Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Doll House Debacle
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Snow Day!!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
My "Where Were You?" Moment
My parents had "Where were you when JFK was assassinated?" and "Where were you when the Neil Armstrong landed on the moon?" Up until now, I've been wondering what big event would lead to people asking "Where were you..." and this is it, the inauguration of Barack Obama. Unfortunately, I will have to answer, "Sitting on my couch." If I thought for a second we wouldn't lose one of the kids, or have one of them trampled in a stampede, or lose a toe to frostbite, I'd reconsider going downtown.... but we will all witness this historical moment from the warm comfort of our home, which many think is smarter but I can't believe I live 45 minutes from DC and am not going to be on the mall watching it in person.
A lot of people are making a huge deal that Obama is the first African American president. I don't pay attention to the race factor. I think he's a family man. I saw an interview with his wife and was really impressed that he called his girls and read to them over the phone, and talked to them at bedtime each night from the campaign trail. That really got me. And I thought well, if he cares that much about his own family and his children, he will definitely have me and my family's best interest at the heart of his policies. A lot of people might laugh that off and think how contrived that interview was, but I can't be that cynical. Listening to him speak (which a lot of people think is just fluff) I felt all those innocent ideals from childhood where you think you can be anything when you grow up, and one person really can make a difference, and people working together makes our nation great.
With a potential crowd of 2 million for the Inauguration, we ultimately decided to stay away. The media has done a great job of scaring the locals away. Roads are closed, bridges are closed, the metro stations don't have unlimited parking... ok, we get it, you don't want us down there! But, on Sunday for the Inauguration Opening Ceremony if you will, the crowd was projected to be only 500,000 roughly the size of the average 4th of July. My parents offered to come up and babysit Claire for the day so we decided to take Ryan and Katie down for the concert. What a day it was!
The capital building looked beautiful all dressed up for the big ceremony! We were standing as close as the best case scenario for a person who has a ticket for the swearing in... the average Joe Schmoe would be standing 2 blocks farther away probably cranning to see a glimpse on a jumbotron somewhere.
Looks like someone was slacking off in the security department.... there were rows and rows of these metal barricades stacked up along the streets. What are they waiting for? Aren't there a few hundred people to barricade?The first thing we had to do was stock up on our Obama gear! Ryan picked out a T-shirt and a few buttons for his collection, and Katie loved this hat! Everyone was high-fiving her all day. It was a very friendly crowd!
We had a nice little picnic while we waited for the concert to begin near the Lincoln Memorial. Not too crowded... we can handle this! But slowly the crowd began encroaching on our picnic space...
I was struggling to hold Katie up so she could see the jumbotron. She was just as eager to use the binoculars to watch this guy climb a tree near us (we were all waiting for him to fall out). Soon, she felt like she weighed a hundred pounds and I looked and she had fallen asleep! She lasted all day and then conked out right at the start of the concert!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
When did I sign up for this job??
Thursday, January 15, 2009
These are a Few of My Favorite Things...
Monday, January 12, 2009
Pat-a-Cake
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Out of the Mouths of Babes
Monday, January 5, 2009
The Great '08
7. Speaking of the beach house, we had lots of good times playing with the cousins and soaking up the sun in Emerald Isle AND Rodanthe this summer. Too many to name just one favorite, but Ryan and Katie learning to surf really stands out in my mind...
4. Katie loved performing in 2 ballet recitals this year, and going on stage as a "Guest Conductor" for the Fairfax symphony orchestra at a performance we went to this summer. Destined for stardom...
2. I think I'll note this as the year Ryan became obsessed with sports. He loved T-ball and Soccer and we went to several hockey games that he talked about all the time, especially the guys that fight and slam each other into the walls! And if there was a football in the room, he needed to be throwing it! At restaurants, he always managed to find a tv with a football game playing and would totally zone out watching it. He can't wait to play football, and he is not interested in flag football at all- he wants to tackle and body slam and will have penalties on every play!
What a huge undertaking to narrow it down to only 10! I could have gone on forever, it was so fun taking a trip down memory lane! I can't believe Niagara Falls wasn't on this list! That is one of my favorite places to go! It would have definitely been on the list, but this was a compilation and the kids had some priorities that they could not let go! I also would have had to include Katie's tea party birthday... what a sweet day for my little girl! And the joy Ryan has found through his research and study of the presidents including all the campaign coverage and historical election is another big memory for me! So I guess we'll call this my top 13!!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy 2009!
Inspired by my friend Annie, I am going to spend the year searching labels and NOT purchase anything MADE IN CHINA. Lots of luck, right? Hmmm, I think it can be done, it will just take a little work. A quick google search brought back lots of results of others who have done this little experiment and I am intrigued.
I don't claim to know anything about the trade industry or global economy or what federal regulations are in place regarding imports. And I don't mean to pick on China, I'm sure it's a beautiful country and I'd love to see the Great Wall someday, or see a panda living in the wild. I think far too many american jobs are outsourced for the cheap labor, and while our unemployment rate soars, other countries are thriving leaving us dependent on foreign imports. China in particular has been connected with using toxins in dog food, and lead paint on my son's Thomas the Train set, and rohypnol in my daughter's Aqua Dots. That's 3 members of my family they have tried to kill, so I now embark on my own private boycott of their imports. Maybe 1 person can make a difference.