All Dogs Go To Heaven

Our Beloved Shula passed away Wednesday morning. She aged gracefully up until a few weeks ago, when her health began to quickly fade. On Monday Shula underwent a liver biopsy to determine whether she had liver cancer or liver disease. We knew a difficult decision awaited us. But Shula, forever the sweet, sweet dog she was, made it for us. Shula died peacefully in the morning at the age of 14.

Somewhere, squirrels in heaven are now on the run.

My Kid Could Paint That

You won't find blank canvases or acrylics; in our house, art is where a 5 year old boy sees it. This week it was newspaper cut in the shape of ghosts and landscapes done on legal pads.

A documentary playing in small independent theaters right now poses the question: can a pre-schooler create modern art that will sell for tens of thousands of dollars? Little Marla Olmstead did...or did she? "My Kid Could Paint That" won't answer that question, but will shed light on the problem of parents who push their young children into the media spotlight, and away from just being a kid.

Last week we attended William's very first art show. (Not "his", but rather the St. Ann art show) In William's work we see stories and detail. A bird, a tree, a house, friends or family. He draws his experiences, his wants and sometimes even his fears. We don't see Pollack, or Willem de Frauding. It's a child drawing his childhood. And that's how it should be.

Jack is Back

William has three very important "Jack's" in his young life. First, (and most important) is his cousin Jack Reynolds. Then Jack the beta fish, who we think William named after his cousin, but we're not sure. And then, lastly there is Jack from Hollowscream at Busch Gardens. Or as William calls him, "Jack the Pumpkin Guy". For three years in a row, we've gone to Busch Gardens in Virginia for their Halloween special events. And each year, it's been all about Jack. You see, Jack performs a show, with scarecrow dancers, and pumpkins several times a night in the Ireland area of Busch Gardens. If William had his way, we'd be front row center at each and every performance. At the very least William has to get his picture taken with Jack each day, and shake his hand. The trip this year was bittersweet. It was, as always, much fun for all of us. But it was probably the last Autumn trip to Williamsburg. And so we'll always remember the dancing pumpkin man, and the spell he cast on our entire family.

Big Guy's First Day of Kindergarten

Can't believe this day has arrived. Seems like yesterday that William was wobbling around in the Panda Room at the Early Childhood Enrichment Center. Now, nearly four years later he has started kindergarten at St. Anne's School. I know that Susan and I were more broken up about not only his last days at ECEC but also his first few at St. Anne's. William was so excited to be going into kindergarten. No sadness whatsoever on his part. Only a few days in and already he has made some new friends and loves to tell us about some of his new experiences.
Other news on the Moses front include our home with a "for sale" in the front yard. Not that anyone is doing anything about it. Its been on the market now for over 3 months and we've only had 5 walkthroughs. Bad, bad market. Just our luck. Fortunately, we enrolled William in St. Anne's thereby taking some of the pressure off to sell the house. that being said, we'll be so relieved when this is all over.

Through The Eyes of Child

We all remember with great fondness, those wonderful childhood moments. Seeing a full stocking on Christmas morning. Rushing through dinner to head out for trick or treating on Halloween. The last day of school. A trip to the movies. When adulthood arrived, I thought of those times that nothing could be sweeter. I was wrong.
I now view those moments through the eyes of my son. At every holiday Dana and I delight at watching his reaction to Santa's arrival, or hunting for eggs on Christmas morning. We eat too quickly on Halloween too - ready to watch William march up and down the street and saying "Trick Or Treat" at each door on our route. Do we over-do-it as parents? Yes we do. But I've come to the conclusion that we do it for our own pleasure. The thrill that we get, the memory we know we'll treasure, as we re-live those happy childhood moments, through the joy it brings to the child that is a part of both of us.

Vacation and Illness

It never fails with us. Either it hits before we leave or after. This time illness hit 48 hours before our long-awaited trip to Busch Gardens in Virginia. Last year - it was pneumonia after our skiing weekend at Peek n' Peak. And this summer, it was a cold, and then diagnosis of asthma after returning from a lovely weekend of swimming and family fun in Geneseo, New York.

William is fighting a fever, complete with glassy eyes, and little energy. He's lying on the couch watching Noggin. I could be packing at this moment, or trying to write one of six stories I want to get done before we leave, or log one of the many tapes that sit in my briefcase. But I'm not. I'm just typing and watching him rest.

William has just told me to "Stop it". I am typing too loud and keeping him awake. Or perhaps I am interrupting his Noggin viewing. Funny, funny little man. I am still thinking about his announcement to me earlier, "Mom, I have some very sad news to tell you. There is a dead squirrel on the tennis courts. I think a bad guy shot it." Yes, very sad indeed.

His head is back down on the pillow, resting - and no doubt thinking more heavy thoughts about the world. Me, too. Get well soon William.