History Is Made...

I really have to begin with yesterday...

MLK Jr. Day probably doesn't mean as much as it ought to. We typically take the day off of school, but we really couldn't afford to do that this year, because we took a very nice vacation, and then we took a very nice Christmas break. So yesterday we went to school. We read a book about Martin Luther King, and I got to thinking that I'm not sure I have ever heard his famous "I Have A Dream" speech in it's entirety. I sat down with youtube and corrected that.

Figuring that it would be a bit much to ask the kids to sit through almost 18 minutes, I brought them in later on and played just the last five minutes for them. Originally, I was just going to have Seth and Grace watch this, but Caleb filed in, as well, so I didn't say anything and just decided I'd let him stick around until he was bored and then he would find his way back to his toys. Caleb jumped up on my lap and sat, riveted, during Dr. King's address. Seth and Grace payed attention... sort of... but they were pretty wiggly. As Dr. King finished with the famous, "Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last!" Grace said, "Is it time for Yogi Bear now?" And I said, "Yes," and she and Seth proceeded to run back to the living room. But Caleb turned around and looked at me and said, "Mommy, can't we watch the whole thing?" And you know... I think he actually took it all in. The child baffles me, really...

So today we went to the library and then kind of rushed home for the inauguration. We usually take our time at the library, but I think presidential inaugurations are quite educational, so I didn't want Seth and Grace (again) to miss this, and frankly, I wanted to see it myself. So... we gathered around the computer again. (For those of you who don't know, our TV doesn't get any channels... literally. We watch videos... and DVDs... and whatever we can get on blinkotv.com...) Anyway, we started watching around 11:30. By the time President Obama made his speech, Seth and Grace were all but dancing around the room, so bored they were... and Ian (who also felt the need to join in on this occasion) was playing with the mouse and pressing so many computer keys I thought I'd lose my mind... if not the broadcast! But there sat Caleb... takin' it all in again. When President Obama finished speaking, i told them they were all free to go do other school work, and Seth, Grace, and even Ian made like lightning for the rest of the house. But Caleb got mad at me, because it wasn't "over"...

Now, I've got to say, you might be thinking that all 4 year olds love TV and that it is natural for Caleb to want to stay glued to the screen at this age, but the truth is, Caleb has never really liked TV that much. I am often hard pressed to get him to sit still in front of his favorite cartoons for half an hour so that I can take a shower in peace or do the dishes. This was all rather uncharacteristic for him.

I think I underestimate Caleb sometimes. He is really going to be something... Heck, he already is...

So... change in America... I still like Barack Obama. I was pleased with the inauguration, although I thought the guy who gave the benediction was a little corny. I hope change is really on the way... the kind of change that is good... We need that. Time will tell...

Gotta go. Cookies are in the oven, friends are on the way...

Lisa