Musings on the Assabet River
Our family's experiences living next to the Assabet River in Concord, MA.
This section is now setup in reverse time order. That way you can just check the top for anything new.
On continuous update Zachary and Jared Kiihne's very own web page containing their gift wish list!
So should you feel the need to buy my sons a gift, now you know where to go.
We have gone away several weekends; visiting Grandpa on the Cape, visiting Peter in Pallenville, visting friends in werstern MA. etc., but our big trip will be coming later in the summer. We will be road tripping from home all the way down to the Poccanos stopping at many relatives along the way and back again.
November, 2000 to January 2001-
For the third year in a row we hosted Thanksgiving dinner.
Many family and friends gathered at the Palm Restaurant in NYC to celebrate Dad's 60th birthday.
No big surprise Zachary and Jared had a great time Hanuakah season. They received a ton of presents - all toys - and amazingly enough nothing they already owned.
We spent New Year's Eve at Jamie and Nick's in NH playing games and the next day at the Grant Family annual party.
Here a bunch of pictures covering this time period. (Many thanks to Eric for the digital shots)
August, 2000 - A cool, quiet summer is in progress. The vegetable garden and children are all growing like weeds. Jared successfully turned one and is now walking like mad. His favorite activity is climbing stairs. Since he tries to crawl down them head first, we try not to let him. In the fall he starts at a day care center run by the same people that run Zachary's. Zachary is doing wonderfully. Talks up a storm and is taking swimming lessons.
June, 2000 - Jared just had his one year physical. He weighs 25lb 8 oz and is 31" tall. Zach at one was 25lb and 31 1/4". So Jared is catching up. He is currently 90th percentile for weight - no surprise there, and 75th percentile for height. I do have trouble beleiving that 1 in 4 one year olds are taller than he is. Jared is very happy and very healthy. He is working on his walking. About two weeks ago he took his first steps and now he is able to string about half a dozen steps together. We expect him to be running full tilt any day now.
Zach is doing great as well. He is still a picky eater - that is unless the food comes in a crinkly bag. He is loving summer, shorts, sandles and ocassionally nudity abound. He is now fully pottie trained - thanks to grandma in Florida for the final steps. His vocabulary continues to grow and he is very inquisitive. His most recent questions are all about the prison just on the other side of town. He and Jared are getting along. It helps that Jared is more mobile. They even play together on occassion.
Everyone else is doing fine. Robert has an opening of the new space at his museum this week. They are also preparing for the big Sail Boston events coming in early July. He is also working on some moc-telescopes for an outdoor exhibit at the Children's Museum in Boston. He has fully recovered from his oh so strenuous 2 1/2 weeks "working" in Vienna on the installation of the Brain Opera into a new museum.
We had a hectic, but enjoyable Thanksgiving season, with a barely containing some 14 odd people. It is hard to cook for that many and watch kids! Gluttons for punishment, we look forward to doing it again.
November, 1999 - We had a wonderful Halloween this year. Our first in a suburban neighborhood. We decorated the house and put on scary music and then ended up leaving our candy bowl outside with a note, because we both wanted to go out with the kids. Jared went as a purple Tella Tubbie and slept in his carriage for a good amount of the time. Zachary went as a pig - his choice - and had a wonderful time. He walked on his own for an hour and half from house to house going up steps and ringing doorbells. It was an amazingly warm night and many people were out on their porches enjoying the weather and giving out candy. The whole neighborhood was mobbed with kids and families. Everything we had hoped for.
The big family vacation - our first as a family of four - was a trip out to California. The inspiration was the marriage of Robert's sister Suzanne to long time beaux Brian O'Regan. The ceremony was held on a glorious day in Tilden Woods above Berkely. Reception followed at the faculty club at UCBerkeley. Not surprisingly bride and groom were great hosts. The wedding was warm and fun and very kid friendly. The couple had many home made touches. Suzanne made her own dress, a lovely white and lace sheath. They arranged their own center pieces and bouquets and even chose the wedding cake recipe. Margaret did the cake decorating. After the wedding we spent a week touring a bit of California. We spent several days in Big Sur and the mandatory visits to SF and Monterey. A good time, but a lot harder with young children.
The biggest event of 1999 for us was the birth of our second son - Jared Avery Kiihne. Born on June 5, 1999 at Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA weighing in at a whopping 8lb 14oz and 21 inches. After 30 hours of labor and 41 weeks of pregnancy mom was VERY glad to have it over with and to have a wonderfully healthy new son. The bris was held 8 days later at our home and we were so glad to have so many friends and relatives come to share in our joy.
Zach had a great time visiting with his mid-western grand parents and visiting the zoo. He was a real trooper on the long plane rides, behaving wonderfully and charming his way across the country.
Our most recent big event was Zachary's second birthday party! We had 9 adults and 4 two year olds over to the house for food and mayhem. All went well, no major damage to kids or furniture. Zach received all sorts of wonderful toys including many contributions to his truck mania.
Thanksgiving the Simon section of the family came to our place for dinner Eric & Amanda, Philip in from Oregon, and Marshall & Sheila up from CT. A filling time was had by all and we were forcibly posed on the couch for many photos. Marshall & Sheila came up a day early and we all went to see the extensive Monet exhibit at the MFA in Boston. It featured his 20th century works, tons of water lillies.
For Halloween we spent the afternoon up in Salem, MA. It was a gorgeous day and we had a lovely time walking around staring at the people who were staring back at us. Zachary looked adorable (of course) in his Tigger costume. That evening we went trick or treating in a friend's neighborhood. Zach thought this was a great thing. He got to ring people's doorbell and they fussed over him and then gave him candy. Over the next few weeks we caught him trying to go out the door with his pumpkin basket several times.
In late July there was a salute to USS CONSTITUTION celebrating the 200th anniversary of her first sail. We went down to the Charlestown Navy Yard with Zach to see the visiting ships and take a few tours. Zachary got his knee painted (at the face painting booth) with a ship. Zachary had a great time astride a really big gun.
In July we had a wonderful visit with Robert's sister Suzanne who is working on her post doc at the University of Virginia in Charlotte. This was followed by several days in Washington DC touristing and seeing friends Kathryn Barnhardt and Eve Simon. Zach took his first ride on a carousel, well actually two rides and was removed under great protest from him.
Robert's parents Ray and Margaret Kiihne come out in late June, 98 to visit and see Zachary. We had great trip to the DeCordova Museum's new wing and a picnic in the rain on their grounds.
Memorial Day weekend, 98 my mom and stepfather came up for a visit. They most generously (and bravely) watched Zachary solo while Robert and I had a 3 day vacation on our own. We stayed in a B & B in Vermont and had a lovely time. We are greatly looking forward to a repeat this Columbus Day weekend.
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jen@jennifersimondesigner.com