Today was Karina's last day of 3-year-old preschool. I can't believe it! It seems like just yesterday she was starting the 2-year-old class. There was a lot of celebrating the last two weeks.
Last week, the school had a school-wide picnic in the evening. There were animals from a mobile petting zoo, which included a llama, donkey, sheep, rabbits, baby chicks (yes I know chicks are babies but baby chicks just sounds so much cuter!), goats, a calf, and a pony. The donkey was cranky and tried to head-butt me away, so we stayed away from him. Elena loved the animals. Our whole family was able to come, which was nice because there was no worrying about who was watching Karina while I was watching Elena or vice versa. Karina was so different from how she was last year! Last year she wouldn't do any of the bouncy blow up things, and this year she couldn't get enough of them! She and her little friend just bounced and slid half the night away! Then Karina realized that her friend had this balloon animal--it was a ladybug bracelet made from a balloon. So she wanted to get in line to do that, and I stood with her while Elena made Bill let her go up and down the stairs about five gazillion times. She was actually really good the whole night, even though it was so late for her to be out. After Karina got her (much beloved) ladybug, it was time to watch a magician. I thought he wasn't very exciting, but the kids seemed to enjoy him. Elena was really tired by that point, but we were getting close to time to leave, so I just let her walk and roll around on the floor. Then suddenly the rain hit. We knew there was a chance of rain, and when it came, it just poured. The animals were okay, they got packed up and went home, and all the parents were in a panic to get to their cars with strollers and bags, but it was all right in the end.
On Tuesday was the school's end of year party day for the 3 and 4 year old classes. Many of the classes met at a really cool playground overlooking a river. Karina was so happy to be able to play there with so many of her friends, even some from other classes. The teachers for each class brought snacks, and there was a little shelter where the kids got to sit to eat. The weather on Tuesday was absolutely, positively *perfect*. The sun was shining but not too hot, and there was this nice breeze coming off the water keeping it cool. So perfect. Elena did not nap at all, and was so tired that her eyes were drooping while I was pushing her in the swing! Karina was having so much fun she didn't want to leave at all!
Then today was the last day of school. It was also the day they celebrated all the summer birthdays. It was also SUPER hot today. Hot and humid, the worst! I went back to school a little early so I could be there for the party and of course, Elena wouldn't nap. The kids were also allowed to dress up in whatever they wanted today, so Karina put on her favorite Cinderella dress. It's made of typical hot dress-up material, with long sleeves and tulle underneath. Plus, because it's sheer, she had to wear clothes under it. The child kept it on until fifteen minutes before time to leave! She was so pink-cheeked, and I kept making her drink water. But she didn't seem to feel hot, which was crazy. I was glad when she finally took it off. Elena was so tired that all she'd do was walk around a few steps, and then put her arms up and cry, "Mama!" to be picked up. At one point she put her hands on this plastic separating stuff that keeps the sand thicker under the swings. It's like a wall, but only about 12 inches high, so easy to climb over. It's black and plastic, and it got super hot. She put her hands right on it, and started crying, but wouldn't take her hands off it. Poor baby. She was okay though, she didn't get burned. At the end of the morning, as we were leaving, her teacher told me that there was something extra in Karina's bookbag. During the school year, she and her friends' favorite thing to do was play dress up. In the dress up area were dresses and outfits and jewelry of all kinds. She and one friend would--not argue, but compete for the same items. First it was a fairy outfit. Whoever got to school first would put it on and her friend often would not take it off so Karina could have a turn. But Karina would do that for her. Then after a while it switched to this one pink necklace. I don't know what it was about this necklace that the girls loved so much, but the competition for it was, apparently, quite fierce. So her teacher told me today that she was giving the necklace to Karina. She said that since Karina was always gracious with it, and shared, but her friend was not so easy to convince to share, she felt that Karina had earned the necklace. I can tell you I was almost in tears over it. I know that Karina is a good girl, and I try to teach her to be kind and understanding and patient. I know that she is sweet and loving, but to hear her teacher tell me how good she's been all year about everything, to the point that the teacher wants to GIVE her the necklace--I was so choked up.
