Born In The USA

The other day when I picked Lily up from school she said, "Mommy, you know what I noticed today? Jake, Sasha, Luke, and I have darker skin than the other children in our class."

Lily then proceeded to describe in great detail of the four children (including herself) whose skin was darkest, lightest, etc. It was obvious that she had given this *a lot* of thought.

I mentioned to Lily that Jake and Luke were both born in Guatemala and that Sasha's parents were born in India. Lily ran to her room and got her globe so I could show her where Guatemala and India are. This lead to a discussion about how people from different areas of the world have different skin colors.

For the next several hours Lily and I discussed skin color/race on and off. Lily is amazingly perceptive and insightful. I was surprised how much Lily seemed to understand. I always want to remember that conversation. It was so sweet and innocent...and complicated.

Here's a little snippet of that conversation, "Mommy, if Jake and I had a baby that grew inside my body...but was born in the United States...would the baby look like me or you?"

I answered that the baby would look like she and Jake. Lily looked at me with a quizzical expression and said, "Even if the baby is born in the United States???"

Obviously, we still have some ground to cover. :-)

Practice Smiling

As you can see from the new beautiful blog banners we recently had a fun fall "photo shoot".

Jason, my friend Erica's husband, met Lily and I at the horse farm and took a bunch of beautiful pictures.

When Jason was taking Lily's picture he told her what a beautiful smile she had and asked her if I made her practice smiling. Lily thought that was about the funniest thing she had ever heard. Lily said, "That's so silly!! You don't practice smiling, Mr. Jason. You just do it!"

Despite the fact that it was incredibly cold...Lily smiled, and smiled, and smiled!

Jason had just start shooting when who should happen to appear but beautiful Tara (the horse...not the rider). Well, let's just say Lily was a bit distracted.



We took a quick break so Lily good give Tara a little love.



I hadn't really planned on having Lily's picture taken with her coat on, but it was so darn cold. As it turns out, I love the photos of her in her pretty red coat.



Lily did take her coat off for a few minutes. Since it was so cold Jason told Lily just to jump around and have fun and we would take pictures while she was playing. That lasted for about 2 minutes and then the coat was back on! Brrrr!



Lily found a huge leaf while we were walking across the field. Once she found it she didn't want to let it go. In fact, she still has it. It's in her bedroom. Along with about a thousand other odds and ends she finds here and there. Shhh...don't tell the Health Department!



I can't believe Jason got all these great shots (and more) in less than 15 minutes. Did I mention it was incredibly cold?!?

Okay, so maybe the fence could be a little cleaner but I absolutely love this picture.



I saved my favorite for last. I just love Lily's expression. I think her love/awe of horses is so obvious and beautiful.

A Long Line Of Love

I am so, So, SO excited to share the wonderful news that Ryan and Clare got engaged yesterday!!!! We are all beyond thrilled!!



Clare fits in seamlessly with our family...but don't hold that against her! I won't try to speak for Clare's family, but my understanding is that they feel the same way about our sweet Ryan.



Clare is a beautiful, sweet, and lovely young woman. When I say beautiful, I don't mean Clare's obvious outward beauty. That is, of course, undeniable. What I am talking about is her inner beauty. Because that is where Clare's true beauty lies.



Clare is kind and gentle. She is patient and loving. She is funny and smart. Simply put, Clare is E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. I could ever hope for in a partner for Ryan.



Clare and Ryan have always been incredible role models for what a young committed relationship should be. Their relationship is not one fraught with drama. Instead, their relationship is filled with mutual love and respect.



Ryan and Clare have withstood more trials in the time they have dated than many couples twice their age. Together, they have endured tremendous heartache and have found strength and comfort in each other.

It is has been such a privilege to witness their love story. I can't wait to see what the next chapter brings!

Congratulations, Ryan and Clare. We love you both so, so much!!!

Building Friendships

Several weeks ago Lily and I attended an outing with the Families With Children From China (FCC) 6 and Under Group. Lily and 3 other little girls really seemed to hit it off. That afternoon the other moms and I decided to make plans to get the girls together again.

We did that this weekend. 3 of the 4 families (one of the little girls was sick) met at The National Building Museum in DC.



I have to admit that I had never heard of The National Building Museum...and if I had ever heard of it...it wouldn't have been a place I would plan to visit. I'm so glad someone else suggested it because it turned out to be such a fun place!

The girls had a great time playing together. They built a 7 foot foam arch, played with blocks, designed LEGO creations, and giggled like...well...like a bunch of little girls!



After spending several hours at the museum we all walked to Chinatown and had an early dinner.

It wasn't only the little girls that had a lot of fun on Sunday. All the parents really hit it off. I think we'll be getting this little group together again soon.

Pumpkin Fun

We've been trying to make the most out of this beautiful fall...because we all know what's coming next...WINTER. Ugh!

Two weekends ago we visited a pumpkin farm and had so, so much fun!!! It was a positively gorgeous day and Lily took advantage of everything the pumpkin farm had to offer.











This weekend we carved up the fruits of last weekend's pumpkin hunt.

When I say "we" carved the pumpkins it's a bit of an overstatement. You see, I didn't carve a thing. Tony and Lily handled all the pumpkin carving tools.

I know I shouldn't admit this, but I let Lily carve her own pumpkin. She kept saying, "I can do it. I can do it." Other than actually sticking the saw into the pumpkin, Lily was right. She drew the picture and carved the pumpkin herself. Lily was/is incredibly proud of herself!



Can you tell which pumpkin Lily carved and which pumpkin Tony carved???



Um, yeah, Tony has a bit of a dark side. Why do you ask???