Dramafest

This year the Winthrop High School Drama Society staged We Are the Sea at Dramafest. Maddy warned me that it was sad (she wasn't exaggerating to say that EVERYONE dies!) but it was also very impressive! They advanced to the semi-finals this year!

 

February Vacation Misson!

I guess we've been in denial that college is bearing down on us, but this February vacation we decided to get serious about going on some college tours with Maddy. I lined up THREE tours this week.

First up was Curry College which has a program for students with learning challenges that seemed ideal for Maddy.

Review: The program was great and very supportive but the college itself is so small that Maddy wouldn't likely need any additional support. This was a PERFECT first college to tour. It gave Maddy a real practical idea of  what college life could look like, and for the first time she could visualize that life for herself.

And then we had some celebratory tacos!

Next up: UMass Dartmouth

Review: Personally I had thought that THIS was likely the ideal choice for Maddy. It has the major she wants (Marine Biology), it's a state school (because money IS a factor) and it's on the smaller side. But the "vibes" were definitely not good. It was a holiday so having a completely dead campus didn't help. It was also freezing cold and windy. But the real red flag(s) was seeing a handwritten poster in a dorm window that said "Help, get me out of here!" and having a kid yell "This place sucks" out a window as we were starting out on our walking tour. The buildings were cool in a abstract brutalist architecture kind of way, but not well maintained and SO inaccessible. There was about a million level changes in every building! I think this school has been eliminated from contention.

Next up: Bridgewater State

Review: So far of the three school we saw thie week, Bridgwater is the winner! Small but not TOO small. The campus is connected to Boston via the commuter rail, it had a nice vibe and it has robot food delivery! Unfortunately they don't offer marine biology as a major but maybe she can work around that if it turns out that this is the right school for her.

Seeing three colleges in a week was exhausting but a really good exercise. (Not to mention a good way to snap us out of our denial!)  We could see the things that seemed the same (dorm rooms = identical) and the things that felt different ("vibes"). We know we're just at the beginning of this process...it's going to be a long road!

Escape Room Birthday

This year for Audrey's birthday she wanted to take some friends in Boston for some Shake Shack and and Escape Room.

They did NOT make it out but they got very close!

Thirteen

Happy Thirteenth Birthday Audrey!

You've had a great year! You took your first trip abroad and let us drag you all over Italy! I was a little nervous, because you can get grumpy when you're tired (and don't even get me started on what you're like when you are HANGRY!), but you were quite the trooper. And your sense of humor was always on point whether you were poking fun at some of the art, or taking selfies in the Pantheon.
 

This year you gave up basketball but kept playing soccer. I love to watch you play! You are 100% responsible for anything I understand about soccer! Well, you and watching Ted Lasso (which we are watching for the THIRD time!)

You're doing a great job in middle school! Your teachers love you! You finished sixth grade as the "Jaguar of the Year". But the social gauntlet that is middle school is so tough to watch. It makes me a little sad to see some of the friends you've had since you were three fade out of your life, but you've managed to make some new friends. 

You are really good at doing costume makeup! And you went from being afraid of scary movies to being obsessed with the movie Scream. I still haven't quite figured that one out!

I really hope you never stop creating! You draw, paint, write. You wrote a poem about your experience with being a third-grader during COVID that brought your old third grade teacher to tears. And this summer you were bored one day so you dug out your dad's old guitar and started teaching yourself how to play. When I was stuck in bed for those terrible couple months having you come into my room and play for me was often the highlight of my day!

Thank goodness I was better by the time of your Christmas Show! I love to watch you perform!

I was so proud of your performance in Finding Nemo Jr the Musical! You looks so relaxed out there, and like you were having the best time! 

There are so many things I could list that made us proud last year, but I'm proudest of one thing....through all the crazy middle school ups and downs your sense-of-self has remained strong! When other kids in your circle are spending hundreds of dollars on "skincare" you (laughingly) maintain your "elaborate two-step skin care routine" which as far as I can tell involves getting yourself really wet in the bathroom and then doing something mysterious with an ice cube. I feel so proud that you don't feel like you need makeup to feel beautiful (I know I did at your age!) but I won't judge you if that changes this year. Whatever happens, I just want you to stay true to yourself in all that you do.

It's been a great year, and we love spending time with you! 

Happy Birthday Audrey, we love you so much!

Seventeen

Happy Seventeenth Birthday Maddy! 

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that you are seventeen. It feels like one minute you're in preschool, playing with "tubes and beads" and the next minute we're are setting up college tours. 

Taking the above photo before school on a day when you have physics class first period (the one class where the teacher locks the door at 7:36) was a risky move on our part, given how our mornings usually go! This school year, we made a big step in making you independent by forcing you to get up with an alarm clock instead of relying on the mom-alarm. It may go off for ten minutes or so, but you get up EVENTUALLY. Let's just say I hope you can avoid 8am classes in college!

I can't say that you love high school exactly...you tend to think you are surrounded by idiots (and from what I hear, I can't disagree) but you work really really hard and your teachers notice!

I'm so glad that you have found your niche with the drama kids! And so proud that you're the official Prop Master this year. Deep down, I suspect that you're an organizational nerd who loves spreadsheets and lists. But you're also not afraid to use a hammer or a drill and get covered in paint!

On the weekends you turn into a sloth! I don't blame you with how busy your weekdays are, especially when you are in the middle of a drama production. You're definitely not a morning person, and your school starts WAY too early every day. I love how Hermione takes advantage of your lazy weekend mornings to snuggle. You are HER person, and she really misses you when you're in school all week!

         

This year you got to travel abroad for the first time. Which puts you about 30 years ahead of when your dad or I made it to Europe. You are an awesome traveler! We had such a great trip with you, you're so easygoing, up for anything and curious about the world. As long as you could have your pasta carbonara you were happy!

Summer remains your favorite time of year. You love any kind of boating! It's unclear yet if you''ll be able to ever drive a car, but kayaking and sailing give you a kind of independence that you crave.

We're so proud of all you achieved at Piers Park. We had no idea what you were capable of when you took us out sailing last summer and you blew us away. I love your confidence and your passion for sailing!

Forgive me for being a little melancholy...it's hard not to wonder where that little chubby cheeked, curly haired toddler went. The one that used to make me wrap up Grover and Raccoon in a blanket every night at bedtime. Or sing Daisy exactly three times. Not that I don't love the young adult you're becoming! It's so fun to laugh with you and spend time with you laughing at cat memes or watching TV.... even if you make me watch The Walking Dead. Every evening on the couch together feels so precious! 

Happy Birthday Maddy! We love you so much!

National Honor Society

We are so proud of our newly inducted National Honor Society Member! Awesome job Maddy!

MFA

 We made it to see the Sargent exhibit right under the wire. And we got to take some friends as well!