What a year! Now we're on to a fun, busy summer! And then her last year of preschool! I hope that all of you out there have had a nice spring and if you have kids, that their school year was a good one.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
Who sheds tears for a tree? Me.
Something is wrong in my neighborhood. My mom says it's not just my particular neighborhood, but all over. Since we moved into this house in 2008, by my count, at least 15 trees have been cut down. And I don't mean tiny trees, or dead trees. I mean big, beautiful, OLD trees. Shade-making trees. Trees that, from what I can tell as an outsider in at least some of the cases, weren't doing any harm to anyone at all.
The first one was a neighbor diagonally across the street. She had a beautiful tree in her front yard, and had it cut down right after we moved in. That summer, I noticed she was putting newspapers on her front door. I guess it got hot after she didn't have her wonderful tree to shade it.
Another neighbor across our street cut one down to sell her house. The new people who moved in were very sorry to hear that she had done that and wished she had left the tree.
Another two people just in my cul-de-sac have cut down large trees, for reasons totally unknown to me.
Someone down the street cut down a large pine tree. This person keeps a tidy lawn and my guess, although I do not know for certain and of course I could be completely wrong, is that they were tired of dealing with pine needles and pine cones. But I don't know.
A neighbor behind us cut down a tree to put in a bigger driveway. It was the one of two trees behind our house that I used to look at out the window of Karina's nursery when she was a baby. I would point out the trees, squirrels, and birds to her in those trees. Now one is gone forever.
Then there was a yard full of trees around the corner, on a property belonging to an elderly man who passed away. He had one huge tree in his front yard, and other small to medium sized trees throughout his yard. The people who moved in cut down every single tree. Then they proceeded to spraypaint random rocks and yard ornaments gold and silver and copper. The yard went from shady and peaceful to gaudy and hideous. (In my personal opinion. Perhaps others appreciate metallic-spray-painted yard ornaments, but I do not.)
Several other trees down the street have been cut down as well; I do not know why.
But the worst one I saw today. It is gone, long gone, nothing left already. I don't know when they did it but the stump looks fresh. The tree was an oak, probably easily 150 years old. It was massive, its branches spread across the street and covered their yard. It provided shade for almost a quarter of their street. On hot days, when I would take the girls or just Karina for a walk (before there was Elena), I would almost run to the shade of that tree to get out of the sun. Its roots were immense, and had torn up their driveway. And I mean torn. it. up. I was always amazed that these people had never taken steps to prevent the driveway from being wrecked by the tree and I stupidly assumed it was because they actually liked the tree. I should have known.
Today I took the girls for a walk, and as soon as we turned the corner to go down that street, I knew what had happened. I knew it before I even saw the stump. Gone. I started crying. I cried all the way home and I cried for over an hour off and on. Why did they do that? Why did the kill that beautiful, healthy, driveway destroying tree? Why not just spend the same money and adjust the driveway?
I am heartbroken. I loved that tree. I love all trees, but I loved that one.
I wish I had a picture of it. I'm looking, but we have literally thousands of pictures I'll have to go through, hoping that just one of them might have that tree in the background. I'm almost positive I never took a picture of it, just of the tree. I might have, but I don't remember.
I know some people don't appreciate or like trees. They are afraid the tree will fall on their house or wreck their plumbing. Trees mess up their pools. Sometimes trees die and they do have to be cut down. Sometimes trees cause lots of problems to your house and it's a choice between the tree and $50,000 in repairs. I get that. I really do. But you can't tell me that in 4 years there have been 15 trees, just that I know of, in my neighborhood causing that kind of damage to people's homes. I know that is not the case. They are being cut down simply because people see them as a nuisance I guess.
Think about this though. In the summer, the shade that trees provide helps cut down the electric bill and saves you running your AC constantly. In the winter, the deciduous trees lose their leaves and let that nice sunshine through, warming your house during the cold months. Trees are home to birds and animals that eat things like mosquitoes. Trees provide oxygen. They take in Carbon Dioxide, which we breathe out and which will kill us if we breathe too much of it, and they emit oxygen, which we need to live. Trees are, in many ways, our perfect companions.
