Beautiful Moments

 

Last night I took Grant to his soccer game.  While I was driving to the game I reached my hand out for Grant to hand me something, I can't remember what.  Instead of handing it to me, he put his little 10-year-old hand in mine and just held on. 

That was a BEAUTIFUL MOMENT.

The sky at the soccer field and the view of the mountains, while I watched the game, were also beautiful.

I'm so grateful for all the beautiful moments in my life.

Patriot Day

I snuck out early to take Rosie on a walk before the hustle and bustle of the morning started and I noticed my neighbor putting out his flag.  Patriot Day.  I told him that seeing the flag made me happy and sad all at the same time.  I have such vivid memories of that 9-11 morning.  I was a sophomore at BYU living in Sherwood Arms apartments with my cousin Emily and our roommates Chelsy, Shannon, Lisa, and Faith. I was having breakfast and getting ready to head up to campus when my Aunt Sharon called to tell us to turn on the news.  We turned on our tiny tv and were shocked to see that a plane had crashed into a skyscraper in NYC. I'm embarrassed to admit it but I had never been to NYC before and I didn't know what the twin towers were.  I felt a little numb and confused but at that point I didn't feel scared.  I watched as long as I could before I had to leave for my class.  I assumed I would learn more about what was going on on campus and that we would talk about it or at least watch more news footage in my class...but when I got there my professor said that terrorists are trying to disrupt lives and cause fear and so the best thing we could do was proceed with class as usual.  I totally disagreed and couldn't wait for class to end so I could get in front of a tv screen or computer to find out more.  I don't remember if I was watching when the second tower was hit or how much news I watched.   But I remember that as the morning went on I began to feel real fear.  I was confident BYU tucked away in Provo, Utah was an extremely unlikely target...but the idea that we had been attacked, in our own country, something that hadn't happened since Pearl Harbor in 1941 during a time of world war...really upset me.  

They called a special assembly in the Marriott Center for all BYU students and magically I found my brother Adam and his girlfriend Jenny and I felt SO much comfort being with my brother.  I don't remember what was said at the meeting or what I did the rest the day, although I'm pretty sure I watched the news the rest of the day. 

 

I felt so unsettled and wondered what was going to happen next.  Would we go to war?  Were more attacks coming?  I also remember feeling a huge amount of American Pride.  Everyone was buying American flags and hanging them out as a sign of solidarity...and perhaps hope.

  I didn't hear him say it at the time but Mr. Rogers said in an interview that in times of crisis and destruction, his mother had taught him to look for the helpers...because they would always be there.  Horrible things happen...but there are always people who are trying to come to the rescue and to make it better.  The firefighters running into collapsing and burning buildings, random bystanders helping, comforting, and carrying people to safety. 

 As the news stories continued on and on over the next several months, I was so touched by the incredible stories of bravery, courage and compassion amidst so much terror.  I hope that in my own small way I can always be one of the "helpers."  I feel certain that everyday people are in need of "helpers" to comfort and help them.  Even simple acts of kindness and charity can be so meaningful to someone who is feeling sad and lonely or down for any variety of reasons.  Going forward, 9-11 is going to be a reminder to me to be one of the helpers.  There is so much darkness and terror in the world, but there is also so much light and goodness too.  I want to always be one of the helpers.  I want to bring light.

Thanks Kids!

Dear Jack, Marian, Lucy, Grant, and Gracie, Mother's Day  was awesome!  Thank you for helping dad make a delicious breakfast.  Thank you Jack for setting the table so nicely.  Thank you Marian for making the hot chocolate extra chocolatey...just the way I like it!  Thank you Lucy for the pile of pictures and cards!  Thank you Grant for not breaking anything or throwing food during breakfast!  Thank you Gracie for singing "Happy Mother's Day to Mary" to the tune of Happy Birthday all morning long.  (but feel free to go back to calling me mom any time now!)

You are great kids and I'm pretty sure I don't tell you often enough how much I appreciate all the things you do!

