Hospitality Homes

Today Magali and Sara and I modelled for Hospitality Homes. From their website:

Hospitality Homes provides temporary housing in volunteer host homes and other donated accommodations for families and friends of patients seeking care at Boston-area medical centers.

Sara and Magali and I pretended to be at a doctor's office in the first picture. Magali got bored between takes.

In the second shot Sara and Magali are weary travellers greeted by Eva.

More of today's shots HERE

What Makes Me Happy

This looks like an ordinary, ugly parking lot. But this is what makes me happy. I'm looking out of my window at the new studio and I see Sara, Dash, and Magali coming to have lunch with me. The hardest part of having a studio is being away from my Sara and my Dash and my Magali. I love when they visit me.

More of today's pictures HERE

Baby Eleanor

Our neighbors, Jenise and Alex, and their daughter Annelise, have a new addition to the family this week with baby Eleanor. She is a big, beautiful, red creature. Magali adores babies so she was very excited to go meet her. Magali has a little bear that is actually a "toy" for her bigger dolls. She took this bear and wrapped it up herself to give it to Eleanor. This foreshadows Eleanor's role in Magali's life...

More of todays pictures HERE

My Children Torture Me

Sometimes they get annoyed with the camera. The new technique is to look right at the camera and smile.

They know I hate that.

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Spring Is Coming

Like I always say: March, in like a lion, out like a lion on fire.

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Dash's First Guitar Lesson

We bought Dash a guitar for Christmas the year before last. Sometimes he would plug it in and make some noise but mostly he wouldn't plug it in and make some quiet. It's been collecting dust on the wall until a few days ago when he decided he wanted guitar lessons.

I have been taking slide guitar lessons from a New Orleans blues virtuoso named Jeremy Lyons. Jeremy agreed to take on the mighty Dash and today was Dash's first lesson.

I was so proud and happy to see Dash trying to finger his first chords that I started getting a little choked up. What!

He learned the guitar parts, how to hold the thing, E minor and G major chords, and some basic strumming. He was worried when we went to bed that he hadn't practiced today. I told him it's probably OK not to practice on the day of your lesson.

My mother pushed so hard for my brothers and I to learn the piano that we basically pushed back by refusing to enjoy it. I didn't start taking music serisoulsy until I was 15. It has always been a huge part of my life even when it hasn't been the exclusive focus. For my kids I just want them to love it. I secretly really, really want them both to weather through the difficulties and delights of learning an instrument but THEY are the ones that have to initiate. Like most things, if it's your own decision, it matters more.

Sara says that after Dash masters E minor and G major he only needs one more chord... and the truth.

More of today's pictures HERE

Magali Consents to Haircut

Magali finally relented and allowed us to take her to the barber. She also agreed to bangs, which I love. Dash, on the other hand, didn't get bangs for the first time and he looks super cool. The kids are so much better about haircuts now.

The kids might actually be a little TOO cute now. Maybe we can dress them a little dorkier or something.

More of today's shots HERE