An Eliana first: She climbed the play set ladder.

Following as usual in the footsteps of her older brother, Eliana climbed the play set ladder to join Ethan at the top.

An E&E first: They planted a garden.

Sowing seeds in rows today, and weeding and watering for weeks to come – the hopeful result: sugar snap peas, basil, carrots, and most of all, an appreciation for the food we so often take for granted.

Another Ethan first: He shot an arrow.

The camp staff was willing to let anyone who was strong enough to draw a bow shoot at their targets, regardless of age. Ethan was more than excited to try. He’d been asking me about shooting with a bow and arrow for a year. I’d told him he probably wouldn’t be ready until he was about eight years old. He proved me wrong. Not only could he draw; he hit the target about half the time. Among all the camp activities, including horseback riding and boating, archery was easily his favorite.

An Eliana first: She climbed the play set arch.

Ethan on career planning

“I'm gonna grow up and get a computer and work for the money. Or, you could work.”

A new twist on a familiar word

Ethan had probably listened to the Patch the Pirate album “Limerick the Leprechaun” a dozen of times, yet it seemed as if some key elements of plot were still over his head. Foremost was the true identity of the Limerick, which the program revels early on program to be Shameless McGreedy, the man whom Mr. O’Connor recently had to fire for untrustworthy behavior.

As I walked through what Limerick said to give away his identity, Ethan responded with a look of unbelief. Limerick couldn’t possibly be Shameless McGreedy; he was all burned up.

It was at that point that I realized that neither the album nor I had shared with Ethan the meaning in this context of the word fire.

An Eliana first: She wished Mommy good night.

Every night when she goes to bed, we say “Good night, Eliana”. Well, this time, I was so surprised to hear a very clear, “Good night” back.

~ Beth