Jack- thank you for taking out the trash EVERY.SINGLE. DAY.  You are such a good sport about it...even when the bathroom trash is overflowing with pull-ups and diapers!  So gross- so glad I don't have to do that!  Thank you!  Thank you for being a cheerful cello practicer most days and thank you for playing my favorite songs "French Folk Song" and "Rigadoon" whenever I ask.  Thank you for always telling me you love be before you leave for school and thank you for wanting to tell me about your day when you get home.  Thank you for being my guinea pig child and loving me even when I am a total nutcase!  Thank you for mastering the art of Macaroni and Cheese and your newest specialty...waffles!  Thank you for always pushing the cart when we go to Costco and for telling me riddles and jokes you made up.  Thank you for being the first to ask how you can help when things get hectic and thank you for loving maps like I do!  Finally, thank you for making me a mom!

Marian- thank you for having the world's best giggle,  If I could bottle one sound and have it forever it would be your giggle!  Thank you for being the most cautious tooth puller ever.  You have provided me with many nights of entertainment watching you coax your loose teeth out ever so slowly and gently!  Thank you for being so organized and being a good example to your brothers and sisters for what a clean room really looks like!  Thank you for being so brave!  I love watching you do your round-off back handsprings and I am in total shock that you are brave enough to do that!  On that note..thank you for having the biggest biceps on the littlest arms I ever did see!  Thank you for putting on dance concerts at night after we finish dishes!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE watching you dance around with your sisters!  Thank you for being a book worm!  You remind me of myself when I was your age and it is so fun to see you devour a stack of books every week!  Thank you for helping me pick out what clothes to wear when I go out on dates with dad and thank you for having such great style and for being the most fun shopping partner ever! 

Lucy- thank you for making me laugh every day!  Thank you for being the best big sister Grant and Gracie could ever ask for.  Thank you for playing "puppies" with them and getting them to follow you around and do whatever you ask.  It's the cutest and makes them so happy! Thank you for being so silly and for making the "dumb face" whenever I need to laugh.  Thank you for loving lipstick! Even though I can't find my own lipstick half the time I love seeing how excited you are to wear it!  Thank you for writing love notes to everyone all the time!  Thank you for using your signature phrase "you are cool and awesome" on every note you write.  It makes me smile every time I read it.  Thank you for being so excited to read.  I love listening to you read your Kindergarten baggie books and now the library  books you are starting to read too!  Thank you for being such a big BYU fan, it makes your dad so happy!  Thank you for texting uncle Rich and other random people in my contacts.  It gives me a good giggle to see all the emoji's you use!  Thank you for changing your clothes 10 times a day then checking in the mirror for approval each time...ok actually I don't really like that you do that- it drives me crazy but it's cute and it's so you and I don't want to forget that about you.

Grant- Thank you for being a three year old version of Evel Knievel.  Every day I get a front row seat to your death defying and destructive antics!  Thank you for loving to cuddle!  You always ask for me to "hold you" when I put you to bed and I LOVE to sit on the couch in your room and hold you as long as I can.  Thank you for being my early morning buddy!  No one else seems to want to get up at 6:00 am (myself included really) but it is nice to feel so wanted!  Thank you for being so friendly.  You have more adult friends at church than I do and it's because you are so much fun to be around. Thank you for having to most amazing dance moves.  Our after dinner dance parties would not be the same without your hip shakes and somersaults. Finally thank you for miraculously having made it this far without any broken bones or even stitches.  You ride your scooter like an X-game competitor, launch yourself off of heights and into walls yet somehow you have managed to stay in one piece.  THANK YOU and keep it up!

