Tonight, Maya and her friend Julie performed a piano-violin duet in the Willard Talent Show. They were flawless in front of an audience of 600.

After viewing this picture, Maya observed that she has big lips. The ensuing conversation regarding the merits of big lips was quite interesting and ended with her conclusion that they were good for kissing her daddy. Subsequent experimentation confirmed the hypothesis.

Every morning I come downstairs to find Maya snuggling with one of her pigs (guinea). Despite my initial trepidation about the pigs, I have come to like them myself. As luck would have it, this morning we saw a news story about an English breeder who has created a miniature pig (real pig) which Maya was eyeing with some desire. Two days ago, Maya brought home a baby fish in a plastic bag. The “fish” was barely a quarter of an inch long. When it momentarily appeared as though it had perished during the transfer to a larger container, Maya cried inconsolably despite having known it for less than an hour. Fortunately, the fish was not dead and we have added another pet to the menagerie.

Jeanine’s Swedish cousin, Sara, is visiting us this week. She has taken a break from her medical studies to travel the world and arrived in Boston by way of Australia, Kuala Lumpur, Fiji, and Los Angeles. Sara was our au pair when Maya was 3 months old and it was wonderful to reconnect with her.

I have recently realized how rarely I photograph the kids in groupings with each other. In some ways, these are my favorite photos and I am going to make a point of taking more. This photo was taken at church where Maya’s class did the Chalice Lighting recital for the entire congregation.

At church this morning, Maya was a banner bearer for Ferry Beach (UU weekend retreat to Maine which we attend each year).

Nicolai and Maya came to watch me play soccer this morning. Here, Nico captures a nice little push pass up the wing. I scored one goal and helped my team claim a close 4-3 victory.

Nicolai ensures that his sister is appropriately decorated for St. Patrick’s Day.

I believe that Nicolai is the only child performing with a soccer shoe on.

The Concord fifth graders performed in concert this evening. Nicolai sang in the chorus and played snare drum and flute (not at the same time) in the band.

My beautiful niece Sophia as photographed by my brother. I can’t wait to meet this little cutie. 

After church today, Nicolai and I went down to the Concord River by the Old North Bridge. Jeanine and Maya went off furniture shopping while Kyle was volunteering at a soup kitchen on the Boston Common. Nicolai spent at least 20 minutes trying to figure out how to get himself out to the rock in front of him. What is not apparent from the photo is that the water in between is shoulder deep and extremely cold. I am pleased to report that after contemplating several strategies, Nicolai determined that submersion was a likely outcome of this endeavor and opted to abandon the effort and enjoy the wildlife instead.

Today was the last game of the basketball season for the Concord Patriot’s and what an ending it was. After a shaky start to the season (4-4), the team went on to win the last 13 games and qualified for the final four tournament of the North Shore Youth Basketball League. Last night, they defeated Lynn with an 18-2 record and this evening won the tournament defeating a team with a perfect 20-0 record, both division 1 teams. The finals were very close and Kyle saw a lot of playing time. In the final stretch, Kyle had two steals which he drove coast-to-coast for left-handed layups under extreme pressure. Later in the evening we attended a team celebration at which the coach spoke about his players. He described Kyle as a “wild man” who played intimidating defense and who worked extremely hard through out the season. Kyle’s coach is perhaps the best role model, leader, and mentor I have ever known in youth athletics. I predict that Kyle will remember him for his entire life.

Maya and her friend playing with the pigs.