end of May already?!

Dear Family and Friends,

It's been quite a while since I've written much of substance; despite my best intentions, the semester seemed to run away from us all. I'm so relieved now to be writing on a warm spring night, feeling the freedom that comes from a less structured schedule. From my window, I can see the sun setting over Boston Harbor; the neighorhood kids are running around, Puerto Rican music is playing at the house down the street, and our own children are brushing their teeth for bed. There are no sirens tonight, no jets flying low over our roof on their way to Logan Airport, and this, I realize, is what makes this night in our neighborhood seem so peaceful, and calm. Another summer is coming to the city of Lynn.

May has passed so quickly. We returned from our trip to Costa Rica and were too-quickly immersed in our usual schedule, it seemed. With three weeks of classes left (and four before all my final papers were due), I was scrambling to keep my head above water. The boys were in the heat of their drama club season, with nightly practices and a weekend of performances in early May. A small baby shower and visiting family filled one weekend; last weekend, we were with family again in Vermont to see my sister graduate an M.D. Our one-year-old dog, Kobe, was finishing puppy school this month. And we got a bought of the flu, and some spring allergies...and somehow, in between all this, I found space and time to write over 100 pages of text for the end of my semester, to keep swimming every other day, and to sleep (no small feat with a big belly and sore back). Semester's end came for me last week, and I couldn't have been more relieved, as I was tired, sick from flu, and hungry to feel I had finally finished a year's worth of a doctoral program.

Now our week is full of very little structure--no drama club. No sports for the boys. No lessons. No classes. Just grading papers (Jason), continued writing (I'm working on a few articles for publication), some research (towards my dissertation), a science fair project (Jackson), final tests for the year (Orilus)...the boys are out of school on June 10, and so summer really is coming, and soon.

It has been a full season, but a thankful one. We are all healthy. Our baby is healthy, and growing, and I have loved being pregnant, and will miss it once it's over. We have friends who still love us despite our schedule of this past semester. We have jobs, unlike many of the teachers in our city who are facing pink slips this week. We had the blessing of a family time away, an experience in Costa Rica that Jason continues to describe as "transcendental." We are coming to know our neighbors, and have enjoyed working with them in our park and meeting with them in our home. We have new vision for our house church, new thoughts and dreams for spiritual growth. And so in these final weeks (seven?) before our baby arrives, we hope to enjoy our family-of-four and explore new ways of loving our boys as they prepare their own hearts and lives to have a new sister.

Summer is coming, and we are deeply grateful.

Much love from Team Winchell,
Melissa