Friday, March 11, 2011

I think I need to visit this blog more often

Geez oh petes.

I clearly haven't been here in a while.

November 2009...really??

OK, so in that time, Olivia has finished kindergarten, started first grade and is growing like a weed. Emma is flourishing in preschool/daycare - which eases the whole "mommy guilt" thing (a bit).

I promise to hang out here more.

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Monday, August 31, 2009

Happy first day of school!

Olivia & mommy at the bus stop!


Happy first day of kindergarten, Olivia! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you! You are going to learn so many new things and make so many wonderful friends. You were so brave getting on the bus this morning...you didn't cry, you didn't even look scared. It was as if you had been doing it for years. I cannot believe that you're already in school -- you are growing up so fast. But, we are going to have so much fun this year!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy and Emma

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Kindergarten!

Olivia @ her locker!

The new student!

In her classroom

Classes officially start Monday!

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

A milestone

Today, at 2:30 p.m., Olivia is graduating from preschool!

Olivia. Graduating. From preschool.

I just want to know one thing: where in the world did the last five years go? How is it that my baby, my first born is starting kindergarten in August?!?

I will post more after the ceremony (and, after I stop crying).

Thursday, November 06, 2008

A reflection on history

Dear Olivia & Emma,

Something truly amazing and wonderful happened two nights ago - America elected its first African-American president. This is a moment in history that I am preserving for you both - by collecting newspaper front pages, magazine covers and news stories about this day. It is the step forward that we as a country needed to take in order to finally put behind us the years of racial divide in our country.

You are both too young to understand why this is so important or why it means so much to so many. To you, Barack Obama was just a man on TV who was running for president - you are too young to understand what that means. Soon enough though, you will both learn the history of our country and will come to know words such as slavery and civil rights - and then you will, I hope, truly understand why this is such an historic moment for the United States.

Knowing (hoping) that this year was going historical, I made it a point last month to take you both to see Barack Obama at a rally here in Toledo. Olivia, you were very excited. You listened to his speech and even picked out a "Kids 4 Obama" T-shirt after the rally. Emma, you were still too young to understand...and ended up sleeping through the rally. But we have pictures to prove that you were both there.

Olivia, you spent the last few weeks before the election writing "Obama" on pieces of paper and drawing pictures of Sen (President-elect) Obama. My favorite picture is when you drew him with a purple crayon and then made him wear a green suit. A classic piece of art. You walked around the house yelling "Obama! Joe Biden!" And on election day Olivia, you said you wanted to vote for Obama. You have no idea how proud I was of you at that moment.

It makes me so happy to know that because of this election it is possible that you will both grow up in a world where race is no longer something we focus on with such intensity. My hope is that as you grow, everyone of every race, gender, creed and sexual orientation will finally be treated as true equals. My hope is that by the time you are both old enough to vote, we will have elected women presidents and Hispanic presidents and openly gay presidents and that FINALLY there will no longer be glass ceilings to be broken or racial barriers to be torn down. I want you to grow up in a world where you KNOW without any doubt that everyone is created equally and where everyone is treated as such.

I want you both to know that I cried on election night. I was the only one still awake at our house and as I sat on the couch, surrounded by my cell phone, laptop and a small pile of Halloween candy, I cried tears of joy and celebration. Joy because I knew that this election brought with it a new world of change and possibility for everyone, regardless of what color state you lived in or what ticket you voted. Celebration because at 11 p.m. EST the American dream was finally realized.

Love,
mama

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Funny Emma

Driving the girls home from daycare today I had the minivan windows rolled down -- no a/c today, it's too NICE outside.

Suddenly from the backseat I hear Emma cracking up.

I quickly glance back to see what is so funny and see that she's laughing AT THE WIND.

Yes, the wind.

As it blew through the windows and over her face and hair she found great humor in it all.

It was so pure and so lovely.

I think we should all find humor in simple things that like.