Maybe I've been too caught up in politics lately or maybe it's because this was such an emotional election or maybe I'm just hormonal, but some of these photos are so poignant I tear up when looking at them.
From 52 to 48, with love
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Parent-Teacher Conferences
We'll start with Samuel since I met with his teacher on Tuesday morning. She showed me more examples of his work. As at the first meeting with her, his work runs the gamut from a page with faint scribbles to a page with near-perfect writing. Again, I'm not worried about his cognitive abilities because he obviously gets it. So we are still focusing on occupational therapy, sensory issues and now adding speech therapy for stuttering.
Samuel started stuttering around the beginning of this year (calendar year, not school year) and I ignored it. Solomon and Miriam both stuttered for a couple of months at the same age but it passed and they've had no problems since. But Samuel's stuttering has continued and it's getting worse, not better. For the last part of my conference with Samuel's teacher, the speech pathologist joined us and outlined what she'll be doing with Samuel twice a week. She said he doesn't show signs of having a physiological problem and since there isn't a family history of stuttering, she's encouraged that he'll move past this eventually.
Samuel went to speech for the first time yesterday. He loved it and he was so proud of himself. When I picked him up yesterday evening, he showed off his sticker and said, "I went to speech today and I did awesome!" I'm sad that Samuel is struggling with things like this, but I am so grateful that there are qualified people to help him. These plans are really encouraging.
I met with Solomon's teacher on Wednesday evening. I expected to hear good things about him since he was selected for the High Flyer Award last month; I was not disappointed. Solomon is advanced in math. He's a logical thinker and his teacher said he's one of the few in her class that can explain why he does math problems the way he does.
Solomon is still behind in reading and spelling but he's improving, thanks to ELA services every day for 20 minutes. Because he is behind in reading, there is an individualized plan for him to focus on the areas where he needs the most help. The goal is to get him to grade level by February when he takes the Colorado standardized test. Also, since he is below grade level, his teacher has had it approved for him to take the tests for shorter time periods and to give him more time overall to complete sections of the test. She has noticed that he gets anxious during tests when he can't get things finished on time so this should remove that stress.
Solomon's teacher said he is well-liked by his peers and she really enjoys having him in her class. I can't tell you how happy I was to hear this because I've been certain before that Solomon's teachers haven't always enjoyed having him in their classes. No one has been ungracious about it, but he has definitely been The Challenge more often than not.
I met with Miriam's teacher on Thursday night. She said that Miriam is doing very well. She was slightly below grade level in math at the beginning of the year and is now at grade level. She was at grade level in reading and reading comprehension when school started and now she's off the reading grading scale. This is so awesome and it's even better because Miriam actually loves to read.
The teacher showed me a couple of narratives that Miriam wrote. They are so great. She wrote and illustrated one about us finding a dead snake in the parking lot while we walked to the park. She's so funny and gross.
I love these kids.
Samuel started stuttering around the beginning of this year (calendar year, not school year) and I ignored it. Solomon and Miriam both stuttered for a couple of months at the same age but it passed and they've had no problems since. But Samuel's stuttering has continued and it's getting worse, not better. For the last part of my conference with Samuel's teacher, the speech pathologist joined us and outlined what she'll be doing with Samuel twice a week. She said he doesn't show signs of having a physiological problem and since there isn't a family history of stuttering, she's encouraged that he'll move past this eventually.
Samuel went to speech for the first time yesterday. He loved it and he was so proud of himself. When I picked him up yesterday evening, he showed off his sticker and said, "I went to speech today and I did awesome!" I'm sad that Samuel is struggling with things like this, but I am so grateful that there are qualified people to help him. These plans are really encouraging.
I met with Solomon's teacher on Wednesday evening. I expected to hear good things about him since he was selected for the High Flyer Award last month; I was not disappointed. Solomon is advanced in math. He's a logical thinker and his teacher said he's one of the few in her class that can explain why he does math problems the way he does.
Solomon is still behind in reading and spelling but he's improving, thanks to ELA services every day for 20 minutes. Because he is behind in reading, there is an individualized plan for him to focus on the areas where he needs the most help. The goal is to get him to grade level by February when he takes the Colorado standardized test. Also, since he is below grade level, his teacher has had it approved for him to take the tests for shorter time periods and to give him more time overall to complete sections of the test. She has noticed that he gets anxious during tests when he can't get things finished on time so this should remove that stress.