Gracie- Thank you for being my little buddy. Whenever I am working on a project or cleaning the house you play quietly near me or just chat with me while I work.  Thank you for being a little mommy to Grant and keeping him in line...no easy task.  Thank you for being willing to drink out of cups that are not purple.  This is a recent development and has improved my quality of life drastically.  Thank you for sneaking off with my iphone to have your own private dance parties!  You have to sweetest little moves when you think no one is watching.  Thank you for being a rule follower when it comes to scooter rides.  I can always count on you to stay close by and not take off for the state border like other twins I know. Thank you for loving the gangster style Boston hat and insisting to wear it all the time.  Although I would prefer pigtails and bows, you look awesome in the hat and the fact that you love it SO much makes me smile. Thank you for singing the Daniel Tiger song about not losing your temper when your mom maybe...sometimes ...every once in a while ...might start to lose her cool.  Thank you for still falling asleep in my arms when I rock you in the rocking chair.  It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, it is the happiest magic I know.

Thanks kids for being the five people most likely to make me LOSE MY MIND while still managing to be my five favorite little people on earth.  I am so grateful to have you in my life and am so glad I get to be your mom.

Little Things

Lately I have been feeling the "totally overwhelmed mom" feelings.  I feel completely maxed out with all my responsibilities.  The fact that my biggest responsibilities are also my greatest blessings adds a bit of guilt into the mix.  It seems that from the minute I wake up to the minute I crash at night there is almost always someone needing to be fed, changed, comforted, bathed, dressed, disciplined, practiced with, loved, listened to, read to, tucked in, etc.. There is an endless amount of laundry and dishes to be done and for some reason  Cheerios for dinner just doesn't seem to cut it.  Some days it feels like there is non-stop fighting, teasing, bickering, whining, crying, complaining, and total dis-respect.  I realize that in the grand scheme of things these are happy problems to have and I am SO SO SO much happier being in this stage and not back in the bed-rest phase...but last week I was beginning to feel totally rundown.
5...or maybe 10 chocolate chip cookies helped a little,
a supportive friend and listener helped even more,
a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a frozen pizza for dinner from Chad helped a ton,
but surprisingly the thing that helped the most was when I happened to go through some pictures on my computer that I hadn't really looked at since I took them.  The saying
"the days are long but the years are short"
kept running through my head.  I realized that a midst all the chaos and craziness...I need to try to remember the little things that make raising children so special.  As I looked at the pictures...mostly from the summer, I decided that I want to do a better job of remembering those little things when I feel like my task is too big.

And really, I do not want to forget...

that thanks to her Great Grandma Marian, at age 5, my little Marian can make banana walnut bread by herself from scratch....seriously she does it all...chop, mix, bake and serve!

I want to remember that Jack and Marian don't always fight and terrorize each other
(and yes that is a rock in Jack's stroller)

Grant and Grace used to hold hands in the porta-crib together

Jack was a total nerd....for nerd day at school

My kids actually do enjoy being together!  (at least sometimes)

I want to remember that when Jack started scouts I thought he looked so handsome and grown up (and I was unreasonably proud of the fact that I sewed the patches onto his shirt all by myself!)

I don't want to forget that during lunch, Marian and Lucy dance around the kitchen singing and acting out the same "Standin' Tall" songs I used to sing and act out with my sisters.  Anyone remember "Welcome to the Land of Obey?

We only have one baby jumper...and Grace's feet can't reach the ground when it's at Grant's setting.

How cute are those toes?

It's too much of  a hassle to change the settings back and forth so we improvise...

She loves it

I don't want to forget that Lucy LOVES to play with the babies on the floor in the family room and they usually love it too.

As he as done with all our babies...Chad is obsessed with kissing their cheeks and telling me every five minutes that they are the most beautiful babies in the world.

When he's home....Chad almost always has at least one baby on or around him

I've heard that someday we won't have to buy diapers any more and so I guess someday I might forget that once a month the UPS guy would deliver a box the size of Jack filled with diapers and wet wipes....I guess I could forget that...but I doubt it.

I am a Child of God

This church video is a big favorite around here. Lucy requests to watch it ALL the TIME and it is so wonderful I am always happy to oblige her.  Enjoy!



p.s. 3 days and counting!

