Happy Thanksgiving, friends! We're in full holiday-prep mode over here, with pie dough chilling, multiple cranberry sauces simmering, and decorating projects underway. Vivienne just came home from school with a paper turkey adorned with words of thanks, among them: comfy bed and "Hugh Bear." The simplicity of her gratitude is always a good dose of … Continue reading Vivi Update
Hugh is 16 months now. He's a blur of movement, a chattering, singing, hollering fellow, and it feels like he's got one foot in babyhood and one in full blown kid-dom. Here's a handful of little things that really seem to capture the moment: Lately, we're hearing a lot of Hugh's suddenly clear-as-a-bell, almost incredulous, … Continue reading Hugh
Wednesday was the the big day: kindergarten. Vivienne was equal parts nerves and excitement as we talked (and talked and talked) about this big new step. What if no one likes me? What if I forget and can't write my name? What if my feet walk the wrong way and I get lost? As with most … Continue reading Interview with a Kindergartener
Five-year-old Vivienne is obsessed with the American flag. "Does everyone know I'm an American Flag Spotter?" she asked me in the car the other day. Well, I think people know you could spot American flags, I said, maybe not that you enjoy it quite so much. "Ok, so we should tell them that's my job: … Continue reading Stars, Stripes, & Harvard’s Implicit Bias Quiz
When I was pregnant with Vivienne, a seasoned mother passed along the most helpful pearl of parenting wisdom: everything is a phase. The hard moments will pass... and so will the delightful ones. It's okay to pause and bask in the joy a little bit. It fills you up, sustains you through the the harder … Continue reading Weekdays at the Beach
The very hour of Hugh's birth, Vivienne rushed into the hospital room, gazed at him with four-year-old wonder, and squealed, "When will he be baptized?!" Not what I expected! And, she didn't give it up... She nagged me to call our priest and schedule a date. "Maybe Tuesday would be good," she'd suggest. She showed … Continue reading The Joy & Wonder
Have you ever read The House in the Night, by Susan Marie Swanson? It’s a particularly wonderful children’s book that always lingers in my mind well past bedtime story hour...
