goodbye 3rd grade and 7th grade...

...hello glorious summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ANNIE! ANNIE! ANNIE! ANNIE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY

What can you say about Annie? Wife, mother, potter, gardener, friend, daughter, poet, musician, artist, teacher, dancer and so much more. I say, "we love you and Happy Birthday! The world is a better place because of you"

I had to wait until the middle of the night and sneak on to the computer to post this, don't let her delete it!
Matt

Dmitry

Our family is going to miss Dmitry.
The whole school actually.
There just is no one like him.
From mythology to music and math to vegetarianism, he is inspirational without being boring or preachy.
He makes it cool to be smart and celebrates the "geek" in every kid.
And he is hilarious.
He gives everyone names... Mac "Madame Snowtree" and Emmett is "Five-Eighths Cinch Brass Hose Adaptor"....all the kids have some long complicated name that cracks us all up.
He has an imaginary friend/fall-guy named Shlomo and makes up word problems about other teachers like..." Mr. Plapp, while driving his pink scooter 50 miles per hour on the freeway, dropped his Dora the Explorer Doll 10 minutes ago, how long will it take him to retrieve it? (not counting the time it takes to cry and wimper?)" ...or something like that, (I made that up.)

Yes, the school won't be the same without him and I feel bad for every kid who doesn't get him for 3rd grade. (Silas is being seriously jipped!)

Below is a too-short snippet from the 2010 talent show...he's leading the school, singing "Cupid" by Sam Cooke. What will we do without him next year in the talent show?? (Mac insists that he just come back for it ...!!!)

Very talented, he even stood in for the lead singer at the middle school dance a couple years back and rocked Led Zeppelin unrehearsed in front of the most critical of audiences...12-14 year olds.

Dmitry, if you are reading this...
Us Dreyers send out big love to you and thank you for all you've given us!
May your future with your beautiful family be happy and fulfilling!
You will be missed.

light through color

I can't wait!

I get chills hearing the first three notes from the movie trailer!!!

I can't believe I have to wait until November.

And when did they get so grown-up and cool, all brit-fashion and
hair-do's.

What incredible lives these kids/actors have had so far.
But really I prefer to think of them as
Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Wrapping my head around the enormity of this disaster...

Check out this comparison map .
It helped me to see how big this thing is.
But the craziest part is to imagine it doubling
itself in every direction over time, and then
again with any kind of storm...

I can't imagine what it must be like to look
out at the sea for all those people now.
And all those animals...for who knows how
long.

What's going to happen???

School Garden Art

The shed was painted on Art Night by anyone and eveyone that stopped by, Daleth and I watching over the proceedings...the beautiful garden sign was written by the 3rd graders in Emmett's class and painted by Michelle (Sean's mom!) , and the "Tree of Life" was painted by CJ Hawke and I asked her to make me one! ;)

Megan, Crys, Music and the Love of Learning New Things!

Papa and Mac lucked out yesterday when they found a resonably priced Epiphone Hummingbird for Mac. Mac decided to give Megan her old guitar because her hands out grew the baby Martin big time and Megan has mini hands, just right for it. So there was musical happiness all around...perfect
for our Sunday music gatherings with Meg and Crys when everyone crams into the "music room". This is becoming a tradition. And I must say Meg and Crys are two of the happiest and most adventurous people we know along with you know who...(click <---- )
So, I decided, with Megan's encouragement in the form of a dare, to learn to play a song or two on the ukulele.
This snippet is after my first 1/2 hour with Matt. As you can see, I need a little practice ;)


But Emmett thought we should get some video of it...so when I am awesome we can look back
at my humble beginnings....
"What a lovely day and a dreamy night!"

The Russian in Him

Matt has some Russian blood and is always going on and on about the food. He heard from a friend at work that we should check out this great place..."Pectopah Pomegranite".
So, yesterday we decided to take Mac and Emmett on a culinary adventure...
a completely Russian restaurant with a good bit of vegetarian food to offer.
(Silas was at babysitting co-op, the second generation...)
From the moment we walked in we knew it was authentic because it was completely empty (it was only 6:00) and the guy berated us in heavy accent for not having a reservation and said we could only stay if we were out by 8:30...wha????????? But by 7:00 it was a full house.
It was awesome. I will admit when Matt first said this was where he wanted to go I was less than excited.
Cabbage and bulgar and beets...that was all I could think of. And frankly I am not fond of any of those. But this was an incredible meal complete with
5 kinds of russian salad, borscht, potato pie and baked apples and cherries. It also looked a little like Liam's room with writing all over the wall and had a piano covered in candles in the middle of it all. A shot of vodka for me to top it off (rare, but true) and hilarious conversation with our awesome kids!!
I recommend it highly! Mac and Emmett really liked it too! Enlarge to check out the menu.

Energy, then and now!

I wonder where he gets it!?

The Dance

Happy Birthday Camalama!

we couldn't resist
birthday flowering you up
(haiku-ing you too)

because

we

LOVE YOU!!!!

Big Birthday Love for YOU Finley Joyous!!!!

Hi DAD!!! Yes, YOU!!!

It was good talking to you this morning while Silas threw his humongous fit about using the coffee frother, which he can't quite say so it sounded more like "froffa".
He has recovered thanks to Nana and her superior skills. Now she and all three kids are off to Wild Animal Park and I am off to the studio.
I love you.
Welcome to the blogosphere.
Next thing you know you'll have a facebook
account.
Hug Patty and say hi to my brother and sister and nephew when you go to visit THIS WEEK!!;)

TOBY THE PEOPLE RESCUER!!!

By: Mac
Toby laid an egg at approx. 7:30 in the morning on May 20th 2010 It is the same pinkish-brownish color as Tuesdays egg and when we got it out of the coop it was still warm!


Look at the difference between Toby's egg and a store bought egg! But they get bigger as the chicken gets older! She sat in the nest box all morning untill she made a big BA-CAWK! And I got Emmett and Silas to go and check with me.

Wow!

check it out here.
You have to go on a field trip there for me!!

Look at My Neice ...

She is so cute and feisty and delicious in this picture!!
And reminds me of Mac so so much.
xoxoxoxoxoxo

EGG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We think Toby the People Rescuer is responsible for this perfect little light pinkish-brown egg. She is the only chicken seen separate from the others and hanging in the nesting box and she let out a loud "bA-CAUCKKKKKKK" that sent me outside to check. The only other possibility is Butterfly because the other two have different colored eggs.
I can't wait for Mac and Emmett to discover it! Shhhhhhh!

POE-TAY- TOE

my favorite vegetable to harvest. fo sho.

This is funny

Click on this link

-Matt