Mom"
So here I am, a tear-shedding tree-hugger hoping that one person might read this and perhaps give a second thought to chopping down an annoying tree.
I know some people do not feel as I do. That's okay. But just please be nice if you feel the need to disagree with me. It's been a sad day, losing my favorite neighborhood tree.
The first one was a neighbor diagonally across the street. She had a beautiful tree in her front yard, and had it cut down right after we moved in. That summer, I noticed she was putting newspapers on her front door. I guess it got hot after she didn't have her wonderful tree to shade it.
Another neighbor across our street cut one down to sell her house. The new people who moved in were very sorry to hear that she had done that and wished she had left the tree.
Another two people just in my cul-de-sac have cut down large trees, for reasons totally unknown to me.
Someone down the street cut down a large pine tree. This person keeps a tidy lawn and my guess, although I do not know for certain and of course I could be completely wrong, is that they were tired of dealing with pine needles and pine cones. But I don't know.
A neighbor behind us cut down a tree to put in a bigger driveway. It was the one of two trees behind our house that I used to look at out the window of Karina's nursery when she was a baby. I would point out the trees, squirrels, and birds to her in those trees. Now one is gone forever.
Then there was a yard full of trees around the corner, on a property belonging to an elderly man who passed away. He had one huge tree in his front yard, and other small to medium sized trees throughout his yard. The people who moved in cut down every single tree. Then they proceeded to spraypaint random rocks and yard ornaments gold and silver and copper. The yard went from shady and peaceful to gaudy and hideous. (In my personal opinion. Perhaps others appreciate metallic-spray-painted yard ornaments, but I do not.)
Several other trees down the street have been cut down as well; I do not know why.
But the worst one I saw today. It is gone, long gone, nothing left already. I don't know when they did it but the stump looks fresh. The tree was an oak, probably easily 150 years old. It was massive, its branches spread across the street and covered their yard. It provided shade for almost a quarter of their street. On hot days, when I would take the girls or just Karina for a walk (before there was Elena), I would almost run to the shade of that tree to get out of the sun. Its roots were immense, and had torn up their driveway. And I mean torn. it. up. I was always amazed that these people had never taken steps to prevent the driveway from being wrecked by the tree and I stupidly assumed it was because they actually liked the tree. I should have known.
Today I took the girls for a walk, and as soon as we turned the corner to go down that street, I knew what had happened. I knew it before I even saw the stump. Gone. I started crying. I cried all the way home and I cried for over an hour off and on. Why did they do that? Why did the kill that beautiful, healthy, driveway destroying tree? Why not just spend the same money and adjust the driveway?
I am heartbroken. I loved that tree. I love all trees, but I loved that one.
I wish I had a picture of it. I'm looking, but we have literally thousands of pictures I'll have to go through, hoping that just one of them might have that tree in the background. I'm almost positive I never took a picture of it, just of the tree. I might have, but I don't remember.
I know some people don't appreciate or like trees. They are afraid the tree will fall on their house or wreck their plumbing. Trees mess up their pools. Sometimes trees die and they do have to be cut down. Sometimes trees cause lots of problems to your house and it's a choice between the tree and $50,000 in repairs. I get that. I really do. But you can't tell me that in 4 years there have been 15 trees, just that I know of, in my neighborhood causing that kind of damage to people's homes. I know that is not the case. They are being cut down simply because people see them as a nuisance I guess.
Think about this though. In the summer, the shade that trees provide helps cut down the electric bill and saves you running your AC constantly. In the winter, the deciduous trees lose their leaves and let that nice sunshine through, warming your house during the cold months. Trees are home to birds and animals that eat things like mosquitoes. Trees provide oxygen. They take in Carbon Dioxide, which we breathe out and which will kill us if we breathe too much of it, and they emit oxygen, which we need to live. Trees are, in many ways, our perfect companions.