Trials

I just watched THIS video, and it was a much needed reminder to me that trials and adversity are often the catalyst to help us become who we really want to be...and who Heavenly Father knows we were meant to be.

Thank you

Just a quick thank you to the man we don't know, and doesn't know us, who unbeknownst to us volunteered in church last week to mow our lawn and then just showed up and started mowing last Wednesday night.  Thanks also for making Marian feel so special by stopping the mower to take time to kiss the picture she drew for you and then carefully folding it up and putting it in your pocket as if it were a treasure.

Thank you to my Aunt Barb and cousin Julia who showed up with McDonald's chicken nuggets and decorated cupcakes for dinner.  My kids thought they had died and gone to heaven.

Thank you to my "Boston Family" The Englunds for the beautiful flowers you sent

Thank you to the neighbor (who I haven't actually met) who just called and offered to put together a birthday party for Marian.  Apparently Marian has invited the neighborhood girls to her birthday party tomorrow...so fun...I had no idea!!  I wonder what Marian had planned on doing!  This super nice mom said she figured that there wasn't really a party since I was on bed rest but that she would be more than happy to throw Marian a party at her house tomorrow. How nice is that?  I told my neighbor that she didn't need to throw Marian a party but we would love to have her girls over for cake and ice cream tomorrow night.   We are doing family parties this year (which we have told Marian about several times) and for Marian's b-day activity Chad is surprising her (SHHHH) by taking her and Jack horse-back riding on Saturday.

Thank you to the other neighbor who brought me a box of "Sweet Tooth Fairy" treats to enjoy in bed.

Thank you to my mom's amazing next door neighbor Wendy (my next door neighbor too when I was growing up) who came over the week after I was put on bed rest armed with a bag full of delicious produce from her garden, home made bread and jam, and a listening ear belonging to someone who had been on long term bed rest with several of her own children.

Thank you babies for staying put! (Even though your nightly 11to midnight dance parties are keeping me awake, I actually love the re-assurance it gives me).

Thank you to my dear dear Boston friend Brianne who has been in my situation before, and calls me every week to encourage me and see how I am doing, even though I know it must bring back difficult memories for her.

Thank you to the next door neighbor who I could hear mowing his lawn a little bit ago...and now I can hear him mowing ours.

Thank you to my mom's friend Cynthia who called me last week to say she was coming over the next day because she had heard that our usual Tuesday helper was sick.  Thank you for vacuuming and not telling me my kids were poorly disciplined and out of control (when clearly they were) and for driving Marian to dance class, Jack to track, and stopping at the grocery store to buy things you noticed we were out of.

As always, a ginormous thank you to my weekly Angels (Megan, Liz, Anne, Heather, Grandma Jean, Alicia, Grandma Marian, Nina, Sonia, Evan and Linda, and Hillary) for doing for me and my family, what we can not do for ourselves!

THANK YOU!

Bed rest: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

4 weeks down (literally) and 12 (hopefully) to go till these babies have reached full term.

I keep getting lots of questions about how bed rest is going so here are my answers:

THE GOOD:

I have so many "Angels" that come in and help us with the kids, cleaning, and meals on a daily basis...that's another post all by itself.  The outpouring of love is overwhelming

It's working.  I've been to the Dr. twice since being put on bed rest and our prospects are really good!

It has given me time/forced me to reflect on what kind of wife and mother I really want to be.  And what really matters

I am getting lots of things done I NEVER would have otherwise

• read Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (for the second time)
• read Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (Fun read but I am not a fan of the Tiger mother mentality)
•  stitched 100's of stitches in a cross stitch- pictures coming soon.  It's pretty awesome
• made 2 scrapbooks 
• read more blog posts than I care to mention (was I the only person who didn't know about Nienie dialogues?)
• learned all about aeronautic history playing Geo-Safari with Jack
•  watched just about every Mormon Message video (they are awesome...you can watch them here)
• researched every baby name we are considering...multiple times
• shopped for my dream nursery bedding and decor on-line at Pottery Barn Kids.  I haven't ordered anything...yet. 
• praised Amazon prime daily.  Free shipping..love it.  Free streaming of Downton Abbey...life saver!
• decorated my living room, kitchen, and family room...in my head...several times.  It has become clear that I need to bring in a professional to help me pull it all together
• mastered the easy level of Sudoku
• played kids Bingo in bed with Lucy and Marian about 100 times

