Red, White, and Clueless

As a teacher, I have the privilege of experiencing life through kids' eyes (and ears, mouths, and noses...). Teaching elementary school is often humorous, but after being around kids for so long, I get used to all their little quirks and oddities that most people from the real world would find funny. I just see it as work. But last week I started a little unit on the Presidential Election, and I couldn't resist sharing some kid insight. My goal with these lessons was to get kids involved and aware of what was happening in their country, teach them the importance of democracy and voting, and let them participate in a mock election. These are 9, 10, and 11 year old kids, mind you. We're not talking rocket science, and if it weren't for the cool website I found that explains things with cartoons (www.brainpop.com), this would be really hard to teach. To start, I gave the class a pre-test to see what they really knew. I was hoping they didn't know it all so I would actually have something to teach them. I was pleasantly surprised that most kids had a general idea about things, but there were some laugh-out loud answers, as well as some very sweet ones, that I just had to share. Here were their responses to some of the questions (spelling not corrected):

1. Who is the current U.S. President?
-Jordy Bush
-George Bush Jr.
-J.W. Bush
-we do not have one, we are going to do the election in November

2. What are the names of the 2 major political parties?
-the White House
-the U.S. Treasury
-Jef Merkly
-Gordon Simth
-George Bush
-Abe Lincoln

3. Who are the two people trying to become president?
-Brok Aboma
-John Macnan
-Rock Oboma
-Clittan
-Obrackoba
-Michane
-Arokao Boma

4. What are the requirements to be president?
-be brave
-be strong
-to now about your state
-smart
-went to college
-be trained to be president
-to be able to move into the white house
-don't be rude
-have good ideas
-don't be arrested
-leadership
-someone responsible
-live in the U.S. for 8 years
-you have to make good choices
-someone who would stand up for our country
-do things that are best for people

I promise that by the time the election rolls around, these kids will know a lot more. In fact, they may know more than you!

NOTE: I am not too involved in politics normally (although this election is certainly got me interested), but I would like to use this post to encourage Oregonians not only to VOTE!, but to please vote NO on Measure 58. A couple of friends have asked me what I thought of this measure as a teacher, and it really frustrates me. Having worked with English language learners for many years, and worked in a two-way immersion school for three of those, I understand the complexities and challenges of getting kids to be proficient in English. It can take anywhere from 1-2 years or 6-7, as each child comes from a unique background with their own set of circumstances, let alone unique learning style and age. Every student is an individual, and this measure treats students like they are learn the same. This measure simply limits schools from offering valuable bilingual programs and limits teachers in how they can best meet their students' needs. It appears that the main motivation behind this measure is to cut off the per-pupil money that schools get for each English language learner. And the fact that it was written by Bill Sizemore should also raise a red flag to voters. I could probably write blog after blog about this issue, but I just wanted to encourage people, particularly those not familiar with this topic, to vote no on Measure 58. We don't need to copy what California and Arizona have done. Thanks for listening to my opinion! Now GO VOTE!

