Red (letter) Day

This week, Josie's preschool class is learning about the color red, the letter A and designing a 'family tree'. All the kids are supposed to wear something red today - and I found this most appropriate outfit at Gymboree over the weekend. (On Sale, too!)

Today is also my birthday, so James scheduled his meetings close to home. He's taking Josie to school today while I head off to the gym for a cycling class. Then, for dinner tonight, we will have two treats I have been denying myself for months... a Five Guys burger and some chocolate cake!!

Here's a few shots of my stylin' princess before she left for school this morning:









And here's another snazzy outfit she wore last week:




Many thanks to my dear friend, Sue, for the lovely personalized birthday card I received yesterday. (I love it!) and to my family who always remember - much better than I do!!

Under the Same Moon

From Moon 9/15/08 10:24 PM

My girls have always loved looking at the moon. They both have a natural fascination with watching it rise in the evening sky. When James was away on travel, I used to tell Maddie that Daddy was looking at the same moon no matter where he was.

James is away on travel right now and the girls are fast asleep upstairs in Josie's room. They fell asleep together while Maddie read Josie her nighttime story and they played "puppets". (Puppets is the very appropriate name that Josie gives her imaginary play... most kids would call it 'make pretend')

Tonight also marks the Chinese Moon Festival:

The Chinese Moon Festival is on the 15th of the 8th lunar month. It's also known as the Mid-autumn Festival. Chinese culture is deeply imbedded in traditional festivals. Just like Christmas and Thanksgiving in the West, the Moon Festival is one of the most important traditional events for the Chinese.

The Moon Festival is full of legendary stories. Legend says that Chang Er flew to the moon, where she has lived ever since. You might see her dancing on the moon during the Moon Festival. The Moon Festival is also an occasion for family reunions. When the full moon rises, families get together to watch the full moon, eat moon cakes, and sing moon poems. With the full moon, the legend, the family and the poems, you can't help thinking that this is really a perfect world. That is why the Chinese are so fond of the Moon Festival.

The Moon Festival is also a romantic one. A perfect night for the festival is if it is a quiet night without a silk of cloud and with a little mild breeze from the sea. Lovers spend such a romatic night together tasting the delicious moon cake with some wine while watching the full moon. Even for a couple who can't be together, they can still enjoy the night by watching the moon at the same time so it seems that they are together at that hour. A great number of poetry has been devoted to this romantic festival. Hope the Moon Festival will bring you happiness.

The moon cake is the food for the Moon Festival. The Chinese eat the moon cake at night with the full moon in the sky.


I am not sharing a romantic evening with my husband... but the girls and I are safe in the home he has provided for us. He is not having a romantic evening either - out scouring the stores for the toy horse he promised Josie he would bring back for her. And, in this family, it's more likely that we'll have chocolate cake than moon cake! Still, we think our little corner of the world is 'perfect'.

There were 'silk clouds' in the sky tonight and I just wanted James to know that the girls and I thought of him tonight while we watched the beautiful moonrise.

I have limited photographic skills, but these are a few of the photos I was able to get out front of our house this evening:

From Moon 9/15/08 10:24 PM

From Moon 9/15/08 10:24 PM

From Moon 9/15/08 10:24 PM

NASCAR Chevy Rock n' Roll 400

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

James & Maddie had their annual NASCAR race outing this past weekend. Originally scheduled for Friday night and all day Saturday, the events were postponed to Sunday - due to the remnants of tropical storm Hannah which hit us on Saturday. They both really enjoy this event, held at the Richmond International Raceway. They get VIP treatment, which includes meeting the band that performs before the race.

This year, the band was Three Days Grace. Both James & Maddie said that the band members were engaging and quite nice. They took the time to chat and pose for pictures. Last year, they were very disappointed with the surly Daughtry so, it was a great surprise when they actually got to converse with the band. The lead singer even gave Maddie one of his guitar pics !!

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

Because of the delay of the race, Chevy was left with a shortage of manpower... everyone had stayed in Detroit. This provided an opportunity for James and Maddie to participate in the introduction of the NASCAR drivers. James drove and Maddie rode 'shotgun' as they drove around the track with drivers Ryan Newman and Mark Martin.

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

Mark Martin climbs into the bed of the Chevy Pick-Up:

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

Ryan Newman hops onboard:

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

Maddie snapped this shot while they were driving around the track:

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

From Race Day 08 9/7/08 6:21 PM

Maddie was still smiling when they returned home in time for a late dinner with Josie and me. It's rare that a 14 year old girl gets to share this kind of event with her Dad - they both just love the races! James loves having the one-on-one time with Maddie and returns home feeling very proud of how all the folks at Chevy compliment him on his lovely daughter. Maddie, on the other hand, loves getting to go to the concert and meeting all the people. (She also confessed to liking the time with her Dad...) !!

She's Off !!!

Today was Josie's first day of school. I'm proud to say we both handled it quite well. Neither of us cried and Josie settled right in. She looked just as sweet as can be, outfitted in a lovely dress and the backpack that Grandmom gave her.