Solomon's teacher said he is well-liked by his peers and she really enjoys having him in her class. I can't tell you how happy I was to hear this because I've been certain before that Solomon's teachers haven't always enjoyed having him in their classes. No one has been ungracious about it, but he has definitely been The Challenge more often than not.
I met with Miriam's teacher on Thursday night. She said that Miriam is doing very well. She was slightly below grade level in math at the beginning of the year and is now at grade level. She was at grade level in reading and reading comprehension when school started and now she's off the reading grading scale. This is so awesome and it's even better because Miriam actually loves to read.
The teacher showed me a couple of narratives that Miriam wrote. They are so great. She wrote and illustrated one about us finding a dead snake in the parking lot while we walked to the park. She's so funny and gross.
I love these kids.
Things Are Good
And by things, I mean the things that make up my life at the moment: children, home, work and friends. I don't mean Things, as in extra stuff. I'm not a stuff person; stuff gets in the way, clutters my space and gets on my nerves. So, not that kind of Things.
The election is over and I'm obviously happy with the turn out. We're back on Standard Time, which I prefer. Winter is coming and there is snow on the ground (Yay!). Thanksgiving with its delicious food and great family time is a mere 12 days away. And I have someone to cover my spot the Monday after Thanksgiving so we can take our time driving back. After that comes Christmas and our very first family tree.
We had parent-teacher conferences this week. I got great reports on all 3 kids (more about that later). We attended the book fair and got some new books for everyone. We have a 3-day weekend and slept in this morning. There is a birthday party to attend tomorrow and then the kids will spend the night with their cousins and uncle. Jennifer and I are going downtown for a girls' night out with friends. Next weekend is family movie night at the school and we'll go in our pajamas to watch Wall-E. I'm getting involved with the school, volunteering for the kids' teachers and helping the school nurse on my day off.
I've managed to stay on top of the dishes and laundry for 2 straight weeks. Actually, if you count the 2 weeks the kids were gone, I've managed this for 4 weeks -- a month! I'm making myself unload the dishwasher when it finishes running so I can re-load it after each meal instead of piling dishes in the sink. I'm making myself hang up clothes straight from the dryer instead of piling them in the armchair in the living room. And I'm folding the things in the basket when it gets full instead of letting it overflow until it threatens to bury me in an avalanche of clothing.
The office is moving its location as I write this and that means my daily round-trip commute will be chopped from 50 minutes to 14 minutes, beginning Monday. I get to unpack and organize a beautiful office space on Sunday. Parking will be excellent, our office is on the first floor instead of the third. Our windows have a 180 degree view of the Rockies instead of a dismal parking lot and a congested interstate. We have plenty of storage for supplies, bigger exam rooms and uncluttered desk space.
So, yeah. Things are good. I'm going to savor this because history tells me it won't last forever and I'll need this good feeling to get me through the next low point.
The election is over and I'm obviously happy with the turn out. We're back on Standard Time, which I prefer. Winter is coming and there is snow on the ground (Yay!). Thanksgiving with its delicious food and great family time is a mere 12 days away. And I have someone to cover my spot the Monday after Thanksgiving so we can take our time driving back. After that comes Christmas and our very first family tree.
We had parent-teacher conferences this week. I got great reports on all 3 kids (more about that later). We attended the book fair and got some new books for everyone. We have a 3-day weekend and slept in this morning. There is a birthday party to attend tomorrow and then the kids will spend the night with their cousins and uncle. Jennifer and I are going downtown for a girls' night out with friends. Next weekend is family movie night at the school and we'll go in our pajamas to watch Wall-E. I'm getting involved with the school, volunteering for the kids' teachers and helping the school nurse on my day off.
I've managed to stay on top of the dishes and laundry for 2 straight weeks. Actually, if you count the 2 weeks the kids were gone, I've managed this for 4 weeks -- a month! I'm making myself unload the dishwasher when it finishes running so I can re-load it after each meal instead of piling dishes in the sink. I'm making myself hang up clothes straight from the dryer instead of piling them in the armchair in the living room. And I'm folding the things in the basket when it gets full instead of letting it overflow until it threatens to bury me in an avalanche of clothing.
