A Friendly Visit

Tammy and Lisa came for a visit and got to spend many hours "squeezing" the kidlets...everyone loved it! We ventured out for a snow shoe at Round Lake, drank lots of really great wine and played with our new video capability. Here is one fun look at the gang: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8gq0LfO1MI

Oh how we love these girls!!!!

Palm Springs Quickie

Di and the kids taking a swim

Henry enjoying his half-birthday cupcake

Henry helping the pilot get us home!
We had the chance to get a quick adventure to the sun and we took it!!! Thanks to my Uncle Bob who graciously lent us his house, we spent three days soaking in the desert heat and enjoying a change of pace in Palm Springs. Highlight was the Living Desert Museum which has a HUGE working electric train display as well as giraffes, hyenas and cheetahs to see!

Simple Pleasures

Now

Such conflicted thoughts this evening...new presidential enthusiasm mixed with sadness over friends' layoffs...ecstatic delight in watching Hope pull herself across the kitchen floor this morning coupled with new reports of the highest unemployment rates since 1982...delicious anticipation of friends from Seattle visiting this weekend paired with our company's acknowledgment that more cuts are still to come... It is a painful time; and at once, a time of celebration. This is the duality we must hold, the Buddhist teaching of both/and. This is today. This moment. Now.

"...when imagination is joined to common purpose..."

It has happened -- the regime change we've been waiting for! I cried off and on all day just imaging how much change has taken place in our country in order for today to have happened...and then I cried some more for all the change which still needs to take place.

So many people are asking, "Are our expectations too high?" I keep thinking of course our expectations are too high -- that's what makes us so faulty as human beings...yet without the sense of hope and optimism that inspires such lofty expectations, where would we be otherwise? Will we be disappointed? Well, that will be our choice. For now, I am pretty darn pleased.

6 months update

Hope officially turned 6 months yesterday and is off and running (literally almost!) She has mastered the "army crawl" and is fast on Henry's heels no matter where he (or his favorite toy) is. All in all, he's been pretty tolerant (ah, Sarah Palin memory...) and seems to enjoy her more now that she is active.

Tomorrow we get on an airplane south to Palm Springs for a bit of sun and relaxation.

Happy MLK weekend to everyone! May his vision continue...here is a sweet related video to mark the event: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4696315n

Mommas Go Techno!!!

How fun -- we finally have a camera with video function that these mommas can figure out and time to play a bit with iMovie!

Here was a wonderful Sunday sledding adventure! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KATIuu9STrU