Fall in Denial

There must be something about this time of year that makes me check out mentally. Maybe because the summer is over and things slow down. Maybe I am mentally preparing myself for a long, drizzly winter. Regardless, I think I am in denial. Last year at this time I had tiny Morgan as a good excuse to be in my own world. I hardly remember life outside my house. Now this year, Sam is about to interview for jobs that will certainly affect the rest of our lives, and I am in complete denial. There was the initial excitement (and panic) about this over the summer when jobs started posting. Then there were the preliminary interviews at the annual management conference, but then we just had to wait for site visit invitations. Well, they are happening! On Monday, Sam interviews with University of Portland. On Wednesday he flies to Santa Clara University. The following Tuesday, he flies up to the University of Victoria. And he just found out today that Chapman University wants him to interview there as well! It is a big deal to get a site visit - it means Sam is one of 3-4 candidates they are bringing in to interview. Each visit is about two days long and includes interviews with the dean, all business faculty members, and teaching a class. With four site visits planned, he has a good shot at getting an offer from somewhere. Another reason why this is a big deal, is that once he visits a school, they may send him an offer right away, even while he is still interviewing somewhere else. It could take longer than that, but the next few weeks of our lives are likely to be very interesting. And yet, I am still in denial that this is all happening. Perhaps because it really is out of my control, I am trying not to get too invested or anxious yet. I have always been pretty good at procrastinating, so I think those skills are coming in handy right now.Oblivious to this whole process is Morgan. Little does she know that by the time she celebrates her second birthday, she will be living somewhere else - possibly another state or even another country. But the good thing is that Morgan keeps me focused on enjoying the present moment, and I don't have a lot of time to stew and plan (and overplan), which I have been known to do. I also try to savor each day here in Eugene, because it will unfortunately have to come to an end. Morgan is amazing us daily with all the new litle things she notices and learns. Last weekend I was so excited when she started using some sign language we had been teaching her. We knew she understood the signs for eat, milk, water, all done, but she finally started using them! When she tried to shove her little fist in her mouth (her way of signing "eat"), I said "Eat?" and she smiled and let out the cutest giggle. So everytime she signs and we understand what she wants, she giggles. Finally we are communicating! Now many parents may not want their kids making demands at such a young age, but it's better than the annoying grunty cry/screech she was letting out lately. That was getting on my nerves - and I couldn't very well sign "shut up!" could I?Lately, Morgan has loved exploring the outdoors. Our new nanny, Justine, is awesome and loves taking Morgan outside and showing her new things. And now that Morgan notices so much more, she loves to watch squirrels and birds in the trees, touch the leaves, and watch kids play. At first she was a bit tentative about getting dirty and touching things like sand or water, but now she seems to really like it and demands we walk right on over. She still isn't walking on her own, but can motor around pretty well holding our hands. We have taken some nice walks in the fall sunshine lately. And last weekend we visited Portland, staying with Sam's parents in the Pearl District. Morgan got to swing in the city and had the best diaper changing spot in town!

Happy Birthday, Morgan!

It's official: Morgan is now one year old and going full steam ahead into the toddler years. Today I took her to her one-year check up where she flirted with the nurse and doctor, loving all the attention they were giving her....until the shots. That part wasn't so fun, for Morgan or me. Another not fun part was having a doctor ask, "Are you familiar with pinworms?" This is not something that you want to hear in relation to your child. Apparently, pinworms can be associated with teeth grinding, which Morgan was doing regularly a few weeks ago. I won't go into detail about diagnosing pinworms (and I really hope I never have to do such a thing), but it made me realize all the yucky stuff Morgan can get herself into now that she is roaming the earth. Toddlers, from what I can tell, are a bit like having an animal in the house - cute, active, unpredictable, and a little dirty. I'm sure it will be a humbling experience all around. The good news, though, is that Morgan's teeth grinding is probably just due to teething. Whew!The past week has been full of firsts: the first birthday, eating straight sugar for the first time, having a party. But I find myself beginning most sentences to Sam, "Oh, it was one year ago today that ______" (fill in with: we went to the hospital, or Morgan came into the world, or we brought her home from the hospital, or you were watching the Duck's game while I was in labor, or I was finally conscious enough to notice my daughter!). Her birth was a very magical time, and it was incredible to experience so much instantaneous love for someone. But I don't really care to think any more about all that I had to go through to get her!Anyway, we had a great time celebrating Morgan's first birthday last weekend at my parents. Our families helped us out a lot, and it was a great reason to get everyone together. And Morgan's cousins loved it too - they got to open all her gifts and eat cake! It was also a special day because Morgan got her first car - a Ford High Boy pedal car with flames on the side! She will be the envy of all the kids on our street. I have posted an album on Shutterfly if you want to check out more photos (password: theholloways). Below is a highlight reel of her party!

