shawn is thirteen!!

Shawnie this has been quite a year. You have grown so much. You have shown us your quiet and sometimes not so quiet strength. You have weathered a move and you have done really well with many changes. You have tried a new sport, taken a theater class (you're pretty funny!), learned about friendships and relationships and math and science. You continue to be an incredible blessing to our entire family and we all love you so much.

I am so blessed to be your mother.

Welcome to the teenage years Shawn. Here we go!

for my children~perspective

It's good to try something new. It brings perspective. That's what we learned this past year. Many people have commented about how flexible our kids are. That's for sure. They can set up camp anywhere. Since July of last year we have lived in four different homes as we needed to move several times. Each place served a purpose and we got a lot out of being in California.

My parents are visiting us now in Palo Alto and it has been wonderful having them here. Photos of that time to come soon.

What I have learned is the following. Things always work out for the best. But not always what we think is the best. We can't always know for sure. Sometimes it's best to sit back silently and watch as life events unfold. Patience is key.

And mostly, love and family are the most important things in life.

We are all very, very blessed.  All of us.

Amen.

shawnie's year

Shawn, we plopped you into a new town, a new school, a new house, new everything. You sailed right in. We will all look back on your seventh grade year as the year you grew up a lot. You started the summer before school attending your first sleepaway camp, which you loved. There you met your first girlfriend. Once school started you quickly made new friends, met another girlfriend, and got your first cell phone. This led to more independence after school, playing basketball, walking to friends' houses and the Sweet Shop. You continued your study of drums and piano, you tried a new sport, you did a theater class, you made lots of awesome omelettes, you played lots of basketball with Zach (bye Felicia) and you took media studies and learned to act and film. We took a couple trips to the MA Center and you met more friends there and learned about gardening, worm composting and played a bunch of basketball. Overall, a good year.

california memories

There were some nice memories when we were living in the countryside on the outskirts of the technology capitol of the world. 

It's always good to have a new perspective. We met so many brilliant scientists, computer whizzes, and doctors, mostly affiliated with Stanford. The people in the neighborhood were friendly and welcoming. The kids jumped into their new lives feet first and did really well in much bigger schools. Shawn went to a school dance and dressed up. Annabel played her music live many times at her school, in the local community center, and for local television. We went to watch her and cheer her on, although she didn't need it. Both kids studied theater and challenged themselves thoroughly in school with some classes not offered in their schools from home. We celebrated Thanksgiving with our dear friend Terri; we have known her for over twenty years.

Sky took her "gap year" and was working on figuring out her next step, and she made a lot of art, and got some much deserved down time after a busy senior year.

I loved the countryside. I loved the trees and the woods and the walks in the neighborhoods that easily led to nature. The nature was the best part for me. Driving home an extra few minutes was worth it to me, just to take in the green around me.