wee baby benjamin

it was getting dark and we had just picked Leo up from preschool. 3:20pm. we were heading 15-20 short minutes from medford to lexington to see good friends who moved and are no longer at our school. Aiden. Jack's first real best friend. they don't see each other often and still ask us to get them together. when we met, Aiden's mom was pregnant with Evan. i can remember us worrying together about our wee boys in kindergarten. me with a fat toddling boymonster and Erika with her freshly born baby Evan. and here we are now. Leo in school. and Evan a big brother.

i was racing the sun. watching it dip, quickly, behind the trees. they have a beautiful house, light you'd fucking die for. but i knew once we hit a certain point, no matter the windows, the sun is just gone.

i got there in time, minutes after 4pm. pretty much had about 10 minutes, maybe 15. and this was the third shot. dumb.fucking.luck.

so, so lovely to meet you Benjamin. i love you already.

isabel

10 on 10 : post election special

on Tuesday, after we (I) voted, i just wanted to run away. i knew if we went home i'd drive myself crazy sniffing the election day speculation glue. i have only voted twice in my life, both times as a mother and a wife. married to a man who works in the trades, an electrician who installs solar panels. i need a president who, at the very least, believes in green energy. married to a man who went back to school on PEL grants. raising two sons who i'd like to say could marry anyone they love, who i hope can be successful and loving and kind and accepting people. who i hope will never bully a "romney voting kid" the way "romney voting kids" have been teasing the "obama voting kids" (yes, KIDS, keyword! children! parents, are you paying attention?!) there is no political discussion to be had here. i am not shy about my opinions. but for an hour or two, i wanted to hide my kids away and keep them innocent. so we got donuts and headed for the woods.

grab a cup of coffee and follow the circle! Amy's up next... isabel

a time for thanks

perhaps better titled : isabel claims to take on a month long project but let's see how long she really lasts or

erika ray convinces isabel to join projects she may not be capable of finishing.

i'm going to try and blog EVERY day, one thing i'm grateful for, for all of november. seeing as this post is going up on the 2nd, it should be obvious to you that i'm off to a great start.

the fall is always so busy. but this fall is something new, for me. i am alone three days a week. without a child, for 8 hours, three days a week. for the first time since i was a child myself, and newly pregnant. i am struggling to say the least. so for now, i am grateful for the time i have to get to know myself. as weird as that sounds. you have no idea how lovely it was to walk through this cemetery and hear nothing but the sound of my feet, some birds, the wind. crews cleaning up downed branches. i spent almost 2 hours at the mount auburn cemetery. i picked up knocked down flower pots, and explored fallen branches. sandy tore the trees to shreds which, for now, has left the ground covered in autumnal confetti.

isabel

(it goes without saying that beyond all of this, i am grateful my family fared well through Hurricane Sandy. my heart goes out to everyone struggling, especially my own family and friends. bah humbug.)