we had a wild & crazy Easter egg hunt @ 44 Waterloo Circle this year, spanning 10 rooms. Each of you searched for one dozen eggs, filled with surprises like chocolates and spending money. happy hoppy Easter!
Hoppy Easter Ben!
giving it a winter boot
Having never heard of it… “Futsal”… I looked it up:
Futsal (Portuguese pronunciation: [futˈsal]) is a variant of association football that is played on a smaller field and mainly played indoors. It can be considered a version of five-a-side football.[1] Its name comes from the Spanish Fútbol sala or fútbol de salón , which can be translated as “room football”. It was developed in Uruguay and Brazil in the 1930s and 1940s.
In Brazil futsal is played by more people than football but does not attract as many spectators as the outdoor sport. Several futsal players have moved on to careers as successful professional football players.[2]
Your Dad coached the team – he knows a lot about soccer – so you’ve learned a lot about it over the years. This sport kept you busy through the longest winter months of February and March. Here’s a photo of you giving the futsal a big winter boot:
final thoughts about living at 44 Waterloo
Before you moved out of our house in late February, 2014, I asked you and Ben what your favorite and least favorite things were while you lived with us.
Ben – my favorite was not having to leave your house and come over (like on Sundays)
Emma – my favorite was the hot tub!
Ben – my least favorite part was the loudness (44 Waterloo was so big with such high ceilings that it amplified the noise and made it much worse).
Emma – my least favorite were the insects (I guess she meant the noises outside? I need to get more information!)
this photo was taken right before your family moved to Emerald Lane in Dover. The four of you loved to sit at the island for your meals – you enjoyed the small TV!Dark Tower Day
your friend Daniel spent the day and an overnight at our house... while visiting you & I introduced him to our favorite board game - Dark Tower. It was a close battle, everyone had fun and Daniel won his first time around!
a quotable quote
it came out of your mouth – out of the blue – on New Year’s Eve as we relaxed around the house:
“sometimes a man just has to have his cheese”
truer words have never been spoken
Merry Christmas 2013!
always remember to “give back”
St. Charles Children’s Home is a special place that takes care of boys and girls who need help. The reasons vary; sometimes one or both of their parents don’t want them, or can’t take care of them, or there might be a bad situation where the kids are “at risk” if they stayed home.
The kind-hearted nuns of St. Charles let the children to stay with them, teaching important life lessons, like how to at properly around people and take care of themselves.
Again this year, we visited the home and were welcomed by Pat Beaupre (no relation!) and some of the nuns. We brought the children special gifts – things they hoped to get for Christmas – including clothes, books, games and toys. Each of you helped wrap a present, bring one inside and place it under the beautiful, tall tree.
We took some photos and then were shown a magical wooden musical Nutcracker stage with hand-painted characters who danced to the music. The coolest thing was seeing different stage settings come and go before our eyes.
Christmas is a special holiday for many reasons, but for me the most important reminder is that we are all very lucky to live the lives we do. We have people who love us, we are in good health (can you imagine not being able to walk, or see, or talk?), we live in nice homes, we have food to eat every day.
Many people don’t have those things. They’re sick, sometimes so sick they are in wheelchairs, or can never leave their beds (I have a cousin in Philadelphia like that), or they are dying and will not be blessed with a long life. Some are not able to make enough money, and others can’t work. Can you imagine living on the street, sleeping on a sidewalk and not knowing where your next meal will come from? These are horrible, sad things, and people shouldn’t have to go through such a tough life.
That’s why it ‘s important for you to always remember the importance of “giving back” which means doing something to help other people to make the world a better place. Sometimes the kindest gesture of all is to simply smile and talk to someone who’s sad or lonely or in need. Say something nice, make their day a little better. That doesn’t cost a penny!
Other things you can do include “volunteering” (donating your time) to support a special cause (like working at a food bank when you’re older), or making something (a card, brownies, cookies, etc.), or saving money to give to others who need it or doing something physical like running a race that raises money for a special cause. We are so lucky, so remember to share your good luck with others to help them out and bring a smile to their faces.
Giving back, helping others, is the best feeling of all, way better than doing something for yourself. Try it, you’ll see! Love you always and Merry Christmas!
a list of “always” for the festival of trees
Every two years, we visit the Portsmouth “Festival of Trees” during the Christmas holidays. Our experience always includes:
1. People, lots and lots of people! It’s always packed; the lines to see the decorated trees are very long and the parking lot is jammed packed.
2. C-C-C-C-old! Its always bone-chilling cold! This year was no exception, for the first time ever we skipped the first house trees because the wait outside was brutally, bone-numbingly freezing. The adults mind it more than the kids!
3. Your partners in crime! You always have a blast running around with your cousins. Everyone’s in a good mood, zipping, skipping, taking everything in!
4. Yummy # 1! the free chowder always warms us up, at just the right time.
5. Making a decision! It’s always fun to decide which tree – out of dozens and dozens of decorated trees – is our personal favorite. Once we decide, we take our wooden popsicle “voting stick,” drop it in the container by our chosen tree, and cast our vote. It’s more fun than voting for the President of the United States!
6. Yummy # 2! After an hour or two of tree viewing and bearing the cold, it’s always wonderful to go to the Japanese Steakhouse. The chef cooks our food in front of us, making volcanoes out of stacked onions, lighting surprisingly hot fires and flipping food into our mouths (we try to catch things, but usually don’t).
Hooray for the 2013 Festival of Trees, one of our favorite nights during the holidays!
welcome to 44 Waterloo, Clickman kids!
You and your family and doggies moved in with Grammy and I on November 20. You’ll be living with us until late February. Welcome! Ben is sharing a room with Emma; Jack and Molly share their own room. Your Mom & Dad are down the hall. Apple & Ruby are here too! We will have many adventures I’m sure over the next few months.
Fall soccer wraps up
It was another fun season of Fall soccer, but this one was special for several reasons:
- your Dad coached the team – he knows his stuff, he played the game, and he’s great with kids. I bet you were proud to have him with you on the field.
- you were able to play more offense – for some reason, prior coaches have largely kept you in a defensive role (you’re good at it, but why box you in so soon).
- you worked hard, every moment of every game – this change is what I noticed the most.
It all added up to an enjoyable September, October and November 2013.