I emailed back and forth with my mom today, because she understands how I feel. Here is part of what she said to me, "And it’s not just your
neighborhood, honey. It’s everywhere. And nobody cries except the
children and tender hearts like yours. Wear the name “tree-hugger”
proudly.
I love you, sweetie,
So here I am, a tear-shedding tree-hugger hoping that one person might read this and perhaps give a second thought to chopping down an annoying tree.
I know some people do not feel as I do. That's okay. But just please be nice if you feel the need to disagree with me. It's been a sad day, losing my favorite neighborhood tree.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Washington DC Trip
My fellow youth advisors and I recently spent a weekend with several of our youth in Washington DC. We took them there specifically to see the Holocaust Museum, as well as monuments, memorials, the Smithsonian Museums, and Arlington Cemetery. We had a wonderful weekend and absolutely perfect weather.
WWII
Washington Monument
Lincoln
Vietnam
Lincoln (sorry, uploading pictures never puts them in order. Whatever.)
We stayed in a fantastic hotel outside the city. It was an Embassy Suites (this is not a sponsored opinion; we paid for our rooms) and it was awesome. I ended up with my own room because one of our advisors couldn't make it at the last minute. The rooms at Embassy Suites aren't just rooms. They are suites. As in two separate rooms, plus a bathroom. It was so stinking nice! And for me, when I am never ever alone anymore, to have this whole room to myself, part of me just wanted to hang out at the hotel! It was also directly across the street from a big metro station so we had no trouble hopping on and getting into the city.
We got into the city on Friday afternoon and settled in. Then we went right into the city to see the monuments. We saw all of them pretty much; the Washington Monument, which is under some renovations/restorations due to damage from the earthquake a couple years ago (wow, that was years ago already?); Lincoln (and the steps where Erik proposed to Kelly, awwww); Vietnam memorial (which made me think of my dad and my uncle who both served in the military in Vietnam); WWII which made me think of my mom's father who met my grandmother during that war; Roosevelt memorial which had some really inspiring quotations and picturesque water features;
(Sorry this last one is hard to see. It says, I think, "I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen the dead in the mud. I have seen cities destroyed. I have seen children starving. I have seen the agony of mothers and wives. I hate war.")
Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial which was actually a surprise to us and was on the way to the Jefferson Memorial (which I had never been to, even though I have been to DC quite a few times).
Above: Jefferson. Below, MLK, Jr.
We walked ALL of this. DC is a very walkable city, but walking all those monuments was a long, long, long walk. By the time we got to the Jefferson Memorial, we were all tired and hungry. As in starving. And let me tell you now, there is NOTHING to eat anywhere near the Jefferson Memorial. We started walking and finally made our way back to the metro, got off at some mall and ate at a place called Noodles Inc (or something like that). It was good, and we were so happy to sit down to eat. None of us wanted to get up for our drink refills!
When we went back to the hotel, we set the kids "free" and then checked on them later. I guess they were disappointed in the pool, which was indoor and small, but basically they were good and behaved. What I expected. :-) We have great kids. Most of them are seniors now. I am really going to miss them!
The next day, Kelly and I got up at the crack of dawn to wait in line for tickets to the Holocaust Museum. Kelly was told to be there by 730 to guarantee tickets for opening at 10am. Tickets are free, but there are a limited number available each day. So you have to wait in line. Well, we got there at 730 and there was NO ONE there. Just a security guard who looked at us, at his watch, and said, "Ya'll are way too early." Well, that's okay, we sat and talked and watched the line grow. We did indeed get our 10am tickets, and went in when the rest of the group met up with us. And in case any of you can relate, police officers and their immediate family can always get in, even if there are no more tickets. How completely awesome is that??