Little Miss Birthday

Morgan's birthday is nearly upon us, and I'm very excited to celebrate. It is hard to believe that she is one year old already, but what is most amazing about her (and all babies) is how much change happens in just one year's time. Thinking back to that warm, sleepy little bundle we brought home and now looking at this independent, active toddler are like night and day. I am kind of looking forward to having things slow down a bit -well, in terms of her growth. I know she isn't going to slow down one bit!

Morgan is quite her own little person and taking in so much everyday. Lately, she has fun doing "squats," when she raises and lowers herself at the coffee table to play peek-a-boo with us. She likes walking, with our help of course, and always seems to know which direction to head. She even likes to kick the beach ball (or whatever may be in her path) as she walks. She hasn't learn to throw things yet (which is nice!) but definitely loves kicking. Yesterday, I put jeans on her for the first time (as you can see in the photo) and she had to discover that fashion sometimes has a price. Those jeans were somehow a little tight and she had a hard time maneuvering around. She kept grunting and getting her legs stuck under herself. I felt kind of bad and eventually took them off, but she looked so cute. (Yes, I have finally learned to love dressing up Morgan in cute clothes!)
The other day I went and "harvested" some veggies from my garden - well, one lone zucchini and a few tomatoes. Morgan went with me and had fun looking them over, which really meant putting baby teeth marks in them and putting a whole cherry tomato in her mouth. That scared me, and I was worried she would choke, but she was so shocked that she quickly spit it out. One more adorable thing Morgan likes these days is to dance with us. We put music on, hold her in our arms, and dance around. Slow, fast, whatever the music, Morgan always has a big grin on her face and doesn't want to stop.
Morgan isn't the only one who has done lots of growing this year. I have grown a lot too, and appreciate all the little (and big) lessons Morgan and motherhood have taught me. First of all, I have a new respect for the human body and how amazing it is - both Morgan's and mine. I am amazed at how perfect (yet resilient) and ever-changing Morgan's is. I am amazed at how mine seemed to always know what to do, through all the changes in the last 21 months. It made another human being - wow!

Another important lesson is multitasking. I always thought I did that anyway, especially being a teacher, but it has gone to another level being a mom. Sure, I can talk on the phone and change a diaper at the same time, but it's more about the mental multitasking that is constantly going on, trying to be as efficient as possible in the limited time I have. I don't get stressed out or too worked up about trying to get it all done, but I do know I have lost the ability to watch a football game for longer than three minutes. (Now I know how some of my ADD students feel.)Parenthood definitely teaches you lessons about time, giving you a new perspective on it all. Yes, I know the cliche´ about how fast time goes with kids, but it's more than that. It's the preciousness of it all. It's knowing that since the moment your child was conceived, she will never stop growing and changing. None of us will, until we die. So perhaps it's more a lesson about our own mortality, the preciousness of our own life, and how we better get busy living and enjoying this moment.

And most important of all, I "get it" now! I understand all those things mothers say and the crazy things they do for their kids, because now I am one. I can understand why women I don't even know would come talk to me about my big belly or ask questions about my baby. There is a bond that mothers share, and I am so happy to be a member of that club. One quote that always stays with me is: "Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body." (Elizabeth Stone) I actually heard this quote many years ago, but now I truly understand what it means. This little person, my daughter, was and will forever be part of me, although she no longer is growing inside me. When I find myself overcome with emotion just looking at her in my arms or watching her discover something new, I remember it is because my heart has grown so much bigger for having her in my life.

You Can't Always "Undo"

Every once in a while you get a reminder from life at what an idiot you can be. It's a lesson on how, even though you have a lot of things figured out in life and have been successful in many areas, you're not perfect and occasionally screw up big. Well, today is one of those days.

