2018 Hemm Family Christmas Card

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Our family has had a full and joyous 2018. We hope that your family had a wonderful year as well.

We have seen many friends and family throughout the year, and many more we keep up with through social media. As we finish the year, we are looking back and wanted to bring you along on our journey.

Our biggest news is the addition of Josie. She is a nut and we love her dearly! We adopted her in August, just before school started, when she was only 8 weeks old and 7.5 lbs. She is smart, stubborn, sassy, and just a bit crazy . She brings just lots of laughter and love. In true toddler fashion she goes a million miles and hour and then crashes into a deep sleep. She is now 35 lbs and still has some growing to do.

Josie: So little!

Lucas is in 3rd grade this year. He is in the Spanish Immersion program and has great language skills. Often he asks his mom questions in Spanish and tests her knowledge. In school he likes gym, recess and snack. He played soccer in the fall and did an awesome job! - Lucas

Lucas is a bouncy, easily exited, family loving, Beatles loving 3rd grader in the Spanish Immersion program at Green Meadow School. His teacher is Sra. Gamboni. He has great Spanish skills and has been working really hard to improve it more. Lucas has a number of friends each called Grandpa. I am SO lucky that I have not yet been called Great Aunt. He asks Mom questions and even talks to himself in Spanish, therefore annoying his sister out of her mind. His favorite subjects in school are gym, recess, and snack. Outside of school this fall, Lucas played soccer and did absolutely fantabulous! He reads a lot of books and recently took interest in the A-Z Mysteries by Ron Roy. He can just sit in bed and read for hours. Lucas also spends a lot of time playing fetch with Josie. He will snatch up one of her toys, get her attention, and send the ball flying down the hall with her racing behind like a rocket. - Anna

       

Lucas and Josie enjoying a gorgeous day

Anna is in 5th grade this year. She is an awesome sister who loves reading and writing. In school she likes music, ELA, and Spanish. She is smart, sassy, stubborn, and a huge book worm. She just finished The Land of Stories and The Hunger Games Series. Also, earlier this month, she and Amanda ran a Girls On The Run 5K. They finished it in 40 minutes. - Lucas

                  

 



In addition to her postpartum doula practice, Amanda has started a new company - Soutiens. The Soutiens goal is to help expectant parents navigate the transition around having a baby and returning to work. She is working very hard with Sarah Douglas on creating their own online course  as well as offering workshops and trainings to companies.  Amanda loves playing with the puppy and going on adventures with her family and friends.

Justin is still at Lexington High School, working with teens in the special ed program. He continues his work with Maynard School Committee. 

Over the course of the year we have had so many adventures:

• Pedro visited from Brazil in January
• Winter weather allowed us to go skiing, skating, and sledding
• In April we toured Philly, DC/VA, Gettysburg, and Hershey. 
• Scott, Amanda, & Justin completed the MS Muckfest on a cold rainy day in May and can't wait to do it again.
• Over the summer the kids took two weeks at Lotus Lake Camp in Vermont - a tradition that we absolutely LOVE!! We also went camping with friends in Lake Champlain and camping with Scott and family at Storyland.

                                                       ~

Tiene un buen navidad y un buen ano nueva.

Greetings from Philadelphia

April vacation for the Hemm family is a is a trek throughout the Mid-Atlantic states, starting with the City of Brotherly Love.

We left home at 6:30am on Saturday full of energy and excitement and were parked in Philadelphia by lunchtime. As we traveled south, Spring emerged. Daffodils in NY, flowering trees in NJ, and green grass in PA. I hadn't realized how much I needed the warmth and green. Shedding layers as the temperatures rose into the 80s was rejuveating.

Our first stop was Reading Terminal Market. Being a gorgeous Saturday at lunch time, it was bustling! Kids were a little overwhelmed by all the activity. Stalls of foods, people everywhere, noise. While I feed off of this energy, it may have been little much for the kids' first introduction to Philly. We found some food and went outside to sit by the convention center. The #1 reason for going to Reading Terminal Market is the Amish apple dumplings. This picture belies how amazing it is. The pastry is flaky, the apple firm, and fresh cream tops it off. Mmmmm... In addition to it being a delicacy it reminds me of my Mr. Burley. He grew up in Amish country and this was his favorite desert. I'm sure I'll be reminded of him many times throughout this trip.

I lived in Philly for a while, about 8 months while working on my MBA at Temple. Returning, the city felt so familiar: the layout of the streets, the smells, the fashions, the mix of commerce and history. Yet for some reason, when we made it to Center City I was so discombobulated. I couldn't even find Temple. Perhaps I came at it from a different angle. Maybe landmarks have changed in the last 16 years. Whatever it was, eventually I did see that familiar T but it felt good to get the obligatory LOVE photo and retrace our steps back toward the historical area of town.

Philadelphia has a rocking arts culture, often with some subtle (or less so) political messages. As we worked our way down Chestnut Street past the fancy CVS, the roll down gated stores, and questionable fashions, we appreciated some of the hidden artwork in town.

