First Day of School

School started this week, officially marking the end of a crazy, fun-filled, jam-packed summer.  Jaron started kindergarten this year...leaving his mama single and sad...but excited for this new chapter in his life.  When did our "babies" grow up?

I know he's in good hands...specifically, his sister's.

I hope they'll always take care of each other.

Start of a bittersweet day where we've entrusted our kids to others
and knowing they're in great care.

Sibling Love

Anyone want to share?

Ironically, the number of this photo is 143.

What's more ironic?

They are currently fighting.

Ahhhhhh...sibling love.

Census 2010

Did you send in your Census?

From I'm not sure what I want to be when I grow up...

They did!

Mom n' Me Monday

Please don't say this is a foreshadowing of her teenage years...

Check out other Mom n' Me (or Dad n' Me) posts over at Julie's blog!

Mom n' Me Monday

My wonderful friend Melissa over @ The Zookeeper's Diary (a must visit if you haven't already) participated in Julie's (from The Peanut Gallery...exit here...also a must read) Mom n' Me Monday.  A fantastic idea if A) you're a Mom and B) you're the sole photographer in the family.

So, since I thought my kids were destined to grow up wondering where Mom was during all their trips, important times, and just hanging out...I guess I'll start having some proof that I wasn't just their personal chef and photographer.  

Not that I mind...but maybe it'll be nice to see myself years from now and think "Wow, you look pretty good as your pre-Botox-Juvaderm-Restalyn self!"

JUST KIDDING!!!

I have enough on my plate to worry about what bad things I'll pass along to my daughter, I don't want (body) image issues to be one of them.

So, since I don't know when was the last time I took a photo with my kids (which almost always involves you seeing my arms outstretched as I hold the camera)...here's one with Kaia, my eldest, taken while goofing off with our brand new toy (an iMac) in October '09.

I swear...this girl freakin' rocks.  She's got an empathetic heart of gold.  A sense of humor that is beyond her years.  A memory that's going to bite me in the butt in a few years...

And a smile that continually melts my heart and reminds me why it's so awesome to be her mom.

Kids

My kids are a trip.  They are silly and cool and I want to be like them when I grow up.

I was getting Jaron (my 4YO son) into the car yesterday and he was talking about how he was going to keep his babies safe and take really good care of them.  I didn't want to ask him who was going to have his babies and instead phrased it as such "Where will you babies come from?"

His reply.

Your uterus.

Oh my little Oed(ipus)...you are so darn cute.

Later that night, Kaia (my 6YO daughter) was reading a book to me before she went to bed.  It was about a bunny who wasn't happy with her burrow and went searching for other homes.  The last home she went to look at had a fox lurking around it...so it scared her silly all the way back to her home.

To which Kaia replies...That's what she gets for not appreciating what she has!

Oy...these kids...man I love them.

Lazy.

I'm too lazy...but uber-proud of my daughter...

So...check out our family blog.

I. Love. Military. Medicine.

Okay...not really. I don't love that Kaia had some freak accident and broke her ankle while hopping to the bus afterschool last Friday...HOPPING. I wrapped her ankle after seeing it was bruised and a bit swollen and we headed up to DC for her belated birthday party. So, the morning of her belated party, Sean takes her to the ER at Nat'l Naval Medical Center (yes, the same one the US Presidents often go to...formerly known as Bethesda Naval Medical Center). After an admitted mix-up at the front desk and a myriad of other people go in front of her that came way after her, she gets seen and is eventually released with a sprained ankle....a mildly sprained ankle.

We get home a little after midnight Monday morning only to find that the docs @ NNMC left us a message to call them back in reference to Kaia's x-rays. So, 36 hours after she is released, I call to find out that our daughter, who had been hopping on one-leg when she wasn't being carried around...more hopping than anything and in an uber-protective Ace bandage, had FRACTURED her ankle.

What's more...the doc was calling to set up an appointment for a cast...which was surprising considering Kaia was released with a sprain. He wondered if she was still getting around on crutches that were given to her, but I reminded him that none were given to her since they said she was too small for them.

Anyhoo...long story short, our 6-year old is a super trooper and you wouldn't even know that she was injured except for the chronic one-leg hop she utilized all weekend-long to get around. I'm just pretty ticked that a hospital would release a child with a sprain only to find out that she has a fracture along her growth plate that could potentially stunt her growth or lead to other problems if not treated aggressively. Nice. I'm also ticked that despite the efforts made to call our home in VA Beach twice (2100 & 2200), no one bothered to call my husband's cell since we were out of town in DC. Double Nice.

When I look at her, how I can not get super-protective? Especially since she doesn't complain or victimize herself!!!!

Wow

So, I found out that Kaia's school wouldn't be watching the inauguration during class...there's a "no t.v." policy that they abide by. I know that's a good thing, but watching history unfold warranted keeping my baby home. Kaia's already becoming social-justice minded...and there was so much to explain. Even though we've talked about lots of stuff in the past about discrimination, equality, and other social justice issues...it was awesome to share such an amazing moment in history. Yeah, I cried...couldn't help it. But yeah, it gets a bit tough to explain social justice stuff to preschoolers (and now a KINDERGARTENER) and you don't want to paint the world as some awful place, but you also want to explain the importance of treating everyone fairly and that includes learning lessons from past mistakes.

To explain to her the symbolism of Obama's inauguration, the history of the fight to bring the US to this point (and the struggle is still ongoing...just like Obama said, hopefully one day old hatreds will die), and tying in the significance of MLK Jr. with yesterday's historical moment. I am so optimistic about our future right now. From his election to the inaugural address to the inauguration celebrations...this has been awesome.

We watched Disney's Kids' Inaugural the night prior where the audience was comprised of military personnel and their families. Everyone was quick to say that the military personnel AND their fams were the real American heroes. I agree with that and that there are so many other American heroes that don't even put on uniforms but still fight to make life better for the people of the United States. But yeah, it was nice to tell our kids that they are appreciated for their sacrifice too...that they have to sacrifice not having their dad home...esp. the for all the winter holidays of 2006 AND 2007. My kids are so strong and still don't know it. Also, we watched the Neighborhood Ball too...can you name the last president that had the diversity of performers that the Neighborhood Ball had last night.

Anyway...kudos to the forefathers/mothers in the civil rights movements and to my friends who continue to fight in the struggle for equality for everyone.