Grassy Heads and a new Pres

So Nana got us a couple of these chia-type things. (I guess this is the Millennium version with recycled coconut husks or something.) but the premise is basically the same: water the little brown balls-heads and they grow grassy hair. Kinda weird, but definitely fun. The kids have been enjoying checking on them daily. I think Katie is a little self-conscious or something cause she keeps asking if she can cut the 'hair' on hers (hers is the right one.)

On another note: big day for the ol USA today with Obama getting sworn in on the heels of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I spent a lot of time during the day thinking about it, and most of that was considering if I would try and explain the event to Katie this evening. I was wrestling with the idea of tainting her innocence with the ugly concept of inequality and civil rights. I mean, shes going to learn about it soon enough, and part of me wants to let her live without that ugliness in her sweet little brain for as long as possible. The other part of me wanted to use the occasion to address the subject and hopefully reinforce the importance of the issue and the event.

I finally decided on the latter. I probed at first and it turns out that she watched the inauguration in school, and had a pretty firm grasp of who King was and what he did, from their discussion. Once again, kids always know more than you think. We talked it through and I was left feeling pretty happy about the idea that our kids might actually live in world that is better than the one we started in.

You know, you hear these words like equality and liberty everyday, and often don't recognize that we still have a lot of work to do in order to live up to the amazing ideals set forth by our forefathers. We are such a young country with such a radical charter. No one has ever tried to do this kind of stuff before. I end the day feeling an increased sense of personal responsibility, hope, and faith in the promise of our children. Good job today America.