learning to play the ukulele.  If he were just a tiny bit more passionate about music... he picks things up so quickly.

Ivy girl had her ballet observation night.   Since she missed a week due to illness (March has not been her best month), this one seemed to come around really fast.  Such an amazingly cute group of girls in this class, having so much fun together!  But, WHEN did they get so tall???

Candyland STEM night at Boulevard.  A really fun family/community event at our school.  Hands on activities for the kids, many run by their teachers, plus a delicious chicken dinner and a chance to catch up with our parent friends.  With the sunlight streaming in through the high windows, the old gym even looked pretty good.

Ivy enjoyed working with Mrs. Reynolds, her old Kindergarten teacher.

 Friday-- Sunny and seventy out, so we went to the lake!  A picture perfect start to vacation.

Ivy was so excited to fly this kite she won from the treasure box at school.  Sadly, there was a bit too much wind for it to handle...

My happy old girl....

Setting up for long jumps, of course.  Our tradition, apparently.

The air was soft and summery and this boy was overflowing with enthusiasm for the weather.   He is such a delight when he is so happy.

Note the bow in Corydon's ear.  Yes, we did take her swimming *directly* from the groomers. Clean dog, schmlean dog.   She deserved some joy after the self-inflicted trauma of a grooming session.  Poor neurotic dog.

 Saturday, pre-illness:  The kids went to their second week of "Science Academy" at Tri-C (which Jack has dubbed "weekend school"- yet does not seem to mind much).  Nat and I spent the morning tooling around the city together:  Shopping at the West Side Market, walking around on West 25th, discovering a cute coffee shop on the first floor of the Cleveland Hostel (which I did not know existed til today and which has a terrific rooftop patio), lunch at the Market Garden Brewery, driving and inspecting derelict properties and photographing the underside of bridges down near the River, cruising past the newly renovated Flats... what an amazing, interesting city we live in.

View from the roof at the hostel.

My favorite of the empty public buildings we checked out.  This one is just begging to be a house, I think...