Rube Goldberg Device

October 27, 2016 by Adam in Ben

Berry is in the Talented and Gifted program at school, which generally doesn't mean all that much.  Mostly her teacher gives her extra work or some harder problems to work on.  Occasionally, though, she gets something interesting to work on.  She wrote an essay on Rube Goldberg and built a machine in the basement to demonstrate her understanding.

I think this was try #3, which wasn't as successful as try #1, but it showed a lot of heart.

Half Birthday Girl

October 14, 2016 by Adam in Ben

Berry celebrated her half birthday yesterday, though it's technically today.  She got a rainbow bike helmet and bike gloves, both of which she wore all day today, even when we went to the store.

She's really matured this last half year, becoming far more polite and sweet.  Occasionally Berry gets a little sad or overly frustrated with things, but I very much appreciate how far she's come since the screaming and flailing around days.  It's hard being the littlest one in the family.

I'm also impressed at her intellectual pursuits, from science to obsessive reading.  I'm glad I'm her poppy.

DrawBot

May 11, 2016 by Adam in Ben

One of Berry's birthday presents was a subscription to to a maker's box.  Every month something arrives for her to build.  Last month it was this quirky drawing robot.  I think she enjoyed it.

Berry Birthday #2

April 18, 2016 by Adam in Ben

Berry got together with her friends at Putter's, mostly for the laser tag.  They had a good time and Joanna managed it well.  We showed up late after making pizza for dinner, recorded the festivities, and snuck out when the children moved on to play video games.

Berry's Birthday

April 15, 2016 by Adam in Ben

Berry turned nine yesterday.  It was a little emotional, if ultimately good.  Joanna had been rushing about all week, trying to put together a Barbie cake.  Apparently the Barbie was supposed to be an Elsa Barbie, so Berry was somewhat miffed.  She was also initially quite skeptical of Duncan's present being cool if it only existed on an USB key.  Once he showed her the custom Berry-themed Minecraft mod he made for her, all was forgiven.  She was also pretty excited about having a dress-maker's manikin, surprisingly enough.  We also have a maker-themed monthly subscription box - this month is building a robot.  Should be a fun weekend activity.