Hmmm.

**

Somtimes I wonder...

"Why is that frisbee getting bigger?"

... and then it hits me.

**

Quote for the Day

**

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."

~Gandhi~

**

Out of the Mouths of Babes...,

**

It's after bath, after 'the naked run,' and mommy is just finished getting the girls dressed for bed. Alex has picked out her book and, giggling, she calls out to Daddy in the next room...

"Daddy! Come read this book or you're FIRED!"

LOL!!

**

My Soft Place to Fall

**
FALL

oh look there you go again
puttin on that smile again
even though i know you've had a bad day
doin this doin that
always puttin yourself last
a whole lotta give and not enuff take
but you can only be strong so long before you break
so..

fall

go on and fall apart
fall into these arms of mine
i'll catch you every time you
fall

go on and lose it all
every doubt every fear
every worry every tear
i'm right here
baby fall

forget about the world tonight
all thats wrong and all thats right
lay your head on my shoulder let it fade away
and if you wanna let go it's okay

fall

go on and fall apart
fall into these arms of mine
i'll catch you every time you
fall

go on and lose it all
every doubt every fear
every worry every tear
i'm right here
baby fall

&

hold on
hold on
hold on
to me

**

~ written by: clay mills/sonny lemaire/shane minor ~

**

He is my soft place to fall and, at the very same time, he is my rock.

**

An 'Ah-Ha!' Moment

**
'They' say it happens to most every parent. It's why people continue having kids. It's why no one really tells you the truth about those first few weeks or months. It's the mind-meld caused by all the good memories created since, and the heart exploding love that colors every decision of your life.

Looking through baby pics and thinking, "Ahhh, what a sweet time. We were first time parents with our brand new baby. Look how adorable she is," or "Look how happy we are - you can just see it and she is soo beautiful."


And that's when I realized it. I had the 'Ah-Ha!' moment.

Yes, this is it. The moment that you begin to forget the reality of it all and it turns to nostalgic longing for a romanticized version of the truth: The long, heart wrenching fertility battle, the early term bleeding and accompanying gut wrenching fear, labor and giving birth (though for me - this was the easy part), the barracuda breast feeder, the longer then usual recovery, the raw loneliness of being away from family and friends, the postpartum depression ... Never happened - none of it. It's all fading away to become just the beauty of my baby and the miracle that she ever came to be.

**

Quote for the Day

**

We find delight in the beauty and happiness of children that makes the heart too big for the body.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson -

**

Halloween at the Hart House

**

This year we had two witches

and Sheriff Dave, with Alex as Jessie AND Bullseye from the Toy Story movie.

VERY cute and not a princess in the bunch!

**

Halloween at the Hart House is a month-long affair,
complete with a visit to the pumpkin patch

Baking and decorating Halloween cookies
(OK - Mostly eating the decorations)

Carving and painting pumpkins
Decorating the house (inside & out) and lighting the Jack-O-Lanterns

Trick-or-treating

And the annual Hart Halloween Bash!
Postponed a week due to the fires and lingering air quality issues caused by all the smoke - but a great time was had by all!!

It really was GREAT fun! (And just a bit tiring too.)

**

Transitions

**

From sippy cups and giggles to deadlines and paychecks.

This transition has been rough - as expected.

**

She's 4 & 1/2 and a GENIUS !!

**

And, she can now tie her very own shoes!!

**

We're Hardest on Ourselves

**

After the fires, I may have questioned my contributions in the EOC, but as a team - WE ROCKED!!

**

A note from higher up...

Kudos to Emergency Communicators;

I wanted to let each of you know that all week I have heard from many individuals about what a great job the communications team did last week during the Wildfires - compliments for those of you in San Diego and those supporting in region and program offices. Ben XX, Jerry McXX and Diane G-XX (list o' big cheeses) are among those who have said something in meetings, sent an email, etc. noting your efforts.

Rodger, Molly and Casey - you all were amazing -- fast thinking and fast acting - along with great stamina and an ongoing sense of humor.

Everyone, whether in Oakland, Pasadena, San Diego or in your car, was on the ball, willing to stay until the job got done, figure out how to get the job when obstacles presented themselves - and work a bit outside of the box to ensure that members and patients had many means to get to the information they needed.

Thank you - I am privileged to work with such outstanding individuals.
Diana

Diana XXXX
Director, Communications and Media Services
Southern California Region Public Affairs
COMPANY

**
Hmmm. That feels good.

**