THE BAD:

Chad has to be Mr. Breadwinner by day and Mr. Mom by night...and late night...and early morning  (it's not bad because he's bad at it...but because that is a lot for just one person to do).  Single parents...HOW DO YOU DO IT?

I miss being the mom and doing the mom stuff like baths, walks, back to school night, pick up and drop offs at school, and running errands.  Boring stuff like that.  I really miss it.

I am no longer the supreme commander of our home.  That means that grocery shopping is done at Wal-mart (sigh), Lucy and Marian often take creative liberties in their clothing choices, kids aren't always super crisp and clean for church Sunday mornings, and Oreos, corn-dogs, and Mac n Cheese are now staples on weekends.

I miss feeling useful.  I know growing these babies is the most important thing for me to do...and no one else can do it.  But I do feel a bit like the concubine in Pearl S. Buck's "The Good Earth"  big lady, lounging around the house all day, demanding to be fed and cared for...while denying other people their personal needs...yep!  That's me.

I feel like my muscles are going into atrophy.  Some days I feel like I can see the pregnancy chub taking over any muscle mass I may have had right before my eyes.

I miss family Sunday dinners (but I do appreciate the plates of food Chad comes home with)

I miss being able to use my body!  I fantasize about dancing in the kitchen, walking down the street, exercising, picking up my kids (not so much Jack...he's huge), and riding a bike.  Oh, jumping on a tramp sounds about like Disney Land to me right now.  Ok not while I'm 6 months pregnant with twins but you know what I mean.

I miss homemaking.  Don't laugh, but I miss being able to clean the kitchen and straighten things up before bed.  I never was a super tidy homemaker...but in my bed rest mind...I sure would be if I had the chance.  But don't count on it until a solid year after the twins are born!

THE UGLY:

Kids cry for me and I can't go to them.  They cry when they need help, when they're hurt, and when they're scared at night. It really is the worst to have to just lay there.  I often think of the part in the Christmas Carol where the ghost of Marley is tortured by seeing other people in need but he no longer has the ability to help them.  Such a desperate feeling.

Kids are smart and know that they can get away with more around me.  I need to come up with better from-the-bed disciplining because the Jack vs. Marian fights are getting OUT of CONTROL.  The fact that my kids have never been shy around or intimidated by other adults doesn't do me any favors either.

Even though I feel a great deal of peace and optimism in regards to this  pregnancy...always in the back of my mind is this fear that this will all be for naught...or that this is just the beginning of this trial.  I know need to push those fears and doubts out of my mind, and I will work on that.

Good news is, my schedule is pretty open tomorrow (and the next day and the next....) so I've got time!

Hope

My mom (who is awesome) sent me this video after reading my last post...it is too good not to share.

Bed rest...and happy thoughts

Two days ago we had the "big" ultrasound and saw that our baby boy and baby girl  (yeah for one of each!!!) are healthy and adorable.  Such wonderful news.  A few minutes after that though, we were told that my body had already started down the path of early labor (I am 20 weeks along) and so the next day I had surgery to try to keep things at bay and I am now on bed rest until these babies get here.  Which I sincerely hope is not for a long long time.   (4 months-ish would be awesome).

