Dear Isabel

I miss you.

When I got home, I realized that there was a fingerprint in the center of the lens of the camera so this lovely picture of you is fuzzy.

My kids love this movie you and Alan made to teach them the "Our Father" in Latin.

Say Hello to Alan and the other kids for me.

Love,

Aunt Rachel

Pysanky Eggs

My friend Jenn graciously invited us over last week-while the boys were at basketball camp near her house--to learn how to make Pysanky eggs. I know she will explain it much better when she posts about it, but in an eggshell, these are beautifully decorated and dyed Easter eggs which originated in the Ukraine.

A few days before we had our workshop, Jenn's son Gregory shared his favorite Pysanky picture books with us. The only one we already knew was Rechenka's Eggs. We enjoyed the other books so much that they're going to go on our wishlist.

When you think hot wax, candles, raw eggs and children, "fun relaxing day" is not what pops into your head, but that's exactly what it was. As the little kids created chaos at our feet and all over the downstairs, Jenn clearly explained the steps to make a pysanka. First she drew a design on a raw egg and showed us how to heat a kitska in the candle flame so we could write over the lines with melted bees' wax.

Gregory and Charles had fun just swirling the bees' wax on the eggs and then dying them.

Cecilia wanted a lot of help with her egg--using a kitska is the same skill as using a pencil and Cecilia lacks confidence--so Jenn and I stepped in to help when she asked.

Maria was entranced by the pysanky. She made several eggs, some with traditional designs and some of her own design.

While some kids ran off to play, Maria patiently wrote on her eggs, moved them in and out of the dyes, and asked questions. At the end of our day she stayed behind to learn how to remove the wax and reveal the artwork hiding beneath. Jenn even let her bring some supplies home to show Bill and the twins how to make them.

Best of all, we had so much fun with our friends, we are planning a second pysanky art day before we move.

Singing in the Summer

When I tried to learn harmonica, the first lesson was "Be your own biggest fan." Maria has always been her own biggest fan as she developed her own special singing style--something like impromptu wordless opera in tones just lower than those only dogs hear--and it was obvious that she really enjoyed singing. But until my friend Maryan advertized her Singing in the Summer camp, I worried that Maria would remain underappreciated for a long time.



Now Maryan could make a week-long tooth-brushing camp fun, so I knew her singing camp would be the perfect environment for Maria to work on harnessing her untrained gifts. Throughout the week Maria was fairly quiet when asked about how camp was going, but before Friday James was singing "Strike up the Band" and Anthony was singing "I'm Looking Over a Four Leafed Clover" so I knew that it was going well. And now everyone is enjoying her singing as much as she is.







On the last day, the girls did a mini concert. I thought it was pretty impressive considering they had one week of training. Unfortunately, Blogger is fighting all my efforts to upload the little movie I made, so you will just have to believe me.

They sang the Kyrie and then Veni Creator Spiritu (in Latin!). They did hand movements with "Four Leafed Clover" and marched to "The Marine Corps Hymn" and the "Army Song". Maria told me she sang the harmony part on "Lonely Goatherd" which I thought was amazing with only a week of practice. Well, my descriptions will never live up to your actually hearing her sing, but I assure you that it is now something to look forward to.

Gregory

One of the stated goals of my trip to California was to make my nieces and nephews love me. I did my best and used shameless bribery when my best wasn't good enough.




This is Gregory who is quiet and athletic like Charles. He forced me to ask, beg, and tell stupid jokes so he would smile for me.



















At Catherine's graduation party, I broke the ice by teaching him how to bite a face into a tortilla. Of course, I hate when my own kids do this....







He also agreed to let me to make a movie of him, but I think he preferred our time playing Frisbee together.



(OK, I did learn how to rotate videos, but Blogger rotated it back. Urgh!)

Stephen

My nephew Stephen has a lot of personality. I wish I could have brought him home. He and James would have been perfect together.

Graduation!

My little sister Catherine graduated from high school last Saturday. Bill and his mom watched the kids so I could go home and celebrate. It's hard to believe that 18 years ago she was a smushy baby whose umbilical chord I had cut and I was a graduating senior.





Here are Catherine, my sister Michele, and I in front of my parents' house before we left for the ceremony.




Her graduating class was over 500 students so the commencement was held at UCI. Bishop Tod Brown attended and conferred the empty diploma holders. ;) Catherine is on the right. Yep, that's her.









I'm sure there are better versions of this picture of the Baer kids united for the first time since my wedding in 1998, but not on my camera! In the back row are Marc, Fr. Chrysostom (Anthony), and John. In the front are Rachel, Catherine, and Michele. Unfortunately, the pictures of us in age order weren't on my camera.


And here are the soon to be empty-nesters with Catherine. In a few months she will be starting her freshman year at Thomas Aquinas College where my brother John teaches.

Congratulations, Catherine!