Chilly Springtime Hike

While the snow keeps falling, even in spring, we did manage to find a short patch of sun in which to explore Farragut State Park with Henry. Henry is getting to be a great hiker in his own right -- loves to find and stand on "big rocks" and look for boats in the lake.

Speech of a Lifetime

Barack Obama’s Speech on Race

“We the people, in order to form a more perfect union ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWe7wTVbLUU&eurl=http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/gGBbJv[37 minutes]

[or full text at New York Times site, 7 pages]http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/us/politics/18text-obama.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Henry and the Mud Puddle

Before the mud...

After the mud...

Watch the kid in action!

Our Two Sons

Our two sons in action...Henry is blossoming and very happy in his new daycare situation -- He is talking up a storm, learning new words every day (Happy, Book, Bob and RV are the latest... ) Java is still energized by the snow, even while his moms are completely over it and ready for spring!

Bump Watch

Belly's getting bigger...as are many other parts of the body...I guess this is the first of many sacrifices on the parenting front...even the second time around!

Some of What I Have Been Thinking

Recently, the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force has been dealing with a local film organization who was airing their programs on a local cable channel. We had received complaints about a particular film, "The Pick Up," and I have been tasked with ressponding on behalf of the Task Force. Here is a recent email I sent to the other Board Members...I thought it might shed some light on my recent non-CWC work:

Dear Task Force Members,

I apologize in advance if I offend any loyalties to the individuals I am about to mention in this email. I do not know who is friends with whom, and still I want to express my opinion.

I had the opportunity to watch "The Pick Up" this weekend and was appalled by its content and quality. In my opinion it, it is tasteless and sends a clear message that it is OK to use violence against someone who is transgendered (or a transvestite). As a member of the LGBT community (and a small one at that here in Sandpoint), I abhor the message that this film sends.

This said, in order to gather more information from the filmmakers (I wanted to give them the benefit of the dounbt -- perhaps my read on the film was inaccurate), I contacted Sandpoint Films and spoke with Janet Jarzebek. Janet was very surprised by my call and kept asking me "Where are you going with this conversation?" and I told her I simply wanted to better understand the intention behind the film and whether Sandpoint Films had any policy about the representations they put forth in their films.

Janet was very defensive with me and at first seemed completely unwilling to have any dialogue. When I told her that I was personally offended by the film, she responded, "I don't find it offensive...I don't look at it that deeply." She then went on to say she was a Democrat, that she was kind to animals and humans, that she did not have a biased bone in her body..." "I am totally NOT prejudiced!" she asserted. When I mentioned that the film condoned and even mocked the use of violence against a transgendered person, she replied, "This was a true story and guys should not dress up like voluptuous women and pick up on other guys in bars." She truly believed that the man who beat up the other man dressed in a dress was in the right.

Toward the end of our conversation, she asked me what I wanted from her...if I was just looking for an apology... and I told her I really just wanted to understand better why Sandpoint Films would have made this film. She told me it was like any art -- if I didn't like it, I didn't need to watch it. Fair enough...but really?

I share all of this with you, my TF commerades, to let you know how ingrained discrimination is -- especially against minority groups who are not well-represented in specific communities. Having participated in a Sandpoint Films production myself, I now feel implicated as a part of an organization who does not share my values at all...and this is troubling.

What else to do? I have written Northland Cable a letter thanking them for pulling The Pick Up from their programming...and I will certainly not have any further involvement with Sandpoint Films...but none of this seems to address the fundamental ignorance of the many people who not only made this film, but continue, as self-identified liberals, to believe it the truth of its message. I hope our work as a TF can continue to educate our community on the importance of Human Rights and the condemnation of hate. I feel angered by my conversation, but also hopeful that we can continue to do good work in a community that obviously still needs it.

Thanks for listening,
Diana

Two Peas in a Pod

We recently changed Henry's daycare once again...we thought a larger, more structured environment would be good for him; alas, it turned out to be too big and overwhelming (he was both the youngest and littlest student). So we have placed him in the care of our friend Nicole and her daughter Miranda and Henry is so happy! He does not say a peep when we leave him each morning (compared to desperate screams of pain and anxiety he put us through leaving him at the larger school) and seems content to stay there in the evening, even when we long to bring him home. The two kids seem to be teaching each other interesting tricks...they are seemingly becoming two peas in pod, as this picture attests...

Henry...Life's Little Gift

I have been soliciting advice & tips from friends on managing through the toddler years and have received so many good ideas! Shannon and I are in a steep learning curve as Henry makes his way toward 2 and I am negotiating the emotional fluxtuations of pregnancy. Thank goodness for supportive and loving friends -- even from afar! I thought I would share some highlights:

1. Two books have come up: Positive Discipline, by Jane Nelson and Touchpoints, by T. Brazelton

2. It is all part of Henry's development process -- you are not bad parents (we liked this one!) -- all children go through this assertion of independence while being simultaneously so dependent

3. As hard as it is for us on the outside, imagine what it is like for him on the inside

4. Have you checked to make sure he is not simultaneously cutting teeth? (In fact, incisors are on their way!)

5. Take time to nurture yourself -- the more centered you are, the more you have to offer

6. Be sure to honor the parental relationship with special time together -- don't let the stress interfere with this important relationship

7. The second time around, you will have many more tools for coping

8. Make sure everyone is getting enough sleep (hmmmm...we have to work on this one!)

The fact is, as this photo attests, Henry is our little gift from the Universe...we would not want him to be any different than he is! And we are eternally grateful to our friends who are willing to help us learn strategies to be at our best through these learning-filled times!