The office is moving its location as I write this and that means my daily round-trip commute will be chopped from 50 minutes to 14 minutes, beginning Monday. I get to unpack and organize a beautiful office space on Sunday. Parking will be excellent, our office is on the first floor instead of the third. Our windows have a 180 degree view of the Rockies instead of a dismal parking lot and a congested interstate. We have plenty of storage for supplies, bigger exam rooms and uncluttered desk space.
So, yeah. Things are good. I'm going to savor this because history tells me it won't last forever and I'll need this good feeling to get me through the next low point.
A Pomegranate and Giggles
I had a nice moment with my daughter this week. The boys were off somewhere in the house doing boy stuff while Miriam and I sat at the table peeling a pomegranate. It was her first time to try pomegranate seeds and I wasn't sure she'd like them. It's an awful lot of work for a tiny bit of sweetness. But she loved them.
So we sat and talked and peeled and ate. We talked about school, family, our trip to Arkansas in a couple of weeks. We talked about her friends and my work. We talked about the pending arrival of her half-sibling and how she hopes it's a girl because she really wants a sister. I told her how much I love her and how happy I am that she's my daughter. We told each other jokes and giggled ourselves silly.
It's hard to come by these moments. So often the minutiae of life get in the way and I forget that life is made of these moments, not paying the bills or maneuvering traffic or buying groceries. I'm going to make a point of letting these moments happen more frequently.
So we sat and talked and peeled and ate. We talked about school, family, our trip to Arkansas in a couple of weeks. We talked about her friends and my work. We talked about the pending arrival of her half-sibling and how she hopes it's a girl because she really wants a sister. I told her how much I love her and how happy I am that she's my daughter. We told each other jokes and giggled ourselves silly.
It's hard to come by these moments. So often the minutiae of life get in the way and I forget that life is made of these moments, not paying the bills or maneuvering traffic or buying groceries. I'm going to make a point of letting these moments happen more frequently.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
The Bigger Picture
I'm still at something of a loss. My words cannot adequately express what this election has meant, and will mean, to me. In the moments after the election was called I posted the entry 2 below this one. I said that it was over. But really, it's just beginning.
President-Elect Obama has a very long, difficult road ahead of him. Our economy is swirling the drain, a long war has looked even longer until now and we're facing an energy crisis of epic proportions. Presidential expectations have never been higher. Add to that the high level of divisiveness that was involved in this campaign and the threats against his life and the result is an extremely unenviable position.
I have every confidence in Barack Obama as a leader. His acceptance speech struck the right balance of hope for the future and humility in the moment. This man had the opportunity to make this election about himself, on a night that was truly momentous; he chose instead to focus on the people of this country. He spoke directly to us, not mincing words about the obstacles that lay ahead. He extended his support to those that opposed him and humbly asked for their support in return. This is a man worthy of our respect, regardless of party affiliation.
No one knows exactly what will happen in the next 4 years. It will be slow going, but progress will be made. Our new leader possesses a self-assurance and a coolness that will make him level-headed when the tough decisions need to be made. We can count on him to make rational decisions, as opposed to emotional decisions. This country desperately needs a large dose of rationality. I am so grateful that we will get it now.
President-Elect Obama has a very long, difficult road ahead of him. Our economy is swirling the drain, a long war has looked even longer until now and we're facing an energy crisis of epic proportions. Presidential expectations have never been higher. Add to that the high level of divisiveness that was involved in this campaign and the threats against his life and the result is an extremely unenviable position.
I have every confidence in Barack Obama as a leader. His acceptance speech struck the right balance of hope for the future and humility in the moment. This man had the opportunity to make this election about himself, on a night that was truly momentous; he chose instead to focus on the people of this country. He spoke directly to us, not mincing words about the obstacles that lay ahead. He extended his support to those that opposed him and humbly asked for their support in return. This is a man worthy of our respect, regardless of party affiliation.
No one knows exactly what will happen in the next 4 years. It will be slow going, but progress will be made. Our new leader possesses a self-assurance and a coolness that will make him level-headed when the tough decisions need to be made. We can count on him to make rational decisions, as opposed to emotional decisions. This country desperately needs a large dose of rationality. I am so grateful that we will get it now.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
The Nuts & Bolts of My Election Day
I have put off writing about this because I don't know what to say. In the moment, the enormity paralyzed my words. I'm still at a loss but if I don't start writing soon, I'll begin to forget and that is the last thing I want to do. So I will start with the beginning.
