Music Maestro

Lukas and Noah are taking music lessons this year. Lukas continued with piano and we are so grateful to have found a wonderful and very talented teacher for his weekly lesson. Noah did not want to follow in his brother's foot steps but rather take the violin. He is studying under the tutelage of Monterey Symphony's former First Violinist, who also make a great teacher.
Last week, Lukas and Noah performed for Noah's violin teacher. They had both learned the same piece of music - Ode to Joy - which was played at their parents' wedding back in the last century. I remember how nice it sounded in Bethany Collegiate Church, but it did sound almost as well when our two boys performed - but maybe I am a bit biased?

How do we treat the principal?

The principal of SILL Academy offered to step in and teach history one morning.. Lukas and Noah kept tickling Bob and the entire lesson turned into a huge giggling session. Is there anything sweeter to a Mamma's ear than the joyful noise of her family?

Friday afternoon at the wharf

For Barb and Tom's last night in town we headed to the wharf for some fresh caught fish to cook up at home for dinner. The animals in the bay offered plenty of entertainment, it was hard to tear away...

Science Friday

Science Friday offered the opportunity to make incredible obnoxious noise makers of various types. Needless to say it was a huge hit with the boys.. and Mamma was wishing for Excedrin....Who knew science could be this noisy?

Grammy and Pappy in town

Barb and Tom visited us for a week this month, and time flew by so fast. Bob handled most of the touring around, guiding and driving to make sure they 'saw it all.' Although Monterey is beautiful and offers a plethora of things to do, Barb and Tom opted to spend their time with us - what a treat! Grammy and Pappy had a chance to help with various parts of school, reading and quizzing; Barb cooked delicious meals and spruced up our garden; and Tom offered help and encouragement while the boys built the cabinets for the new room. We were all sad to see them go, the yard longs for TLC, we miss our fabulous meals artfully displayed on a pretty dinner table, and our cocktail hour is not the same without Tom.
What a fun filled and enjoyable time we had!

Family Reunion

We think with fond memories of the many fun family reunions we have been able to attend over the years. This year, it just did not seem possible to get everyone together. Yet, for a few hours there were quite a few Severinghaus' gathered in one spot worthy of a photo opp.

A proud Pappy

Since Jason and Scott came to visit us while Barb and Tom were here, we had a great opportunity to get a photo of Proud Pappy with all his grandsons: Jason, Noah, Lukas and Scott.

Family in town

On Sunday night we hosted part of the family for dinner. We of course had to take the obligatory sitting down to dinner photo.

The first step

Bob got back home and had barely put his suitcases down before the boys tasked him with their newest and grandest project - a large scale tree house for the back yard. Fortunately, Barb and Tom came to town and with them a rental minivan making it a bit easier to go to Home Depot and purchase all that is needed for Phase 1.
This has been an active project for a while. First the boys had to draw up the plans, and after a first review by Building Inspector and Permit Provider Bob, they refined the plans. Next they spent countless hours at Home Depot calculating the cost of materials and comparison shopping to minimize the expenses. Most of this work was done while Bob was gone, so needless to say Lukas and Noah were really ready to get to work... all that planning is hard, not so much fun and tedious.
So far there are four posts in the ground, dug down deep for structural support. Stay tune for updates and expected Grand Opening Date!

Chef Lukas

Lukas created his very own pizza and was mighty proud of his combination - tomato sauce, ham, cheese, pesto sauce, and Parmesan cheese.
"It tasted great, Mom! and judging by his empty plate I think he was right.

Future Business Leaders???

Lukas and Noah wanted to get the new room set up and began to furnish it even before Bob got back home. Lukas, always concern about safety, donned his safety goggles and the two of them set out to build the new desk.
Once finished they were ready for work.....

Green art

A large piece of Styrofoam that came with one of the many construction deliveries has taken up residence in the garage. For a while it was a storage container for unusual rocks, then it became a holder for nails, drill bits and other small items. This past week it finally found its purpose - it became art. Lukas and Noah fashioned all kinds of interesting sculptures using Styrofoam and toothpicks.
The bottom one is a man hang gliding, which any discerning art connoisseur clearly see without this editorial comment.
These are all being proudly displayed at the Noah gallery, first exhibit on the right at the family museum, also known as our little house.

Our very own king

Noah and Lukas are really enjoying the remodeled room, especially now that there are no furniture in it. Perfect for Lego war, silly dancing to Peanuts Theme Song and the most recent escapade - the place for a royal ride.
Noah tucked one of the two Swedish flag towels in his waist band as train and plopped himself down on a towel that his much bigger brother pulled around the room. He was doing royal waving and generally embracing the role of king... I guess we better teach him that the US is a republic, so his only chance of royalty is by marriage, however even a royal matrimony would probably not render him the title king, but maybe prince????
I wonder where this idea comes from, reading too many Swedish People magazines maybe when we visited this summer....