February Update

Coming back center again after sleepless nights due to Henry's transitions & pregnancy headspins of only the very horomonal sort. We have had the pleasure of entertaining Seattle gals here to ski, enjoying watching the snow drifts melt and traveling to Spokane to celebrate Jack and Noah's 9th birthday. Things at work are settling down now that our new CEO has found his voice and our new fiscal year has begun. Shannon and I both had the opportunity to go to Dallas to facilitate programs for the 450 retail leaders -- saw nothing of Dallas, but the programs received rave reviews.

Today we had the opportunity to see the new kid via ultrasound. All parts and pieces are present and accounted for. S/he is a wriggler and as much as we can tell, looks just like Henry did in utero :-) If all goes well, we're on target to meet him/her sometime the second week of July. Question of the day...will the kid arrive before, on or just after my 40th birthday???

Update on the big brother...Henry is absolutely "choo-choo" obsessed, with specific affinity for Thomas, the "Very Useful Engine." While we try to broaden his repertoire of books, toys and videos, we always seem to come back to "choo-choo." Ah well. He is in charge.

He keeps us on our toes -- continues to be extremely physical with exceptional eye-hand coordination. He likes to sing the "ABC" song, Ring-Around-The-Rosey (one of those happier tunes) and can count all the way up to two! He is beginning to differentiate Momma (Diana) from Mommy (Shannon) and opens his arms wide when asked, "How much does Momma/y love Henry?" Our love for him continues to grow and grow -- it is an uncanny thing this parent-love!

On the horizon, we have a trip to Seattle planned for April, trips for both of us to West Virginia for work, a weekend in NYC for Diana and with hope, many visitors coming to stay in our lovely new penthouse above the garage.

Time with Budad

Buddy Gore weathered the storms and came for a visit this weekend -- what a treat! He and Henry have a special bond over trains...here are a few choice photos of the two of them playing with Henry's new train set.

Every day as we drive Henry to school we count how many "choo choo's" we can see en route! This is prime location for choo choo spotting!

The Big Dig!

Continuous snow means time for snow removal...not an easy task. Ssaturday, Shannon and Tim spent hours atop the roof shoveling to ensure we would not suffer any cave ins...What troopers!

On a funnier note, there is so much talk about snow in these parts, that a woman who runs a website for Priest Lake saw our photos on the blog and posted one of the house on her site... http://www.priestlaker.com/

HELP!

There is snow everywhere!!!! And more is coming! Help!!!!

Considering NEW ADDITIONS

It is official! Shannon and I are going to have another baby! We are very excited and filled with anticipation to meet this new little one. We got to see him/her on ultrasound last week -- a squirmy, active, ten-toed, ten-fingered, all-organs-accounted-for, completely miraculous being! We're accepting name recommendations, though we have a few in mind already. And yes, we will be waiting to find out if we're raising another boy or a girl...sorry, the surprise is just too amazing!

Henry is delighted! We have been talking a lot about his role as big brother and he gets all giggly when we talk about "his baby." For many weeks now, he has been patting my belly and saying, "Baby, baby..." Recently, we have been listening to the baby's heartbeat via monitor together -- Henry gets enthralled! This weekend, he even went to the drawer where we keep the monitor and said, "Mama, baby...mama baby..." and then we listened and he kissed my belly enthusiastically. He will be a great big brother!

One Moose, Two Moose (Meese?)

This morning we had two visitors in our front yard!

Henry's Half Birthday

So we didn't have a party (or a half party) on January 16th, but we did give Henry extra kisses on his arrival at 18 months old! He continues to be the joy of our lives -- his emotional immediacy and fully-in-his-body self are a wonder to witness. He talks constantly -- "Mama, down!", "Mama, see lights!", "Choo-Choo!", "I like dat!" and more.

Here, he is enjoying his new train set from grampa Buddy, delighting in wearing momma Diana's shoes (an every day occurance) and helping momma Shannon do her computer work.

The Wonders of Friendship

We were deliriously happy to have our dear friends Cass and Lynn come visit
for 4 days over the holidays! Snowfall every day offered great opportunities for snow play outdoors and amazing gastronomic feasts indoors! Our last meal hosted so many different color vegetables I was almost blinded by its beauty! And while we thought they might be the first visitors to stay in the garage-guest suite, that designation is still up for grabs...so if you want to come out -- we're ready for you!

Snow Shoeing On New Years

Our family delighted in a wonderful snow shoe on New Year's morning -- a wonderful way to ring in 2008. Henry just adores seeing the trees covered in snow! The air was fresh and our journey took us along the bank of frozen Lake Pend Orille. Simply a blessing.

Carhart Considerations

You know what they say about a family that all wears Carharts...

Holiday Family Fun

Here are a few precious moments of the cousins...

2008 Transformation

Transformations...this will be our theme for 2008. May the New Year bring transformation to every heart that needs healing, to every country suffering from war, to all peoples needing help.

Here in our neck of the woods, we have our own transformations...kitchens shifting more modern and colorful, Henry learning to talk and delight in his every moment, a garage turning from desire into reality, green forests turning into white winterlands from fresh fallen snow...

From our family to you and yours -- Happy New Year!

Snow Considerations

Our ground is covered in white and Henry is just beginning to understand what this snow thing is all about. He ventured out this past weekend in not-so-winter-like clothes, enjoying his foray at first and then realizing his mistake soon after. He is an adventurer for certain!

Hanukkah was a bright and colorful celebration - not only of the miracles of old, but check out the new colorful backsplash in the kitchen! The remodel continues...the garage is almost complete. Our little compound in the woods is looking good!

The Start of the Holidays

The love of cousins...
Henry's first foray into the snow
First night of Hanukkah
Hen and his favorite mail delivery cart