Moving Day...

For the short term (maybe longer), I am going to be writing over here. Come over and read why... If you have been receiving notices about new blog posts in your inbox, you can do the same thing over there. Just go to the left side of the page and click on the button that says, "Subscribe to this blog." See you there!

Out of the mouths of babes...

I wish I had sat down on Monday morning to write this post because I'm sure, despite my feverish note taking, I have missed something but here goes...

I woke Monday morning to the news of Osama bin Laden's death. Before I could fully wrap my mind around the whole thing, Caroline was awake. I knew it was important to discuss the issues with her before sending her off into the world. My main goal was for Caroline to understand why people were celebrating death. As I stumbled through an explanation of which I was still and am still unsure, she took over.

A few quotes...

In response to my feeble attempt to justify bin Laden's death with the extent of his evil:

Caroline: "Was he worse than slavery? Because Martin Luther King didn't kill all the white people?"

As I continued to talk about how there are certain men, that are just pure evil, "Like Hitler." I said.

Caroline: "Is it only men that are evil?"

After a long break in the conversation, during which time Caroline was clearly thinking about September 11th:

Caroline: "Why didn't they attack the white house?"

After I tried to explain what happened to the brave Americans on the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania:

Caroline: "So they sacrificed their lives so people wouldn't be worried about the White House?"

And then a refreshing reminder that Caroline is, in fact, still a seven year old little girl:

Caroline: "Why didn't they attack Yankee Stadium? Oh, I guess because they figured they could just play in another stadium because there are so many of them."

Where I've Been...

Since last I wrote there has been a big birthday, a great vacation and the necessary down time after the vacation... More to come soon.

Exceptional

I keep coming back to these pictures of the girls in the leaves. I know it is supposed to be spring on this first day of April. Despite the fact that I am watching flakes fall out my window I know it should be spring and these pictures show the girls in the leaves of fall. But somehow these pictures like no others capture the essence of the girls. And for this post, I needed a picture that shows Caroline at her best. For years we have been waiting for a teacher to "get" Caroline. She is such a unique child. So wise, empathetic, creative. But traditional schooling doesn't seem to bring these traits out in her. We think Miss Kelly, her first preschool teacher, sort of got her but since then, our conversations with teachers have implied that they are not getting the full picture. When I have conversations with Caroline like the following, I struggle to understand how these teachers are missing it. Last weekend, Caroline begged for another charm from the Gap. We have purchased these charms in the past. They are poorly made and not at all worth the money they cost. I tried to explain this Caroline but she was insistent. I told her that she was welcome to buy a charm with her own money which she promptly did. In less than twenty four hours, the charm had broken and fallen off the bracelet, lost. She didn't say much about it until the next day when she said, "Thank you for letting my buy the charm so I could see why you weren't letting me buy the charm." If that isn't why we parent, I don't know what is... And this was why I was so relieved to finally receive the following note from Caroline's teacher last night: "By the way, I simply adore your daughter. She is so expressive and sweet in our reading group and someone I can always count on. You are raising a really exceptional little girl." And for the record, Caroline would hate that I was "bragging" especially about her but how could I not... I think she'll understand one day when she's a mom...

My Aunt Connie is one of my most faithful blog readers. I always feel so loved when I hear her wondering why I haven't written in so long. Aunt Connie also sends the best e-mails some that are funny but most that are just so darn cute you can't help but smile. A huge animal lover herself, the e-mails are often about the magic of the animals around us. This picture was included in an e-mail Aunt Connie sent this weekend titled, "Pure Joy."

So then when I opened the picture that Rob took of Caroline at the North Carolina vs. Kentucky game, the same title popped right in to my mind. Pure Joy.

It seems that Caroline's love of baseball has extended to love of all sports. She has followed her bracket picks actively throughout March Madness. When Rob told her that some of the Elite Eight games were being played in Newark, half an hour from us, he saw the wheels spinning. Rob and Caroline spent the better part of yesterday afternoon watching the prices on Stub Hub fall. Finally, the tickets were in an ok range and Rob pressed 'buy.' Rob and Caroline rushed down the Parkway and enjoyed lots of smiles like the one above. You will notice there is no smiling picture of Rob. The Tarheels did lose but for Caroline, at least, this did not impact the joy of the game.

Journaling

For a few years, I wrote with a fabulous writing teacher, Lisa Garrigues author of Writing Motherhood. She hated the term 'journaling'. Every time I think of the word or actually write it, I think of her and begin to edit but this time I'm going to write it anyway. Since last July, I've been journaling off and on. More on than off actually which has been a rather large accomplishment for me. I've been filling a notebook with words of mine, quotes from others and pictures that I have cut out from magazines. I got the idea of filling a notebook from my wonderful friend Rebecca Rodskog. She called the notebook a vision journal and suggested filling it with anything that made you happy. Somehow, this opened me up to see journaling as more than just my words. I could really put anything I wanted in my notebook and by doing this I have filled more pages than I have in a long time.

This morning I looked back over some things I had written last summer at the beginning of my Vision Journal adventure. I was reminded of why I do this...

From July 9, 2010

"Two pages left blank (I had skipped two pages accidently) as if a dare from the universe. I dare you to ignore your need to journal. I dare you to give up writing. I dare you to actually do something you are good at. I just spent an hour creating a scrap book page of a trip to the ice cream store. I suppose given the fact that it was my first scrap book page it was fine but in general, the best part of it was the written part. While we sat at Ben and Jerry's, I asked the girls what their favorite ice moment was. They both said, "Right now." As I thought about this, I realized it was, in that moment, the beauty of being four and seven- the beauty of loving the now."

Note: I have since put away the pinking shears and the cute stickers and realized that my notebook and my blog are my scrap book. Phew!

The Current One

Yesterday Caroline was getting ready to go to a Hawaiin themed birthday party. Rob was working from home so he was brought into the myriad of decisions that come along with dressing for such an event. Grass skirt or shorts. Sandals or flip flops. And the last one, hair up or hair down. With great authority, Rob said, "Hair down."



I must have given him a look that asked how he knew so definitively that hair down was the best look for a Hawaain bash. He turned to me and said, "I always choose the current one."



What!? For over ten years now I have asked and trusted Rob's opinion on everything from haircuts to shoes to which dress to wear to the party. In a large part, I have trusted him because he seemed to have such sure thoughts. He never hesitated. Always provided a fast response. Now it turns out he always chooses the current one?



Of course, he was quick to defend himself. Rob grew up with a sister five years his senior who began asking him his fashion opinion before he could fully form words. He was quick to say yesterday that he hadn't developed his 'current one' technique' he might still be standing in his childhood home choosing between feathered or straight hair.



I guess I'll give him this one...