his "best" smile!

First pre-school pictures!

Why oh why do they put kids
in these weird, un-natural positions?


This just cracks me up.

Very sweet, isn't he though?!!!

Crazy Delicious

Hey Cam,
Remember the Vegetarian Ruben Sandwich from Jhoti Bhanga?
Well Emmett and I got the ingredients today so we could make it. So easy and yummy.
Here's one for the cookbook...

1)Toasted Rye Bread

2)Thousand Island Dressing on both sides (Russian is better but we couldn't buy it at the store...maybe you can find it...but Thousand Island is almost as good. If you want to make it from scratch the ingredients are :1/4 cup mayo, 1tbs ketchup, dash hot sauce, 1 tbs minced chives or dill, 2 tsp capers, 1 tsp lemon juice)


3)A package of Tempeh, sliced into 1/4' thick slabs sauteed with...
4)well-cooked red onion slices
5)sauteed spinach (optional) is great also!
6)one slice swiss cheese, melted on the tempeh
7)and squeezed-out sauerkraut.

I love this and could eat it all day.
xo

Camping, year 4

The Dreyers, Browns, Camps, Reillys, Diamonds, Finchs, Huertas, Harwood/Roes, Zink/Vitums families all represented...and of course Aiden!. (We missed the Strandes, the Peelers/Hookers, and 3 of the 4 Northrops).
A very fun year marked by the bog and the frogs and the many stringed instruments. The chili and minestrone and the dutch oven full of eggs and potatoes.
The sound of Silas yelling like Tarzan and some late night potty tantrums to balance out the absolute joy in being outside ALL DAY and NIGHT.
The rest of the kids alternating between Woods War and Cops and Robbers.
Lots of trees climbed and guitar lessons as well as one rescued baby squirrel fed every half-an- hour all night long by three of our nature mothers in training.
More rope swinging and singing and smores, vegan stylie. Sage burning, star gazing, leaf collecting and general appreciation of our very loud and boisterous "gypsy camp".

Another great year of kids outnumbering adults, dirty dirty feet, slathered sunscreen and bugspray, a few scrapes and bruises, many laughs and fun had by all.
Wonderful except for the packing and unpacking. That part just sucks.

And check out the incredible dragon/phoenix tree that keeps watch
over our camp!!
And on the way home, a little I am the Walrus...

one day....

..one day we're gonna rent one of these and go up and down the coast with our instruments
(definitely the ukulele!) and our surfboards (ha).
wanna rent one too and come along??
check out this place where you can rent them...

wish I had time for more kids classes...so so fun!

I hosted a class (with Mac, Emmett and Indi's help) for a group of families that trade-off child care in the summers and have come up with a great camp cooperative! So far they have farmed, recycled, baked, gone rock climbing etc etc...great families, sweet kids and a fun morning for me. I miss teaching kids classes!

summer days...

some good news...please....

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

one day Emmett wants to build a treehouse...

Mac's Beautiful New Room

good morning and happy happy father's day!!!!

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