Esti and Zanna at Waldo Park

Esti's usual babysitter, Nirmala, has been out of commission for a
couple of weeks due to a really unfortunate medical error that left her
very ill and weak. But she is recovering fast! Esti should be back
there the week after next. Meanwhile, a very nice woman named Danielle
is filling in -- not full time, but a lot better than nothing.
Danielle took this adorable photo of Esti and her friend Zanna on the
horsie at Waldo Park last Friday. (Zanna = Alexandra, my friend Anna's
daughter, who is six weeks older than Esti and her colleague at
Nirmala's house.)
Anna and I joke that the girls look more like each other than they do
like either of their moms.

Nearly five

Seder Two (with role-playing) at Mira's house

Two new traditions made this seder highly enjoyable: serving extensive
dippy appetizers (crudites, hummus, baby artichokes, etc. etc.) in place
of just a piece of parsley dunked in salt water; and a "skit" in which
all the kids and grownups act out the Passover story: Ken as Darth
Pharaoh, Josh and Dennis as Moses and Aaron, Esti as Baby Moses, and
Henry and Abi administering various plagues and impersonating the
crocodiles who threatened to eat Baby Moses on the Nile.)

Passover seder (Mon night)

My dad is on Nevis, but everyone else came over for a Passover dinner -- not quite a proper seder -- last Monday night. (Between my mom and AnaPaula are Ana's brother Felipe, in town for the semester at Harvard, and his wife Tatiana, visiting for a week.)

Henry considers the bitterness of slavery -- and prepares to taste horseradish.

Pretty fierce stuff!

Esti's grape juice says Ding!

This is not a haggadah, but a children's book called Hooray, It's Passover.  Still provided the requisite bookish background against which my Grandpa and Henry could exchange impressions of the holiday.

The funny thing is that Henry has kind of gotten into it.  He has been stoically refusing bread and pasta since Monday, claims he's going to keep going till Passover is over.

The kids are so lucky to have both their great-grandpas in the area.

Roping everyone in for a photo.

Playing tag-your-hand.

Queen Esther (wrong holiday).

The little miscreant she really is.

Back to the table -- time for flourless chocolate gateau.  Happy birthday, Tati!

horsing around before last Monday night's seder

Cambridge Common April 2011

The weather has finally gotten warmer. Henry was able to play at
Cambridge Common for the first time this year--and without a coat. Some
colleagues were in town for a conference and we met them and their
daughters there. Henry selected these pictures of them.

Blueberry Girl

Esti shares her brother's blueberry colored eyes and his fondness for
eating the real thing. Henry has gotten better at getting them into his
mouth. Esti is still practicing.

Esti Makes Faces

Esti has learned to make faces. This was a face she liked making about
a month ago.

Henry in Daddy's Sunglasses

Henry and his Ukulele guru

When Henry started taking ukulele lessons with Dan, they met in Dad's
office. Now they have started meeting in Dan's apartment/studio where
Dan has started teaching Henry also some music theory. Henry writes, "I
know that if something is in the key of something it means that it comes
from that chord and goes back to that chord." Every week they write a
new song. Last week their song was called "The 2 Surprise." Lyrics:
F I love to run
C I love to sing
F I love to bike
C I love to swing

But most of all
Most of all
Most of all
I love to...mato!

Esti Plays Peekaboo!

Henry wants this to be called Henry and Esti Pictures.

Henri Cooks Ratatouille

Henry made ratatouille for a school project. He explained to his class
how he made it and then gave them samples.