I refused to sign up for a mail in ballot and didn't really want to go to early voting, either. I like the ceremony of waiting in line, showing my ID, signing on the dotted line and curtaining myself in a booth. It's both solemn and exhilarating for me. I knew that to avoid waiting in line for hours I'd have to be in line before my polling place opened.
The kids and I left home at 6:30 AM to go to their school, which is my polling place. I took my place in line and there were about 20 people ahead of me already. By the time the required hour of 7:00 AM arrived, the line was beginning to snake around the school building. The kids played on the playground until the line moved inside. Solomon went to choir and the other two went with me to vote.
I knew the ballot would be extensive due the large number of proposed amendments this year. I had prepared a cheat sheet of sorts for myself from the voter's guide so I didn't have to read through all the amendments in the booth. Still, when I stepped into the booth, my stomach flipped at the sight of a page about 2 1/2 feet by 2 feet. I didn't know where to start. I finally recognized an amendment number in the middle of the page and pressed the appropriate button. I breezed through the rest of the amendments and then realized I hadn't voted for a single person yet. So I went back to the top of the page and pressed the buttons for the offices of President, Senate, House of Representatives and a couple of local races. Then I triple-checked all of my lit buttons and finally pressed the submission button.
We left the gym and I dropped off Samuel and Miriam in the cafeteria to eat (another) breakfast. Then I remembered that I hadn't gotten an "I Voted!" sticker. Yes, I'm a voting dork, I like the booth and I want that sticker. So I went back for my sticker.
On my way out of the school I called Jennifer to celebrate voting and got all choked up on the phone. I ran into a guy from the campaign office and he asked me if I was going to help out. I really wanted to be helping at the polls but I had to work. He asked me who I voted for and we both burst out laughing.
I stopped at Starbucks for my free coffee. I told the barista that I had just voted and showed my sticker. She yelled out, "Hey! She just voted!" and everyone cheered. The girl passing out samples of the Peppermint Mocha with a Twist complimented the back of my car. She said that she really liked the stickers, even though "I'm 'technically' neutral. But I really, really like your bumper stickers."
When I got to work another nurse was hooking up a tiny portable television so we could keep up with the news during the day. That turned out not to work so well since we could only tune in to The Price is Right. We ended up leaving the back computer on MSNBC all day to listen to the live feed, which wasn't very interesting.
During the day, it was pretty easy to forget what a monumental day it was. I was too busy to be nervous. But once it got to be 5:00 and polls closed on the East Coast, I started to feel funny. I rushed to pick up the kids and we ate a quick dinner in the car on the way to Ben & Jerry's. I got a free scoop for voting and the kiddos each picked a flavor, too. We sat in the food court and watched the returns on a massive television hanging over our heads.
I tried to explain to the kids what all the figures and calculations meant. Somehow the electoral process with its popular vote versus electoral vote escaped them. All they cared about was that Obama was definitely in the lead. Really, that's all I cared about, too.
When we got home the kids finished their homework and started getting ready for bed. I was pretty useless as a supervisory figure since all I could do was sit on the couch and watch the returns. I did manage to tuck in Miriam and Samuel and get Solomon into the shower. When I made it back to the living room, there was a picture of Barack Obama on the screen and a headline reading, "Barack Obama Elected 44th President of the United States."
I got chills and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. So I did both. I sat on the couch, in shock. Dad sent me a congratulatory text message and Jennifer called 5 seconds later. Solomon came out of the bathroom and asked me what was wrong. I told him that nothing was wrong, that Obama will be our next president. He whooped and ran to their bedroom to tell his siblings. They were already half-asleep and didn't care.
Solomon sat with me on the couch. He said he wanted to stay up and see Obama's victory speech. I wasn't going to tell him no during such an historic moment. So we snuggled together and he fell asleep in my lap half way through the speech.
I finally went to bed, relieved and also half afraid that I'd wake up in the morning to hear that there was a mess of hanging chads and voter disenfranchisment somewhere in the country. It was a great day and I hope I never forget it.
I refused to sign up for a mail in ballot and didn't really want to go to early voting, either. I like the ceremony of waiting in line, showing my ID, signing on the dotted line and curtaining myself in a booth. It's both solemn and exhilarating for me. I knew that to avoid waiting in line for hours I'd have to be in line before my polling place opened.
