Our neighbors’ toddler has been going through a bad spell. I don’t know them well. This little boy frequently has temper tantrums. I have been assuming he is just going through his "terrible threes". However, sitting on my porch tonight, I could hear him inside his house cry...  read more

I wonder if my parents knew the extent of the things I did when I was little.  It was never anything overtly naughty (usually); it was almost always a safety issue: the "stay away from strangers" kind of safety issue.Usually when I was walking home from school (first grade), I met ...  read more

Neighbors I am not close to have had more grief added to an already overflowing goblet.  Their oldest son has had a form of leukemia that is rare in children and has a lower survival rate than other forms.  He has been in various stages of treatment for over two years.  Their lives...  read more

After I had been tutoring Tacha for a couple of years, I decided to become her “Big Sister” as well.  The community center used the term “Special Friend” rather than “Big Sister” and “Big Brother”.  In my orientation to the Special Friend ...  read more

The other night, I was lying in bed with my 6 year old son, Finn, helping him wind down so he could fall asleep for the night. He's a very sweet boy, and over the years, has found comfort in touching my face and my hair. Even when I nursed him as a little baby, he would clutch a bit of my hair ...  read more

David was born in the middle of San Diego in the middle of the San Diego firestorms. Thankfully, our home (and our friends homes) were not damaged in the week-long fires that destroyed so much property and life here. When we got the call to come in to the hospital it was because there were so m...  read more

         He stood on the threshold into the living room holding a handful of snacks he'd plucked from the refridgerator and shifting his weight eagerly from one foot to the other. He exuded excitment like sweat, and I remember noting how large the food was in hi...  read more

Tampa, FL. My firstborn arrives. Sammy is the only Floridian in our family. We love him from the first moment we see him, and that adoration grows through the years.  read more

1st thing I noticed: It's cool that the Science Center School is right next door. 1st exhibit I saw: Air & space annex I enjoyed the exhibits, and I liked having the young kids around, who were on their field trip. It was more exciting and awesome to them than to me, so it was a reminder to...  read more

Our Twins!