I'd be lying if I said I have been all smiles and optimism these past few days.  I had major grieving the first day over all that has instantly changed in our lives.  First and foremost the fear that things might turn out badly for my already loved babies was more than my heart could take.  Second- I had fun plans to buy blue and or pink balloons and stuffed animals to shows the kids what the babies were going to be.  I'd planned to come home and sort through my bins of baby clothes and get things organized.  I was going to make cookies this week, go swimming with the kids on Friday, and glory in the happy news of my healthy twins and pregnancy.  I was going to sew an apron for Lucy so I could stop the battles over Marian's pink apron and I was going to get moving on all that needs to happen to get our basement finished before the babies got here. I was going to take kids to parks, make jell-o for Jack, bathe my girls each night and make a small start in the  flower beds. (insert 100 other things here).

All of that.    ALL OF THAT has to wait...or be done by someone else.  But that's okay.  It can all wait and thanks to the family and friends and new neighbors (who don't really even know me) who have literally jumped at the chance to help out, all the things that need to get done are getting done by angels!  I can't express how much love and gratitude I feel right now.  I feel so blessed, by those around me and especially my Heavenly Father.

These are special babies coming to our family, and although I hope we don't get to meet them for a long time, I am grateful that they are part of our family and grateful for the patience, humility, gratitude, faith, and hope they are already teaching me.

These are going to be hard times I think.  But happy times too.  And even more happy times are going to come in the future.  This summer has been very happy.  Here are some pictures to prove it and to remind me that there are more happy times to be had.


Newport Beach with my love

 

getting spoiled by grandma Shari at the Zoo

Canyon breakfast with uncle Robby

sister love in the back seat

joy in the sand

happiest place on earth...so true for 4 and 6 year olds

4th of July parades

fresh watermelon

loves from Grandpa Bruce

Cousins!

pure cuteness

garden beauty

We bought a house

We bought a  HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(pretend the garage is closed)

sheer determination...and success!

Transplanting

The new adventure begins

On our 6AM!!!!!!! flight from Boston to Salt Lake City

bless you technology!

We have arrived here in Utah and although we are far from settled (so so so far...) we are surviving.  It is wonderful being with family.  To my kids cousins=heaven so that is wonderful.  I can't get over the true AWESOMENESS of the mountains and that brings me so much joy.  However I would be lying if I didn't admit this has been one of the hardest transitions I have ever made.  I'm sure the poor college student working at Golden Swirl (a frozen yogurt place that has been my sanity) thought I was completely nuts as I tried to explain through tears in my eyes that my kids didn't usually have full blown freak out tantrums like they were currently having...but we had pretty quickly picked up and left schools, friends, neighbors, surroundings (ie beautiful Boston), packed up all the kid's toys, books, and treasures, flown across the country, put all our belongings in storage, moved in with family and had had no semblance of routine or "normal"for weeks. Especially since I, their mother had been pretty sick most of the time.    The yogurt worker, not being a licensed therapist, just gave me a little smile and asked if she could get another yogurt to replace the one that Jack had just thrown on the floor.  The new cup of yogurt did help and I felt a lot better getting all that off my chest.

My sister Anne, who is going through a move as well, told me that she has been thinking a lot about transplanting flowers.  She remembers digging up some flowers that were thriving in our mom's garden and transplanted them into her own.  At first the flowers were weak and didn't look very good.  She didn't expect much from them but watered and nourished them and hoped for the best.  In time, they adjusted to their new soil, new place in the world and thrived.  They were even more beautiful than they had been before.  I am hoping for that.  I hope that in time, we will be able to put roots down and thrive in this new life.  In the mean time, I feel a little weak and am trying not to expect too much from us during this transplant phase.  Daily trips to the frozen yogurt shop help too.