With Sam gone, I have been spending several evenings putting together a video DVD of Morgan's first year of life. It has photos and videos and music, and I was planning on sharing it at her upcoming birthday party. It would be a keepsake for us and her to have and look back on. I was just about finished with it and was pretty pleased with how it turned out. I just had a few more things to add, but was running into some computer troubles. My hard drive was getting a little full with all the photos and videos, so I couldn't add the last few videos I wanted to my project. Well, here's where the idiot part of my brain took over. I deleted files from my computer to try and free up space. I happened to delete videos, which take up a lot of memory, because I thought they were duplicates (some in iPhoto and some in iMovie). Well, I got a little surprise when suddenly parts of Morgan's movie were blank. Hmmm...that is weird. It wasn't until this morning when I sat back down to "fix" it that I realized what had happened and that those videos were gone for good. (Yes, I emptied the trash.)

NOOOOOO!!!! A time machine would be pretty handy right now, I was thinking, so I could go back and undo what I did! Fortunately, the videos that were deleted were just from this summer, and not her whole life. But there were irreplaceable: Morgan's first time playing in the sand, saying "Dad," crawling around, Father's Day with Sam, playing in the pool..... if I think about it more, I might throw up. I am so pissed at myself for such a simple lapse of judgment - actually more like technological ignorance. There is a slim chance I can recover the files with some expensive software, but I just have to live with the consequences and put things back in perspective. So as I have been talking myself down from this anxiety and anguish (where is Sam at a time like this!?), I have realized: Morgan is happy, healthy and that is all that really matters; it was only 3 months of her life that are gone and we still have all the photos; I'm not a horrible mom for accidentally deleting those videos; I need to accept that I screw up sometimes. Besides, Morgan is going to keep on growing and changing and we will have so many more cute and funny moments to capture in the years to come (backed up on an external hard drive, of course!)









Here's Morgan getting tickled by Grandpa Fred.
Top photo: Morgan and I video chat with Sam in China.

Flying Solo

Sam is in Hong Kong right now, and I am watching my daughter bang her head against the sliding glass door, with a smile on her face. Hmm ... I'm trying to picture the next 12 days without Sam around. Fortunately, my parents are coming to visit this weekend to keep me company and provide some adult conversation. I also have to live without a camera until he gets back, something that I probably need a 12-step program for. But I think I will survive going cold turkey. After all, Sam has to live without his cell phone while he is traveling. We are hoping to use the computer to iChat if we can find a convenient time to talk between the 15 hour time difference. But with the camera on our computer we will be able to see each other, and more importantly, Sam and Morgan will be able to talk to each other. He has an amazing itierary planned, going to Hong Kong, Shenzen, and Shanghai. The group will visit businesses, do cultural stuff and tours, and have free time too. Even though he's hardly had time to think about this trip amid the job search excitement, by the time he left he was really excited. I would be too!

On another note, I was informed that the power at my house is going to be off most of the day due to local powerline work (great) so I will wrap this up and figure out what to do with Morgan. Here's a little video from a week or so ago. Morgan figured out what shoes were and tried to put them on!

GO DUCKS!

Well, it's officially Duck football season! We had a great time last weekend tailgating with Erica, Todd, the kids, .... and Morgan! Yes, it's never too soon to start exposing your offspring to six straight hours of drinking beer, eating sausage products, and talking football surrounded by people dressed in way too much yellow and green. But that is what football season is all about! The weather was perfect, and it was fun for me to get to tailgate again. (I seem to remember being a little busy last September...) And as you can see, Noah and Avery love playing with their little cousin. In case you're wondering, Morgan and I didn't go to the game. Instead, we had a girls' night with Erica and Avery at home, watching the Ducks whoop the Huskies from the comfort of our couch. Here's some clips of Morgan experiencing the fun of tailgating. She seemed to have a great time, especially doing "cheers!" and taking some steps. GO DUCKS!

(PS: I apologize to my "Beaver-Believer" relatives on Sam's side of the family for this blatent promotion of the enemy ... but I'm hoping you can overlook it because Morgan is so darn cute!)