Structural Integrity Day

After yesterday's earthquake (two in two years!), I think I have a handle on my earthquake fear and am ready to move to California.

Margot has the day off from school today, a day that shall forever be known as Structural Integrity Day.

She handled the earthquake very well and thought it was nothing more than an adventure. I tend to agree with her; the quake didn't unnerve me and I knew what it was right away after last year's quake. My first instinct was to jump in the car and get home in order to beat the traffic. And it was a success - I got home in 30 minutes.

I'd also like to add that just last month Brodie and I were in Mineral, VA, the quake's epicenter. We visited the CVS and also had amazing, huge, delicious ice-cream cones at a roadside stand. I hope the resulting media coverage of this quake puts that ice-cream stand in the black for the rest of the year.

Final quake observation: I received an email from DC Public Schools this morning informing me of the school closings and noting that some schools were damaged, including School Without Walls. (School Without Walls is a charter school in DC.) The irony of School Without Walls being damaged in an earthquake was not lost on me, and I've been chuckling about it all day.

First Day of First Grade

Margot headed back to school this year this morning. She reported a great day and was very excited about her new teacher. At drop off this morning, she confidently joined her friends from kindergarten and strode off to the big kids' section of the building (no more early childhood wing).

So this is the fake smile



And here's a real smile

Nostalgia

Just came across this photo of Margot on her homecoming day from the NICU. On Monday she starts first grade.

(Tearing up a little.)

Cowgirls

One of the best things about being a parent is getting to share life's greatest joys with your child. And it's made even sweeter when your child loves that joy as much as you do.

Today Margot went on her first real horseback ride. It was a spectacular ride and a spectacular day. The weather was sunny and warm. The air smelled like sagebrush and dry grass. The wildflowers stretched forever. The Tetons rose in the background. In the 20-something years that I've been riding, I've never know scenery upon horseback like what we had today. And this was Margot's first ride that wasn't a sad pony-around-the-ring ride. (How can she top today? She can't.) She rode a steady horse named Mickey. Margot was in love. She had no hesitation; she hopped right onto that horse and took off with our cute cowboy guide. She tried to dress the part with a cowgirl hat, but it blew off atop this mountain (we retrieved it, but had to tie it to the saddle for the rest of the trip).

Today was truly one of the best days of my entire life.

Sleep-gymnastics

I'm working on a beautiful Saturday afternoon while Margot takes a well-deserved nap next to me. (She's had a hard day of swimming and sun, and we're both a little burned despite reapplying sunscreen.)

M is a champion sleepwalker and sleeptalker. I'm not surprised when she wanders downstairs in the evenings, eyes totally open, but she's clearly sleepwalking. And she'll hold nonsensical conversations with you late at night, too.

But I just looked over at her because she started to stir and saw something I have never seen before: She tried to get herself into a headstand in her sleep. I was torn between seeing if she could actually do it, and not wanting her to hurt herself. I voted for the latter. I told her to lie down again and she looked at me (eyes wide open), and flopped back onto her pillow.