April

April has flown by. I can’t believe it is almost May! Fi and I have only seven weeks of school left. We still haven’t decided what sort of a camp to put her in during the summer so she doesn’t go crazy at home, or where to make our annual travels.

Last Friday, April 25, was the seventh anniversary of the death of my brother Matan. I think about him every day, but realized after work that I did not tell my students the significance of the day. It’s just not the me that they know. So I decided not to say anything because it has no effect on how I am going to teach the math. It was like a milestone of sorts. Acceptance, I guess. I do miss him like crazy though. I’m just not going to share it with a bunch of teenagers who probably don’t really care that much and whose sympathy I do not need. My mom did a butterfly release on Saturday. We went early so Fi could release one butterfly but left before guests got there so that Fi could take a much-needed nap.

On a more positive note, we finished putting in the garden and enjoyed a sunny afternoon making orange juice from our oranges.

 

We are so spoiled living here. I can’t drink orange juice that is not fresh squeezed anymore. It is sooooooo sweet without being sugary, and the color a deep orange. Yum yum!

In other news, Fi has taken wearing dresses more often, so we got her a couple. I think she looks adorable, but not overly girly. Here she is getting dressed:

The nice weather has us outside more, including Artist Fi:

After she finished, Fi explained that the painting was a house, and that the red thing toward the top right was chimney with smoke coming out of it. It sounded just like an explanation from a professional artist, explaining the meaning behind some abstract piece, complete with hand gestures.

Fi and I made matzah for Passover and then Fi did some dishes and wiped the counters:

 

 

I have been playing with my sewing machine and made two pillow cases for my mom’s banquette. Here is one:

I plan to make a couple more. They are not perfect, but they are serviceable. I had to try a couple of times to get it right, and I am proud of the end result.

We dyed Easter eggs and then took them to the neighbors. I really like that because it meant we did not have to keep them. Fi drew on them after they dried:

Fi has a cavity. It is in an unusual place, which surprised the dentist. She is getting it filled in about a week. Until then, she had fun playing dentist with everyone, checking teeth with a mirror, finding cavities, and using the carrots as a tool for cleaning and filling:

Cheers!