teenage dream

December 2043 - Anne and James Smith are 43; Christopher and Margaret Long are 16; John Smith, Tom Smith, and Libby Stanton are 15; Jamie Smith is 12; Alex Smith is 10.

When Anne's father died last fall, he left Anne the family house, and they moved in just after Thanksgiving. It was hard leaving their old house, but Anne loves being back in her childhood home.

mayfly

May 2043 - Christopher and Margaret Long are 15, Jennifer Cox and Gabrielle Wheeler are 16, Jackson Cooper and Tom Smith are 14.

In a few months Christopher and Margaret will have their driver's licenses, but until then they're stuck at home most weekends. Their parents work a lot on the weekends, and Forest Hills is too far from Providence to walk.

So when Jackson calls and says he has a bunch of friends over, Margaret and Christopher are happy to join them. "Why don't we meet at the park?"

Santa baby

December 2041 - Benjamin Long is 50, Elizabeth Long is 44, Patrick Seiff is 28, Clara Seiff is 23, Christopher and Margaret are 14, Charlotte is 4 (Will Gray is 15).

Next year the child care arrangements will be a lot easier; Charlotte will be in kindergarten during the day, and Christopher and Margaret will watch her after school. But for now Benjamin and Elizabeth do their best to arrange their schedules so that one of them can take care of her.

just another

October 2041 - Anne and James Smith are 41, George is 17, John and Tom are 13, Jamie is 10, Alex is 8, Margaret Long is 14.

Fall is a busy time for the Smith family, with five kids in school and a mother who's a college professor.

all you need is love

September 2040 - Patrick Seiff is 27, Clara Long Seiff is 22, Benjamin Long and Viola Cameron are 49, Elizabeth Long is 43, Christopher Seiff is 27, Anjali Ramaswami is 22, Alison Cameron is 15, Christopher and Margaret Long are 13.

As if weddings aren't stressful enough, Clara's wedding is the first time her parents have been in the same place since the divorce. Luckily the aisle provides a natural buffer - her dad, Elizabeth, and their kids on one side...

her mom and Alison on the other. Since her mom's family is so much smaller than her dad's, they even things out by having their friends sit on her mom's side.

Lowell College: Spring 2040

Spring 2040 - Seniors: Clara Long, Anjali Ramaswami, Padma Ramaswami; Sophomore: Phoebe Centowski (Anthony Cooke is 22, Nate and Theo Centowski are 17).

As Padma's pregnancy progresses, Anjali is constantly trying to talk to Padma about her plans.

"I won't give birth until after graduation," Padma says. "I have several more months."

"But what are you going to do after graduation?" Anjali asks. "Are you going to move in with Gavin? Are you going to move back home?"

Lowell College: Fall 2039

Fall 2039 - Seniors: Clara Long, Anjali Ramaswami, Padma Ramaswami; Sophomore: Phoebe Centowski.

Anjali, Padma, and Clara are all very excited about starting their senior year.

Lowell College: Spring 2039

Spring 2039 - Seniors: Anthony Cooke, Paul Ottomas, Brittany Parker; Juniors: Clara Long, Anjali Ramaswami, Padma Ramaswami; Freshman: Phoebe Centowski.

The Lowell College campus is beautiful in the spring, and Brittany has been spending as much time outside as possible.

i will follow you into the dark

November 2038 - Neil Cameron is 64, Viola Cameron is 47, Alison is 13, Clara Long is 20.

It starts out like any other quiet November morning. Alison is at school, Viola is at work, and Neil is doing a little yard work.

But suddenly he feels a pain in his chest. He's not ready to die, but it's his time to go.

Lowell College: Fall 2038

Fall 2038 - Seniors: Anthony Cooke, Paul Ottomas, Brittany Parker; Juniors: Clara Long, Anjali Ramaswami, Padma Ramaswami; Freshman: Phoebe Centowski.

Phoebe Centowski is so excited to be in college. She moves into Cabot Hall, and right away she starts making friends.

Lowell College: Spring 2038

Spring 2038 - Juniors: Anthony Cooke, Paul Ottomas, Brittany Parker; Sophomores: Clara Long, Anjali Ramaswami, Padma Ramaswami.

Anjali has always been studious, but now that she's officially a physics major, she's studying even more.

Lowell College: Fall 2037

Fall 2037 - Juniors: Anthony Cooke, Paul Ottomas, Brittany Parker; Sophomores: Clara Long, Anjali Ramaswami, Padma Ramaswami.

Anthony and Anjali spend a lot of time studying together in the Goode Observatory. Anthony is a physics major, and Anjali is planning to declare physics in the spring.

happy birthday to you

I've decided to start doing birth announcements to help keep track of what's going on in the neighborhood. I'm still deciding how to do them. Since I have three babies born in a four month period, I put all of them in the same update. We'll see if I keep grouping them like this, but I think this way is efficient but not too confusing.

ETA: Yay for bigger photos!

Lowell College: Spring 2037

Spring Semester 2037 - Sophomores: Anthony Cooke, Paul Ottomas, Brittany Parker; Freshmen: Clara Long, Anjali Ramaswami, Padma Ramaswami.

After all of the drama last semester, Padma has been trying to avoid boy drama. Plus her course load is a little heavier this semester, so she and her sister have been spending a lot of time in the library.

Lowell College: Fall 2036

Fall Semester 2036 - Sophomores: Anthony Cooke, Paul Ottomas, Brittany Parker; Freshmen: Clara Long, Anjali Ramaswami, Padma Ramaswami.

"So are you worried about Anjali and Clara starting at Lowell this year?" asks Paul.

"No, why would I be worried?" replies Anthony.

"Wasn't there a lot of drama between the three of you?"

"That was over a year ago. Things are fine now."

Anthony is a serious kid. He's a lot more concerned about figuring out his logic ball than any potential drama.

i know where the summer goes

August 2036 - Benjamin Long is 45, Elizabeth Long is 39, Christopher and Margaret are 9, Clara is 18.

It's August, and the Longs are trying to fill the month with fun things before school starts. Benjamin and Elizabeth are too busy at work to take the kids on vacation, but there are great hiking trails within walking distance of their house.

seventeen

May 2035 - Julien and Melissa Cooke are 47, Anthony is 17, Adrien is 5, Clara Long and Anjali Ramaswami are 16.

Adrien is in kindergarten this year, and Anthony is a senior in high school. It's the last year before Anthony goes to college, and he's been trying to spend a lot of time with Adrien before he leaves.

home

May 2034 - Benjamin Long is 42, Elizabeth Long is 36, Christopher and Margaret are 6.

Elizabeth loves their house in the woods, especially during the spring. Even though they're only a few miles outside of Providence, the trees provide a wonderful sense of solitude.

falling for the first time

November 2031 - Peter Ottomas is 49, Samantha Ottomas is 48, Sheila Lillard and Tommy Ottomas are 21, Paul Ottomas and Brittany Parker are 14, Clara Long is 13, Matt Ottomas is 9.

Emma and Sophie are freshmen at Lowell College, and Paul and Matt are the only Ottomas kids still living at home.

Judy is a punk

August 2031 - Neil Cameron is 57, Viola Cameron is 40, Clara Long and Padma Ramaswami are 13, Alison Cameron and Georgia London are 6, Julien and Melissa Cooke are 44, Anthony Cooke is 14.

One morning, a few weeks before school starts, Clara decides to cut her hair. She's starting eighth grade this year, and she's had the same good girl haircut for as long as she can remember. It's definitely time for a change. She finds a picture in a magazine to guide her, and even though her hair doesn't turn out exactly like in the magazine, she's pretty happy with it.