Fight Like a Girl

Cece, Nana and I went to NYC to participate in the 2018 Women's March. Last year we stuck to Hartford, which was a great experience but it was more of a rally than a march. Sometimes I girl just needs to spread her wings. Needless to say, the day was a huge success. This was Cece's first trip to the city. The crowd was big, everyone was friendly and courteous, Mother Nature participated, giving us sunshine and near 50 degree temperatures, and of course, Cece was a stand out. At 5, she's just starting to recognize what the fuss is all about. I talk with her about why we march, and ask her questions to judge her level of understanding. We are getting there. She loves to tell people about the march and I still find her singing to herself, "hey, hey, ho, ho, Donald Trump has got to go." LOL. You go, girl.

She's very proud of her signs. I am very proud of her.

Ooops...I did it again.

Well...it's been almost five months since I posted. There's a lot of posts that I SHOULD have written, plenty that I thought about writing, and exactly zero that I found time to write. We had birthdays, holidays, and plenty of happenings to write about. I WILL find time to post about them, hopefully one at a time, if not in one giant, unwieldy post.

In the mean time... We are here. We are alive. We are living the life.

Through the Eyes of our Daughters

On Tuesday, November 8, 2016, with my daughter, son and husband in tow, I proudly cast my vote for the first female President of the United States, Hillary Clinton. A few weeks ago, I tried to explain the election to Cece. I showed her a picture of President Obama, the First Lady Michelle, their daughters, and the White House. I tried a few things to explain these things, but then resorted to using the words "like a King and Queen" a few times. Because, let's face it, unfortunately our little girls are presented with castles, princes and princesses at her age more than just about anything else. And those are words Cece understands. I let her process all that and then I told her that everyone was getting ready to choose a new leader, a President, and we had an important choice to make. I knew I wasn't going to go deep with her, so I just showed her a picture of the two main candidates. She asked me what their names were. And then, almost immediately, she told me she wanted "the girl" to win. I had to smile.

Obviously, during that first conversation, Cece picked Hillary because she was a woman. This did not surprise me because we talk about women a lot. We talk about Girl Power. We talk about smart girls. We talk about strong girls. We talk about bravery. We talk about hard work. We talk about perseverance. We talk about kindness. After that first conversation with Cece, we talked about how all of these words apply to her. And then I told her about how they also apply to Hillary. I told her about how long she has been working and what she has been working for. I also told her she was working for something no other girl had ever achieved before. I do believe those words left an impression.

And so yesterday, we voted. We carried with us our hopes and dreams to the voting booth - that in Hillary Clinton and her historic run for the Presidency of the United States of America, our daughter would see that the when there are no more ceilings, and the sky is the limit.

And then she lost. It was a crushing experience telling Cece the news this morning. There were tears and scrunched up faces. But not from her. From Cece, there was a low, soft reply, "oh, noooo."  And then, "next time, mommy". Yes, Cece. Next time.

And even though she didn't win, there is so much to learn from Hillary. The glass ceiling hasn't been broken, but someday, hopefully soon, it will be. Cece for President, 2056? =)

"And to all of the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams." - Hillary Rodham Clinton, 11/9/16

Summer 2016 - Part One

We are half way through the summer already (how?). No time to write much (ever) but I wanted to throw up a few photos to summarize what we've been up to. Stay tuned for part two. Based on my history, it will be up in time for Christmas. =)

James and I kicked off the summer by spending Memorial Day weekend on Block Island (kid free!) with our good friends, Kris and Gina. It was amazing. So nice to get away, even for a night or two.

We've already had many fun days at Nana and Grandpa's lake house. Grandpa got a motor boat so that's been a source of great joy for everyone, especially the kids...especially Sully.

 

 

 

 

 

I went to California for a GIS (work) conference in San Diego. This is the same conference I went to two years ago and wound up spending 4 nights in a hospital with kidney stones (while 6 months pregnant with Sully). Fortunately, I didn't get another kidney stone on this trip...well, not until a few days AFTER I got home. But this time it was much, much smaller and more manageable. And also, I'm not pregnant (hallelujah!). But, still...what is in your water, California?!

 

 

 

 

While I was in San Diego, I finally followed through with a want of mine. I've been thinking of getting a tattoo for a very long time. And so. I did it (not without a lot of planning and forethought, despite what some family members may think!). Behold, my "mama bear". I love her. The kids do, too. James is coming around.

The tattoo caused some minor marital strife but it was short lived. Later that same week James decided to test the waters with his own risky behavior and bought himself a 1970's "road buggy". Tit for tat, I guess. Literally. The kids agree though, at least for now, that their parents are pretty cool.

We spent the Fourth of July weekend at the Lake House with lots of friends and family. Also, DIY fireworks, always fun.

We spent last weekend on the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound on James' boat. It was a beautiful day for boating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In in between there have been parades, birthday parties, family hikes, play dates, swimming, and summer fun. Next up, we'll be vacationing in Maine and then upstate NY for Labor Day weekend. More fun to come!