A trip to American Girl Place with Grace makes me think about money and what kinds of values I want to instill in my children about it.
I read The Embers by Hyatt Bass, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard, and Olive Kittredge by Elizabeth Strout.
A post by Mrs. Chicken makes me think hard about my personal mythology, and about the moments that make me who I am.
Thanksgiving in Florida. A first for me. I learn that Grace is now super easy on a plane, because she can sit and watch TV for hours. I learn also that this is not true for Whit.
I launch my Present Tense interview series, and am heartened by the response by those I ask to participate. My preoccupation with the notion of presence leads me to think about why I am always the one taking pictures. It also leads me to reflect on Gwen Bell’s essay about her mother’s death and the resultant melancholy that shapes her life.
We have parent-teacher conferences for both children and learn, in short, that Grace is a high-strung perfectionist who likes to read and enjoys computers and that Whit is a natural comedian who hates being alone and prefers outdoor physical play. In the simplest terms, we have one of me and one of Matt.