September Stuff

This hot air balloon has been taking daily trips right over our house! The girls love it! We can actually hear the air fill the balloon.



Now that I am no longer Allie's teacher, we had a slumber party! She ended up having a chemo treatment that morning, but still wanted to come and we had a great time. We all went to bed early (which was a great thing!) I tried to plan some fun things for all of us to do together. We made mice out of ice cream with licorice tails, M&M eyes, and cookie ears. We went hiking at the bird sanctuary, decorated pumpkins with paint and yarn, and made up songs on the piano and guitar. She enjoyed the girls as much as they enjoyed her. I also taught her how to play Skip-Bo, one of my favorite card games!




Zoe cried for the first time about getting on the school bus Monday morning. She was crying because she almost missed it! This little girl LOVES school! We were running about 5 minutes behind schedule and Mr. Heather went to check on the bus and it was sitting at the end of our driveway! So we went a little crazy and Zoe didn't know what was going on and wanted to finish brushing her teeth. She just froze, so I grabbed her and carried her through the house and down the driveway, then realized how crazy I must look to the bus driver so I put Zoe down on her feet and yanked the toothbrush out of her hand while she's crying and wailing and Mr. Heather is guiding her up the steps! (The bus driver told us the next day that she gave her a Kleenex and she stopped crying after 2 minutes.) She came bouncing home thrilled with her day!



Here's a picture of Sammy from just today! I was busy working on the garage when I looked up and saw this! I immediately ran for my camera. Mr. Heather wasn't very amused.

Notice the one piggy tail up and one down. That's "the look" for 2 year olds right now. Very chic!

Timbit-Sized Happiness

Here's a picture for you: Sammy showing enjoying the TimBits I brought back from a business trip. Her daddy was pretty happy with his large canister of coffee too! Zoe had her own box, but I didn't get a picture of her shoving TimBits while reaching for another one (although she's been known to do that!)

It's the little things that make life so sweet!

Michelle Obama & Sarah Palin & 21st Century Woman

Politics. OK, I'm back at it. It's hard to stay away. Here's the deal. Several things recently happened that prompted me to write this. I'm not even sure where to begin!

When discussing Sarah Palin at a family get-together, it was mentioned that someone would not support Palin (that's not important) because she was a working mother (that is important). I'll tell you right up front, I'm not voting for Palin, BUT not because she's a mom! Or a mom with a large family. Or a mom with a small baby. Or a mom with baby with Down's Syndrome. We can't limit women to being professionals, even Vice President of the United States. No one told JFK that he shouldn't become President because he had small children. This is the double-edged sword that I'm referring to...we can't say or judge Sarah by setting up parameters of motherhood and working women. Individual women need to set their own parameters. They know what they can handle, what they can commit. I love my children dearly, but I'd go crazy not working outside the home. I love my work. I love my time with adults. And most importantly, I love coming home to my family!

On another occasion to the theater with a group of people, someone mentioned that their daughter had to work late due to an internal problem at the office. She goes in at 7 and comes home at 9. Another person said, "Those kids need their mother!" Let's evaluate the situation. The children are at home with their father who is extremely capable & competent at giving them baths, reading them stories, tucking them into bed, and kissing them goodnight. This isn't a daily occurence. This is a mom that is working through a problem at work. She spends quality time with her kids. It's OK that Dad takes over. In fact, I think it's commendable!

I've run across this myself time after time. When the children are home with Mr. Heather they are just as happy, safe, and secure as they are with me. Yes, they need their mom, but they need their dad too!

I think Michelle Obama hit it right on the head in her & Barack's interview with Ladies Home Journal: "I think it's a unit that raises a child....There's no reason why the nurturing has to come from Mom-it just has to be there." Hopefully, Sarah has her husband to provide that for their children. I wish Palin all the luck in the world, but I'm voting for Obama!

Shared parenting works for us!

Zoe's First Days of School!

You ought to see this girl run up those steps and hop on board! She just LOVES it the whole thing: the bus, her teacher, lunch in the cafeteria, her book bag, folder, etc!

My eyes still get "bright" every time that bus pulls away from the curb, but she's doing great! I'm really happy for her! (Sob, sob!)

90210

I watched my first TV show of the new season! Keep in mind that I watch mostly reruns, HATE reality shows, and haven't been loyal to a series since Friends, Fraiser, and Ally McBeal went off the air. Before kids & during my summer months off, I vaguely recall watching 90210 marathons! (Do I really fess up to that?)

Anybody else catch the season premiere? And why is is that the "mom/aunt" from Full House looks better now then she did 20 years ago?