Two Worlds

Today after the gym, Charlotte and I went to the park. She was amazed by the vast grassy world she was allowed to explore. She'd start to move faster and faster away from me, and then stop, turn around, and look at me as if to ask, "Are you coming, Mom?" I enjoyed chasing her around and watching her experience new sensations like sand and mud.

To the right of the park was an elementary school. As we played I couldn't help but feel a little sad that I wasn't there teaching. However, as I watched the "big kids" playing at recess, I realized how quickly this period in Charlotte's life will pass. A part of me may miss teaching, but I am so thankful for the opportunity to stay home with my daughter. Soon she'll be one of those big kids, and when she runs away from me, she won't look back.

Charlotte's First Year

Here's a video I created of Charlotte's first year on Earth (outside of my womb).

Around the house

With our move to California, I have the extreme blessing of getting to stay home with Charlotte while Andrew goes off to work. Rather than a day full of teaching kinder-8th graders, I get to teach my daughter new concepts each day. As a teacher I loved those "light bulb" moments when my students finally understood. Now as a stay-at-home mom I get to experience those moments with Charlie on a daily basis. A few weeks ago I showed her how to turn on the music on her stacking toy; now she presses the button with her thumb like a pro. Today I helped her turn off the light to our closet and then she-on her own- turned off the light to the bedroom. She watches like a hawk and takes in everything we do, so that she may then try it on her own. This development is so fun to watch, but it also keeps me on my toes. Before I can blink, she's at the first landing of the stairs, staring over the edge, ready to tumble. Gravity: a lesson we must all learn someday...I just hope she gets it the first time around and doesn't need a refresher course.

Here's a video of one of Charlotte's new skills.

Quick update

I know I've been sorta absent lately, so here's a quick update on how things are going. Andrew had a major blow out on I-5 just outside of Tracy on our way into Sacramento. That delayed our arrival by 2 hours, but I was just thankful we made it safe and sound. We arrived on July 1st, so we've really only been here for 2 weeks; it seems like so much longer. The first week was spent trying to get things moved around so we could find someplace for all our stuff. I'm still trying to find room. We also got all the logistics out of the way (registration, licenses, etc). For me the second week here was filled with more and more sorting, purging, and organizing of stuff that hasn't been touched in years. Andrew had his first week as a manager, which he realized has some perks. He's been learning so much, so fast, that it's like drinking from a fire hose. He's brillant, though, so I know he'll catch on quickly. So those are a few of the details on what's up with us. We miss all our friends in Arizona and all the fun we had getting to know you over the last 5 years. We hope to make a visit back in the near future.

Weight Bench

Here's video of the weight bench we're trying to get rid of before moving back to CA. I couldn't find my point and shoot, so I went all Spielberg and tried to capture the essence of the bench for your viewing pleasure.