First Day of School

Today was Lily's first day of fourth grade.
It seems not long ago that she started pre-K.

Birthday Girl

Lily is eight years old today. She's been working on her writing at school. A boy from her class read her story and said, "Your writing is very powerful." She told me this with much pride. And I couldn't be any more proud of her.

My urban farmer

Lily finished her urban farming program at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on Friday. She really enjoyed working on her plot, harvesting the vegetables, which she proudly brought home everyday. I still have to find a recipe for tomatillos that she harvested. She keeps asking me when I was going to cook them. Apart from providing us with fresh vegetables for a month, the program also made Lily a more adventurous eater. She's learned to like kale, swiss chard, and raw carrots. We should all be urban farmers.

Lily's Piano Recital

Lily had her recital on Saturday at the Steinway Hall. She played two pieces, one of which was Schubert's Serenade, on the grand piano, one of their best model. I was most amazed at the progress she had made and the confidence she had gained since the last recital. She told me tonight that she had enjoyed playing Serenade, that she felt herself into Schubert's music. Her friends Lumi and Ivy also did very well. Ivy was completely into the music, playing with utter enthusiasm. It was so lovely to see. The best performer was one of Lena's oldest students, who will be starting high school in New Hamsphire in the fall. It was his last recital with Lena, and I certainly will miss him. He played Pachebel's Canon in D so beautifully that it brought tears to my eyes. It is one of my favorite pieces of baroque music, and I had never heard it performed on the piano, but it brought back so many memories of my college years.

Lily's Typewriter

Julian found a typewriter for Lily in a thrift store while I was away last week. She cannot be any happier. She spends hours in her room typing news reports and notes to us. This one she gave me when I came home Friday night.

Lily

She's been asking me to put her hair up in a high ponytail everyday these last few weeks. It seems to be her hairstyle of choice at the moment. As her personal hairstylist, I am very pleased that she's chosen such a simple style. As her mother, I am happy that she has good taste.