By the time we walked to the historic district, the air conditioning of the Benjamin Franklin Museum was calling us. I've been to the courtyard of the museum before but hadn't been inside (apparently the $5 admission fee was too steep for the grad school version of myself!). As always, when I cross paths with Ben Franklin I am awed by his breadth of genius. Sharing him with the kids and watching their admiration grow was the best part of my experience. They were excited to walk where he walked, to see his "poop hole" (aka the foundation of the privy pit), learn about his inventions, and try out the brain teasers. Before we left home Anna and Luke decorated a section of the basement to be their reading nook. The museum provided lots of quotes that they want to add when they get home.

 

We ended the day with pizza and a movie in the hotel room. We were all beat and a quiet night was needed by all. I have a feeling that will be a theme on this trip! The kids are keeping journals and spent some time writing about the day's adventures.

Sunday we woke up to much cooler temperatures and some drizzle. A little weather can't stop us though! In the Liberty Plaza parking garage we found some more artwork. These beautiful murals gave us an opportunity to talk about race in the context of history. Seeing the slaves and freed blacks in the forefront of the scenes is a different perspective than we usually have of the revolutionary times.

Being early birds, we were among the first people to get into to see the Liberty Bell. The whole facility had been redone since I was last there and the visitors' center was beautiful. Luke, my social child, went right up to a ranger and asked him about the age of the piece of wood holding the bell. I imagine it was the first time he'd been asked that question! If you are curious, it is elm and is at least 300 years old and probably came from a tree that was planted over 400 years ago. He continued his learning by reading the information placards - en espanol.  I love this kid and his curiosity.

We crossed the road to Independence Hall next for a tour. Our guide, Mike Doveton, was an incredible ranger. He brought history to life with his story telling. He was gifted at creating context for the events surrounding the revolution. I gained a greater appreciation for the people of that time and the events that led to the creation of our government. He also emphasized the role of the Parks Service in protecting not only the land but the culture and the places that make up our country. Mike is a true ambassador of the Parks and especially Independence Hall. I've since Googled him and found out that he also started the annual commemoration of Reminder Day, the first organized gay pride activities in the US. As a champion of Reminder Day, he adds to the NPS's focus to recognize the history of gay and lesbian rights in this country. 

 

One last stop in Philly before heading on to DC: a taste test of Philly Cheese Steaks. We went to South Philly to try Pat's and Geno's.  While we appreciated the authentic grittiness of Pat's, Geno's meat, cheese, and paper made them the clear winner.  (Yes, we have heard there are better cheese steaks in town but the convenience of location made these a convenient place to do a head to head comparison.)

Until next time, Philly!

It's Functional!

Earlier this week I asked Steve if we could get a functioning kitchen by Memorial Day weekend and he said, "Of course!" And voila, this morning I cooked eggs, potatoes, and bacon. Ahhhhh! Its starting to feel like the end is in sight.

Stove, sink (old one until the counters come in), and a dishwasher
All working and in one room!!

The area of the kitchen pictured below is one of the areas that I'm most excited about. It has a floor to ceiling pantry cupboard with pull out drawers on one side and the other side will be our "beverage station" with enough outlets for the coffee pot, teapot, and magic bullet. The side of the pantry will serve as operation central - calendars and tackboards to help us know where we are going day to day.

The pantry was a bugger to get in place. The angles and low clearance were such that it couldn't simply be stood up. The basement stairs were too narrow and the step from the sunroom wasn't right. After much head scratching, Justin and Steve were able to stand it up in the front entrance using the stair well for extra height. Steve then trimmed back the drywall on this random header, and slide the cabinet through the door into the kitchen which, if you remember, we only recently made flush with the ceiling. Phew!

With a little bit of of the trim in, this section is really coming together! Just the fact that we could cook in the large cast iron pan and then wash dishes - or rather put them in the dishwasher - was incredible. 

Next steps

Counters will be templated next week and installed in two weeks. This week we'll get the fridge moved in after trimming back the surround walls. We have another lengthy Lowes list - radiator covers, trim boards, lighting, flooring transitions, etc - that will unblock the next steps. And probably a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Yes, definitely cookies.

And then there were walls

Over the past two weeks we have had some fun transformations. The addition of drywall started to make the space feel more livable and was a major step forward. Today the paint went up and am head-over-heels for the color: "Walden Pond". The pop of blue in our fairly natural/neutral house is invigorating. I'm going to love spending time in this room!

On Deck

We try to stay a step or two ahead of Steve so that he has the materials needed when he gets to that stage. Next up are flooring and cabinets. Can't wait!

Bamboo flooring is acclimated and ready for installation.
I suspect that we'll love it enough that we'll be installing it in the sunroom next.

Cabinets were delivered and skillfully stacked

A sneak preview of the cabinet colors. We had to unwrap them all for a QA check.
From what we've seen, there was only one damaged door. All else looks good.

Summer Kitchen

Lots of folks have been asking how we are making out during construction. We are actually doing just fine. Our guest room has been turned into the "summer kitchen" and we are utilizing the cooking skills refined in college - only with way more gadgets and nutritional know-how. I'm proud to say we haven't eaten out or ordered in more than usual and we are keeping up on relatively healthy eating. No avoiding veggies just because we are missing an oven! And an unexpected bonus? I've had more steps and stairs on my Fitbit now that the fridge, sink, and kitchen are in 3 different rooms on two floors. Haha! 

Microwave, toaster oven, toaster, magic bullet, hot plate. What more do you need?

Luke coined this piece "The Furniture called Pantry"

The laundry room is serving double duty
as the primary dishwashing station