The kids and I left home at 6:30 AM to go to their school, which is my polling place. I took my place in line and there were about 20 people ahead of me already. By the time the required hour of 7:00 AM arrived, the line was beginning to snake around the school building. The kids played on the playground until the line moved inside. Solomon went to choir and the other two went with me to vote.
I knew the ballot would be extensive due the large number of proposed amendments this year. I had prepared a cheat sheet of sorts for myself from the voter's guide so I didn't have to read through all the amendments in the booth. Still, when I stepped into the booth, my stomach flipped at the sight of a page about 2 1/2 feet by 2 feet. I didn't know where to start. I finally recognized an amendment number in the middle of the page and pressed the appropriate button. I breezed through the rest of the amendments and then realized I hadn't voted for a single person yet. So I went back to the top of the page and pressed the buttons for the offices of President, Senate, House of Representatives and a couple of local races. Then I triple-checked all of my lit buttons and finally pressed the submission button.
We left the gym and I dropped off Samuel and Miriam in the cafeteria to eat (another) breakfast. Then I remembered that I hadn't gotten an "I Voted!" sticker. Yes, I'm a voting dork, I like the booth and I want that sticker. So I went back for my sticker.
On my way out of the school I called Jennifer to celebrate voting and got all choked up on the phone. I ran into a guy from the campaign office and he asked me if I was going to help out. I really wanted to be helping at the polls but I had to work. He asked me who I voted for and we both burst out laughing.
I stopped at Starbucks for my free coffee. I told the barista that I had just voted and showed my sticker. She yelled out, "Hey! She just voted!" and everyone cheered. The girl passing out samples of the Peppermint Mocha with a Twist complimented the back of my car. She said that she really liked the stickers, even though "I'm 'technically' neutral. But I really, really like your bumper stickers."
When I got to work another nurse was hooking up a tiny portable television so we could keep up with the news during the day. That turned out not to work so well since we could only tune in to The Price is Right. We ended up leaving the back computer on MSNBC all day to listen to the live feed, which wasn't very interesting.
During the day, it was pretty easy to forget what a monumental day it was. I was too busy to be nervous. But once it got to be 5:00 and polls closed on the East Coast, I started to feel funny. I rushed to pick up the kids and we ate a quick dinner in the car on the way to Ben & Jerry's. I got a free scoop for voting and the kiddos each picked a flavor, too. We sat in the food court and watched the returns on a massive television hanging over our heads.
I tried to explain to the kids what all the figures and calculations meant. Somehow the electoral process with its popular vote versus electoral vote escaped them. All they cared about was that Obama was definitely in the lead. Really, that's all I cared about, too.
When we got home the kids finished their homework and started getting ready for bed. I was pretty useless as a supervisory figure since all I could do was sit on the couch and watch the returns. I did manage to tuck in Miriam and Samuel and get Solomon into the shower. When I made it back to the living room, there was a picture of Barack Obama on the screen and a headline reading, "Barack Obama Elected 44th President of the United States."
I got chills and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. So I did both. I sat on the couch, in shock. Dad sent me a congratulatory text message and Jennifer called 5 seconds later. Solomon came out of the bathroom and asked me what was wrong. I told him that nothing was wrong, that Obama will be our next president. He whooped and ran to their bedroom to tell his siblings. They were already half-asleep and didn't care.
Solomon sat with me on the couch. He said he wanted to stay up and see Obama's victory speech. I wasn't going to tell him no during such an historic moment. So we snuggled together and he fell asleep in my lap half way through the speech.
I finally went to bed, relieved and also half afraid that I'd wake up in the morning to hear that there was a mess of hanging chads and voter disenfranchisment somewhere in the country. It was a great day and I hope I never forget it.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Three Weeks!
I looked at a calendar today and realized that it's just 3 weeks until I will start packing up for our Thanksgiving trip! I can't believe it's so close!
And after that, Christmas is just a month away. I can't wait for Christmas. We're going to have a tree for the first time ever. But that is another post for another time ...
Three weeks!
And after that, Christmas is just a month away. I can't wait for Christmas. We're going to have a tree for the first time ever. But that is another post for another time ...
Three weeks!
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