in cam's own words... june 20, 2009

i would do anything for my daughter. for true. not an exaggerated boast. she teaches me so much. i try to do my best for her in that realm. ultimately, i know that she will be amazing and do amazing. her golden light brings an energy to my life that no one can duplicate. together since she was a fresh newborn sleeping through the night upon my bony chest our bond has not slept. she is part of me. i am part of her. she is an individual i enjoy knowing…
i cherish past payton.
i cherish present payton.
i cherish future payton.

From our books Le Petit Prince + The Profit:
“Look up at the sky. Ask yourself, ‘Has the sheep eaten the flower or not?’ And you’ll see how everything changes… And no Grown-Up will ever understand how such a thing could be so important!
“Your children are not your children. They are of Life’s longing for itself.”

Three Plus a Dog June 14, 2009

This weekend my husband, baby and I went on a little weekend get away to a resort on the Hood Canal. We chose to take the Bremerton ferry back to Seattle to which we arrived 45 minutes early. To kill some time and entertain our almost 11 month, old we took a walk up to the near by Starbucks. Our daughter promptly alerted us to the doggie sitting outside by calling out "waaa waaa waaa". I took her outside to meet the doggie. The dog owner was a dad who was out with his three small and smallish children. He too had an 11 month old, strategically strapped into the stroller and a 4 and 6 year old. We had a nice little chat about our children. He highlighted to me that his oldest had just finished Kindergarten. I found that to be such a nice thing to say in front of his daughter to make her feel special. Being the oldest I'm sure she doesn't necessarily get all of the attention she deserves. He also handled a possible fight over whose turn it was to walk the dog with the perfect mixture of kindness and authority. I was so impressed by his method and how his children immediately listened to him and trusted his judgement. I admired this daddy not only for the courage to go out alone with three children and a dog but with the ease and kindness he displayed doing it.