She went right to work - or should I say, play - with a few of the girls from her class. Here, the ladies get acquainted over Playdoh:



In case you are wondering, I haven't gotten any photos of Maddie leaving for school because it's just too early in the morning! Maddie wakes up at 5AM and is out the door at 6:10AM. Her bus leaves the church parking lot at 6:30 sharp! She gets home at 3:40PM and goes right to work on homework and catching up on her emails. I barely see her !!! I do, however, still get my kiss goodbye and an "I love you" before she heads out.

I'm so proud of both my girls!

And So It Begins...

This morning James & I attended the Open House for Josie's new pre-school. It went really well. Josie seemed to be very comfortable and started engaging with the other kids right away.

Josie has been at home with me for the past 2 years. The only time she gets to see other kids is when we take her to the Kid's Zone at the gym or when she visits with Joey. I've never hired a babysitter for her - leaving her only with family members if needed. She really needs this pre-school... and I really need a cry! My baby princess is on her way !

She is a very smart and sweet girl... and she is also very assertive. I'm choosing my words carefully here because as the mother of two daughters, I know that labels are dangerous. Girls are called 'bossy' when exhibiting the same behavior that merits a boy being called a 'leader'. Go figure. Anyway, I embrace both my girls strengths.

Here's a few photos I was able to get while all the parents stood around getting acquainted:


Josie - Just like her Dad. (She found the toy cars right away!)



Playdoh seemed to be the most popular attraction at the Open House..



And here is Josie's teacher: Mrs. J. She seems very nice and able to handle the group. (A far better woman than I !! )



This is the beginning of the end for James & I... at least where children are concerned. Maddie has started High School (it's going REALLY WELL!) and now Josie is off to classes. I'm sad but relieved. Josie is my last child. Although we have quite a few years until we send her off to college, it makes me a bit sad that the journey has begun.

Massachusetts Getaway (or..."How We Dropped in on Aunt Mary and Uncle Nick with a Weeks Notice)

The weekend before last, our dear friend Mary made the mistake of calling to say hello...

The result was me packing up the girls and driving up to Massachusetts on Monday the 18th. We decided to end our summer with a visit to Aunt Mary, Uncle Nick and Ryan in Marshfield. We spent the night in Boston on the 18th. Once we checked in, we walked from our hotel in the Seaport District to Quincy Market. We watched some performers, shopped and had a quick bite for dinner. On Tuesday, we played tourist and boarded a tour trolley. We hit most of the major attractions, including a side tour of Harvard Square. We packed up our stuff that afternoon and headed down to Marshfield where a beautiful breeze and beautiful Aunt Mary awaited...

Both Nick & Mary worked on Wednesday so the girls and I waited until it warmed up (temps were in the 60's in the AM) and walked to the beach. Bad timing on our part, as the tide was high and water crashed on the rocks. We made due with kicking back in the yard. Josie entertained herself for a full four hours playing "puppets" in the sun room while I read a book (first time in ages!) and Maddie caught up with her electronic gadgets.

On Thursday, I picked James up at Logan Airport (he was in California on business) and then headed out on Nick & Mary's boat. We cruised around for a while on calm seas and then pulled a few lobster pots that Mary's brother, Jim, had put out earlier in the day. The first pot had two huge female lobster laden with eggs - so we had to throw them back in... heartbreaking. The rest of the pots were empty, so we we went home empty handed but happy - it was a beautiful day at sea and Mary was an excellent Captain!











Once we pulled back in to the marina, I got Josie off the boat while James, Mary and Maddie did the hard work of cleaning and closing up the boat. I was a bit scared of having Josie around the floating docks. She is not at all comfortable around the water yet, so best she stayed on dry land while the adults were busy.







Of course, being the slacker that I am, I kept busy taking photos of Josie while the others worked (sorry, guys!)



Friday was the ultimate beach day - Nick was able to take Friday off and we all headed to the beach with chairs, cooler and suntan lotion. It was a breezy day, full out sunshine with warm water to dip our toes in. Here's Uncle Nick enjoying a well-earned day off:



Josie got some quality time in with Aunt Mary:



And the rest of us got a nice tan and a day of rest and relaxation.



On both Friday and Saturday mornings, we awoke at 5:30 to catch the sunrise. Mary and I wanted to catch some photos but our results were mixed. The skies were so clear that there were no clouds to lend 'drama' to the sunrise - just a few spectacular colors that didn't translate well to film...





Maddie came along on Saturday morning, so I got some subdued shots of her:



Finally, after a few hours on the beach Saturday, we had to make the 10 hour drive home. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone. James has been daydreaming about buying a house up in Marshfield, which would make us all very happy. Everyone we spent time with there was so welcoming and friendly. It seems we have the BEST time there. Thanks to our Marshfield family for making sure we had such a great visit.

More Good News about Mad's High School

There was another  story about Maddie's new High School on the news last night.  We are very excited that Maddie is attending this school, and from the look of things, so are a lot of other folks.  

(I tried to embed the video but couldn't figure it out! Please click on the link to get to the story - Thanks!)