A GREAT Speech!

How do we even begin to express our joy with this man? Sean Penn called him "elegant." He's elegant, intelligent, humane and OUR PRESIDENT! Thank God!

When President Obama walked into the House chamber Abby chirped, "Oh, I LOVE his tie!" Will and I loved his speech. And we loved watching it with Abby who was interested the entire time and asked really good questions! I pointed out Senator Durbin who cradled Abby in his arms five years ago. I pointed out some of the Republicans I enjoyed working with -- Senators Hatch, Specter, and Brownback. Abby smiled and said, "We all have the same heart and same bones." I bit my tongue and didn't correct her -- perhaps because President Obama makes me believe that anything is possible! : )

And we loved Ty'Sheoma Bethea -- an eighth grader at J.V. Martin Junior High School in Dillon, South Carolina. What a great moment for her and what a great testimony to the power of letter writing! Have you written to your elected officials recently? Will and I just did on Sunday!

Speed

Every afternoon when Abby comes home from school, she and Daphne run around and around the dining room table and then zoom down the hallway.

A Dog Wearing a Diaper Walks into a Bar...

...sounds like a good joke, doesn't it!

Our dog isn't exactly walking into bars, but she is sporting a doggie diaper! Our vet wanted her to go through a heat cycle before being spayed. As of Sunday, she is in heat (and bleeding) -- and thus the doggie diaper.

And by the way, non-neutered male dogs are currently unwelcome at the Stott house!

A Girl, A Flashlight, and Some Blankets

This evening, Abby asked Will for our flashlight. She then asked me to help her build a fort. I was then blissfully reminded of how content Abby is on her own -- in a fort -- for a long stretch of time! (Note to self -- stock up on flashlight batteries!)

Abby eventually abandoned the fort, but someone else moved in quickly...

Addicted

Abby and I are slightly addicted to Webkinz.com. I blame Noni, which is pretty easy to do given that she purchased the first Webkinz for Abby. The fact that she lives across the continent for the majority of the year and is really nice also helps.

If you don't know what Webkinz.com is, consider yourself lucky and DO NOT investigate. You too, may become addicted. Over the last two weeks, we have spent far too much time gazing at the computer screen and I've spent far too much money feeding the addiction.

By the way, why/how do humans innately know the double finger cross?

The Girl Can Dust

Will and I periodically find ourselves asking why we spend so much money on Abby's private Montessori tuition. But, the fact is, the girl learned how to dust, and she loves it!

Worrying

I find myself worrying these days about what Abby's world will be like in the years to come. Certainly the planet could do without a few more stores, but people need jobs and for good or bad, consumption drives our world economy.Last summer I bought a wonderful dress in this store in Lanesboro, MN. The dress was hand-made by a woman in Ghana in a fair-trade cooperative called Global Mamas -- http://www.globalmamas.org/. Hopefully, her dresses and those of the other global mamas will continue to find their ways to stores that weather these uncertain times. Regrettably, they just won't be in Lanesboro.