The museum is serious business. It is both a museum and a memorial. It is very moving. Very emotionally draining. I've been once before, and what I remembered from the previous time was that near the end, there is a section just about the children, and by the time I got to it, I was done. I just walked through. It was kind of the same this time, but I noticed more things about the children throughout the museum. Since having my own, that kind of thing affects me much more deeply than it did before. Some of it I just can't think about. At all. It's just too hard. I become those mothers, trying to protect their children, knowing they are going to die and being completely unable to do anything about it. It is so awful and yet I know that people need to see this so that it never happens again. And there are people who say it's a hoax and never happened. I don't know how they can believe that, with all the physical evidence there is, but I won't get into that.
After the Holocaust Museum, we went to lunch, took an emotional break, and then went to the Smithsonians. We did the American History Museum and the Natural History Museum. The American History Museum has the huge dollhouse, as well as the dresses of the first ladies. But I think we were all just worn out. Kelly and I zoomed through, then went to the ice cream shop and sat. The girls who were with us apparently played a form of hide and seek. What was I saying about how great those kids are? :-) Actually they were okay. Then we went to the Natural History Museum which was much more fun. Kelly and I got little gifts for our kids (I got Karina and Elena a book about DC; Karina got a necklace and Elena got a stuffed giraffe which she is now sleeping with), saw the Hope Diamond, some dinosaur bones, and some mummies.
We ate at a pizza place for dinner, and then went back to the hotel. On the way back, we found out why the other advisor was not able to come, and had to quickly decide what to do about telling our group. We decided to tell them, got approval from the advisor, and met up with the kids in Kelly's room to discuss the following day and tell them. Our last day in the city was Sunday, and we were going to Arlington Cemetery to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Kennedy graves, and some of our family graves. We made our plans and then told the kids what we had found out. All weekend they'd been asking us why she couldn't come and we honestly did not know. But Bill called me to tell me we'd gotten a letter from the church. Our pastor has cancer. For the second time. But there is good news; it was caught VERY early, it's caused by a gene, and that's why it's her second bout, and they expect her to make a full recovery. Still, it was a blow. We were all pretty upset, but she is doing well and has had the surgery. Great news is that the cancer was not only caught very early but was completely encapsulated, which means chance of it having spread is greatly reduced.
Sunday morning we didn't have to get up as early which was so nice. We had breakfast at the hotel, and got on the metro to Arlington. Some of the kids have family buried there, so we were making little side trips to visit those markers. My grandfather--my dad's dad--is buried there too. We saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is so amazing and if you are ever in DC, you should see this. It is every 30 minutes, all day every day. After seeing the Kennedy graves we were heading back, stopped by my grandfather's grave (I hadn't realized it had been so long since he died, back in 2002. And I hadn't realized that his first wife, my biological grandmother who I never knew, was buried with him.). Then we headed home.
My grandfather, above, and please don't see that as disrespectful, I'm just protecting a bit of my privacy, and below, on the back of his headstone is Dorothy's information. Due to space issues, spouses are buried on top of the servicemember and their information is engraved on the back of the headstone.
Next year most of our youth group will be at college. This was a really fun weekend (despite the distressing news) to spend with them, both to learn and to enjoy their company. We are so lucky to be able to work with these kids and watch them grow into adults.
We stayed in a fantastic hotel outside the city. It was an Embassy Suites (this is not a sponsored opinion; we paid for our rooms) and it was awesome. I ended up with my own room because one of our advisors couldn't make it at the last minute. The rooms at Embassy Suites aren't just rooms. They are suites. As in two separate rooms, plus a bathroom. It was so stinking nice! And for me, when I am never ever alone anymore, to have this whole room to myself, part of me just wanted to hang out at the hotel! It was also directly across the street from a big metro station so we had no trouble hopping on and getting into the city.
We got into the city on Friday afternoon and settled in. Then we went right into the city to see the monuments. We saw all of them pretty much; the Washington Monument, which is under some renovations/restorations due to damage from the earthquake a couple years ago (wow, that was years ago already?); Lincoln (and the steps where Erik proposed to Kelly, awwww); Vietnam memorial (which made me think of my dad and my uncle who both served in the military in Vietnam); WWII which made me think of my mom's father who met my grandmother during that war; Roosevelt memorial which had some really inspiring quotations and picturesque water features;
Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial which was actually a surprise to us and was on the way to the Jefferson Memorial (which I had never been to, even though I have been to DC quite a few times).
