Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Nature Mandala

Max's school is owned by a company called Endeavor Schools that runs about 50 schools across the country. They are hosting an "Endeavor Showcase" and asking students from all the schools to submit artwork, music, writing, science projects, etc. (pretty much anything!) and write a short statement about it.

Prior to this, Max's teacher sent information to the class about nature mandalas. He thought it sounded fun, so we collected items on one of our morning walks and created one on the sidewalk. Max decided he wanted to submit a picture of it for the Endeavor Showcase.

Today we received an email from the Head of School (Principal) at Max's school and she said:

Hi, Mr. & Ms. Lilly:

I wanted to forward the kind words that Dr. Brereton, our VP of Academics, shared about Max's submission to the Endeavor showcase. We are very proud of Max!

Thank you for sharing his work!
Annaliza

--------

Dear Annaliza,

Today I have been reviewing all of the Endeavor Showcase entries. There were some fantastic ones from MASS. I especially liked Max Lilly’s Nature Mandala. It is so lovely. Would you let Max and Max’s teachers know that they inspired feelings of great pride in me! 


Warm wishes,
Amy


Amy Brereton, Ph.D
Vice President for Academics
Endeavor Schools




Wednesday, May 6, 2020

April 2020

We've really missed the library (closed to do the pandemic), but we've enjoyed this free little library in the neighborhood!


Max made Easter cards / pictures for everyone on our street, and we had fun putting them in everyone's mailbox. We'd occasionally see neighbors out for walks and several said  they hung his picture on their fridge! :-)


Repainting our mailbox and post!


Family hike!



Max wanted to take a family photo of us "screaming."




Kidz Church via video conference... totally normal. Haha


Dying Easter eggs!


Painting with Mom


Max wanted to leave eggs, water, and a carrot for the Easter Bunny. He gets so excited about holidays!


Easter Bunny came!





Church for Easter Sunday looked a little different this year (the cups and crackers on the hearth are our communion).


About to enjoy a slice of blueberry cake! (Nana's recipe and a staple of Laura's childhood!)


Max wanted to take a photo of our backyard picnic snack!


Grammie made us matching masks!


Snuggling and reading on the couch


Max "saved" several worms and cared for them for a few days!



We had to stop at Home Depot and Max and I waited in the car while Ben went in the store. It was a nice day so we rolled down the windows in the parking lot. Max hung his head out the window and exclaimed, "I'm a dog!" Haha


Lost another tooth!



We got the sink holes in our backyard filled and topped with sod. Max was mesmerized by the process and stacked up a bunch of pillows by his window so he could sit and watch.


Deep in thought while doing school work...


Earning a boyhood badge trying to catch a dry leaf on fire with a magnifying glass.


Friday, April 3, 2020

March 2020

The month started normally, but now we're home like everyone else! Here are some highlights from before and after when we had to start sticking close to home.


Max wrote me a couple notes while I was on a conference call. :-)



Max has earned the privilege to do a paid chore if he completes all his household responsibilities for the week. Here he is after doing his first paid chore to clean the powder room! (Note the walkie talkie clipped to his pants - haha!)


For March 14 - "Pi Day" - Max decided he wanted to write out pi. I only know 3.14 so we printed off a full page of digits and he wrote out five or six feet worth of digits! It was pretty impressive.


 Max LOVES holidays and parties and he had all kinds of plans to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. We added to his fun by making a rainbow breakfast! (The muffins are colored green with spinach, but taste like applesauce muffins!)


Max and I wrote some messages and drew pictures down the sidewalk in the neighborhood. The instructions I provided were to write messages that are encouraging or that remind people of ways to stay healthy. I was so proud of all the messages he thought up! Max did the writing and gave me (Laura) instructions of what to draw.

"Hope you have a great day"


"I wish you lots of hugs"


"Eat more Brocily" (Broccoli)  I think this was one of my favorites! Haha


"Follow directions"


"Cuddle a dog every day (if you have one)"


"Read more!"


"Avoid Anthills"  (Another gem! Haha)


"Exercise for 1 hour each day"


"I wish you lots of light"


"Look both ways!" (written at an intersection)


"Encourage somebody every day"


"You are strong. Show it always."


"Be brave not scared"


"Never fear be happy"


"Enjoy the trees"


"May the force be with you always"


"Love others. Be Kind."


"Draw a picture every day"


The artist (covered in chalk!)


Max's teacher has done a great job switching to online teaching. The kids do video conference call lessons, etc. It's kind of cute to see all their little faces on screen! We don't have an extra laptop, so Max has been using the iPad.


We went to the park one day and Max found a dog frisbee. We tossed it around for a while and he eventually caught it around his neck!


A hike in the woods by the Chattahoochee River!


Max and I did a science project one day that kept him occupied for almost an hour! We used a vinegar and salt solution to clean dirty pennies, then rinsed them in water. Some didn't rinse all the way, and the next day they had a bright green coating. It was neat!


We have also gotten a little stir crazy and one day Max ended up with a broken butterfly net on his head. I didn't ask... ;-)


The Children's Minister at our church has been emailing a video Sunday School lesson and home activities each Sunday, and on Wednesday evenings she does a video conference with the kids. They all tell a joke, talk about life, and pray together. It's so sweet!


Earlier in the month (before we had to start staying home), Max got to participate in a rocket launch with Cub Scouts. It was fun!



Max got chilly during a family walk and borrowed my jacket!


Kids church!


Max said that if someone made a statue of Ben after he died it would look like this pose and he'd have a light saber in one hand and a sword in the other. :-)