"Can we live through February?" -Dar Williams "February"

In answer to that question...JUST BARELY!  Can I just say that I am so glad today is the last day of February!  Yuck get me out of winter. I had all these elaborate plans to make February survival packets to send to my sisters (who I know love February just about as much as I do).  It was going to include, summery treats, a lei or two, and a mix CD of Island getaway music from the Beach Boys and Kenny Chesney....and course a little Dar Williams with her tribute to February (so so true Ms. Williams. Especially the part about the snow!)  But somehow just surviving February took all my energy...so sorry Anne and Kate.  Megan...I'm less sorry to you since you were living it up in sunny St. George all month, but  I am still a little sorry.  I probably would have enjoyed the month better if I had made the February survival kits...maybe next year.  The mood in my house today pretty much summed up everyone's feeling about February.  The only real bright moment of the day was when Marian and I made "Monster Cookies"...I won't talk about the part where I ate about a dozen of them in attempts to subdue my crabby mood. Oh I guess the other high point was when our wonderful neighbors stopped by for a visit and I was able to send them home with another dozen cookies.

But tonight as I was planning my preschool music class for this week, I realized that March means spring. Birds will come back, Crocuses will start to peek up and if the squirrels don't get to them first my daffodils might start to poke up as well.  So tomorrow about 30 preschoolers and I will sing "Spring is coming how do I know- pretty flowers told me..." and "Springtime is coming it's coming today for I heard a robin who was calling her this way", and of course the "Eensy weensy Leprechaun"   I am going to start listening for birds and look for signs of new life amidst the mud and dingy cold snow.  It seems like there is a deeper meaning in that thought.  Maybe I will ponder that with a tall glass of milk and a few more cookies.

Wal-Mart Hater?

If you are a Wal-mart hater or just want a good laugh, check out this site http://www.hey-nonny.com/2010/11/01/my-walmart-free-life/

George Bush and Rats

I wish my sister Anne had had the experience I just had tonight. She would be able to describe this in such an perceptive way with deep meaning and thoughtful passages. It would be wonderful. This description I'm about to give may not have any of that. It was just so interesting to me and I wanted to share it.

I was at Target tonight shopping without my kids (which is a rare experience; I almost don't know what to do with myself there). But I was with a lot of other peoples kids. From the looks of it mostly college freshman. They were all filling their carts with stuff for their dorms, getting ready to embark on their college education.

The girl in front of me wasn't buying laundry hampers or lamps or posters, just 2 bottles of nail polish remover and a Birthday Card with George Bush dancing and singing about the "internets" She looked to be about 14 and was laughing and laughing at the card. Opening it over and over again to watch Bush's legs dance around in a jig. She showed me the card and asked if I thought it was funny. I smiled and said, " yeah, whose Birthday is it?"

It was no ones. She just liked the card. Then she looked at me and asked if I thought the man on the card was a good citizen. I said I thought that was a tricky question, that he had probably tried to be a good citizen but he had also done a lot of things that caused problems. I asked her what she thought.

Her Response: "oh I don't even know who this guy is".
ME: Oh come on, you know who that is
HER: Oh yeah, I've seen him before, he's Bill Clinton
ME: NO! That's George Bush
HER: Really, .....huh

I don't think she'd heard of him. HIS NAME WAS ON THE CARD!!!! She hadn't even read it. She just liked the dancing feet of some guy on a card. She didn't even buy the card! She just left it with the magazines. I asked her if she was starting school tomorrow ( most of the schools here start tomorrow). She said she didn't start for a month because her school, which is in downtown Boston, is infested with Rats. RATS! She didn't even seemed phased by the fact that there were rats at her school. Seriously. Anne, there is some meaning here.

Then- as I was walking away from the checkout stand a boy handed a box of granola bars to the checker and asked her if there were peanuts in them. His mom was standing there right with him and I got the feeling that the boy was asking the girl at the checkout counter because neither he nor his mom could read. He was probably allergic to peanuts. I hope the checker gave him the right answer.

Again I'm sure there are some deep themes here I could write about...or at least Anne could but for now I just feel so grateful to have had the education and all the opportunities I had growing up. I'm grateful that I can give those same things to my children. SO glad I didn't go to school with rats. And even though I wish I could take back at least one of my votes for GW, I am at least grateful that I know he was more than just some guy dancing on a Hallmark Birthday card.