Category Archives: Maggie

Introducing Piper

The latest addition to our family is Piper, an eight-week old goldendoodle puppy. We picked her up on Monday, June 15. Griffin and Maggie describe her like this:

We just got a puuuuuppppy!!!! She is a goldendoodle and she is a really great sweet dog. We named her Piper and she loves to play but doesn’t really like her crate yet. Piper loves outside, especially the bush. And she loves digging besides the house. She sleeps a lot and she rarely barks unless she’s scared. She is the cutest thing ever!

Piper’s phlox lair.

The “bush” that they mention is a clump of phlox at the edge of our yard; she likes to nap in the shade there, nearly invisible.

We had been idly considering a dog at some point in the next few years, but were in no rush. Like many people during the pandemic, however, we realized that the requirements of social distancing and a summer without many of our usual activities is an excellent time to focus our energy on a new project. Puppies are a lot of work, but we’re enjoying the journey so far.

Pictures from our first few days together followed by two short video clips:

Playing in the yard on a hot afternoon.

More backyard fun.

The Day After School Ended

Hi there. Today was an awesome day! We woke up at 7:30. We did our video games. Then we had an awesome breakfast of waffles, eggs, sausage, and raspberries. After that we went to SPA (my dad’s school) and my dad went into the building while we played in our hammocks. Then my dad went home with Oliver and made a picnic lunch. Then they came back and we had made a caterpillar home! Then we rolled down the big hill and went home 🏡.

The hammock. When Andrew found the kids here, they exclaimed, “This is paradise!”
The caterpillar home.

Maggie’s Week at School at Home

This week, I worked on grammar and mammoth math and I read a lot. For grammar I had to figure out what part of speech different words were. For math I did all types of math, like clock work, and pluses and minuses, and figuring out what numbers are even and odd. I read Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, I and II. I got online for about a half hour to an hour every day with my teachers and classmates. I liked sharing at the end of the week where you get to share something special. The first time I shared a rock. It reminded me of state parks. And the second time I shared a plastic polar bear that I made in a Mold-A-Rama at Como Zoo. I don’t get to go to the zoo a whole lot now and I like the zoo.

A completed example from Maggie’s Daily Grammar packet.

Virtual Family

Our new way of connecting with family in Oregon, Washington, and Southern Minnesota: Yahtzee on Google Meet/Hangouts and FaceTime. We learned a few things about cameras and scoresheets and the importance of seeing the dice when we’re playing, and it was so nice to connect in a way we’re used to doing in person. I predict many more creative solutions to come ❤️

leopard seal

[Maggie did some research on leopard seals this morning while studying at home. We’re aiming to include highlights of daily lessons on the blog. – Andrew]

Leopard seals live in freezing polar waters. They have clawed flippers. There are many different types of seals but leopard seals are the strongest hunters and swim very fast. Leopard seals have spotted fur and look like the cat called a leopard.

This is a leopard seal hunting a penguin.
Baby leopard seal with its mama.

New Hair

Maggie’s been asking about dying her hair for a long time. Sarah tried dying it at home last summer, but it washed out after the first trip to the pool. So we finally made a professional appointment. The choice of color was suspenseful. Last week she wanted it to be bright red. This morning, she was leaning toward “greenish blue.” The stylist convinced her that purple would work best with her natural color.

Secrets in the Walls

We recently replaced the medicine cabinet in our bathroom (while cursing manufacturers of cheap fiberboard accessories that begin disintegrating after your first shower). The kids decided to hang some artwork in the wall cavity behind the new cabinet, hoping that someone will find them in “three hundred years.”

The secret cavity

Close-ups. One each by Griffin, Maggie, and Oliver. 

The cabinet installed

Who could know that behind these mirrors lies a cache of secret art?