First Day of School 2016

 

last year of pre-school; 1st grader

Happy 9th Birthday, Simon!

Simon enjoyed his second "dog birthday cake" in the nice china gravy bowl, which was made with love by his biggest fans and consisted of peanut butter, bones, cheese and topped with a shortbread cookie in the shape of a dog.  The following day was Shanti's 10th birthday celebration which consisted of the children sharing a can of tuna with her ... of course, her's was served in the fine china gravy bowl.

Happy 10th Anniversary!

There is no way to fully convey how grateful I am for Joshua in my life.   It makes me weepy with awe to think of how true the following sentiments are:

• He is the absolute anchor for our family with an unending supply of love and support.  Knowing that he will love me on my best and my worst days with an equal passion and fortitude allows for a genuine life which is free from the fear of rejection.  This kind of compassion and liberty is unheard of in today's society of quick reactions and absolutes.  I strive every day to see the world through a similar lens of understanding and dedication, which is not an easy task.

• He is always my teammate, rooting for me even when he isn't even sure of why and how I need support.  People who know me without knowing Joshua often marvel at all that I have on my plate.  The truth behind having all of those interests and the freedom to pursue them is my supporting husband.  He is the first cheerleader for any of my goals and, even when I accidentally take on too much, he is the one to support the goals through until the end, often silently taking on more than his fair share of household and childcare tasks to empower me.

• He is the hardest worker I have ever met.  If you give him a task, get ready to be blown away by the speed, intensity and dedication to the task.  From Super Gluing tiny toys to removing wallpaper to taking on all tasks related to the kitchen (shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc.) to teaching Alma how to ride a bike, he is the best.   No one can clean a kid, a bathroom or a car as well as Joshua.  It is pure drive that creates this superhuman skill.

• If our children grew up to be half the citizen and humanitarian that Joshua is, what a blessing they would be to the world.  They are learning so many key lessons from him (honesty, integrity, kindness) and he is creating so many life-affirming and community-promoting traditions in our family (eating dinner together every night, being inclusive of friends at school, being kind to neighbors).  I'm beyond delighted that they have such a wonderful father as a role model.  Moreover, his unending love for my family and me is the biggest blessing in my life.

Here's to a wonderful first 10 years together.  Thank you for everything, Joshua!

I cannot wait to see what the next 10 years of fantastic with Joshua have to offer!

North Carolina Swimmers

North Carolina Vacation

A great vacation to Duck, North Carolina with my parents and brother's family.  It was so wonderful to have a full week for the cousins to hang out together.