When we went back to the hotel, we set the kids "free" and then checked on them later. I guess they were disappointed in the pool, which was indoor and small, but basically they were good and behaved. What I expected. :-) We have great kids. Most of them are seniors now. I am really going to miss them!
The next day, Kelly and I got up at the crack of dawn to wait in line for tickets to the Holocaust Museum. Kelly was told to be there by 730 to guarantee tickets for opening at 10am. Tickets are free, but there are a limited number available each day. So you have to wait in line. Well, we got there at 730 and there was NO ONE there. Just a security guard who looked at us, at his watch, and said, "Ya'll are way too early." Well, that's okay, we sat and talked and watched the line grow. We did indeed get our 10am tickets, and went in when the rest of the group met up with us. And in case any of you can relate, police officers and their immediate family can always get in, even if there are no more tickets. How completely awesome is that??
The museum is serious business. It is both a museum and a memorial. It is very moving. Very emotionally draining. I've been once before, and what I remembered from the previous time was that near the end, there is a section just about the children, and by the time I got to it, I was done. I just walked through. It was kind of the same this time, but I noticed more things about the children throughout the museum. Since having my own, that kind of thing affects me much more deeply than it did before. Some of it I just can't think about. At all. It's just too hard. I become those mothers, trying to protect their children, knowing they are going to die and being completely unable to do anything about it. It is so awful and yet I know that people need to see this so that it never happens again. And there are people who say it's a hoax and never happened. I don't know how they can believe that, with all the physical evidence there is, but I won't get into that.
After the Holocaust Museum, we went to lunch, took an emotional break, and then went to the Smithsonians. We did the American History Museum and the Natural History Museum. The American History Museum has the huge dollhouse, as well as the dresses of the first ladies. But I think we were all just worn out. Kelly and I zoomed through, then went to the ice cream shop and sat. The girls who were with us apparently played a form of hide and seek. What was I saying about how great those kids are? :-) Actually they were okay. Then we went to the Natural History Museum which was much more fun. Kelly and I got little gifts for our kids (I got Karina and Elena a book about DC; Karina got a necklace and Elena got a stuffed giraffe which she is now sleeping with), saw the Hope Diamond, some dinosaur bones, and some mummies.
We ate at a pizza place for dinner, and then went back to the hotel. On the way back, we found out why the other advisor was not able to come, and had to quickly decide what to do about telling our group. We decided to tell them, got approval from the advisor, and met up with the kids in Kelly's room to discuss the following day and tell them. Our last day in the city was Sunday, and we were going to Arlington Cemetery to see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Kennedy graves, and some of our family graves. We made our plans and then told the kids what we had found out. All weekend they'd been asking us why she couldn't come and we honestly did not know. But Bill called me to tell me we'd gotten a letter from the church. Our pastor has cancer. For the second time. But there is good news; it was caught VERY early, it's caused by a gene, and that's why it's her second bout, and they expect her to make a full recovery. Still, it was a blow. We were all pretty upset, but she is doing well and has had the surgery. Great news is that the cancer was not only caught very early but was completely encapsulated, which means chance of it having spread is greatly reduced.
Sunday morning we didn't have to get up as early which was so nice. We had breakfast at the hotel, and got on the metro to Arlington. Some of the kids have family buried there, so we were making little side trips to visit those markers. My grandfather--my dad's dad--is buried there too. We saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is so amazing and if you are ever in DC, you should see this. It is every 30 minutes, all day every day. After seeing the Kennedy graves we were heading back, stopped by my grandfather's grave (I hadn't realized it had been so long since he died, back in 2002. And I hadn't realized that his first wife, my biological grandmother who I never knew, was buried with him.). Then we headed home.
Next year most of our youth group will be at college. This was a really fun weekend (despite the distressing news) to spend with them, both to learn and to enjoy their company. We are so lucky to be able to work with these kids and watch them grow into adults.
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