Butterfly Frenzy

Small business grants from Intuit

In late January, we launched the Small Business United effort at Intuit. Many months in the making with a village of Intuit folks and partners required to bring it to life, the effort is all about helping small business owners succeed. Music to my ears!

One of the key elements of the effort has been a small business grant competition. In the first part of the grant competition, close to 2000 small businesses submitted written stories about their businesses along with some excellent tips for others. Out of 2000 entries, 50 finalists were selected...no small task for the community of raters and our expert judges.

Now, the second part of the competition is coming to a close. The 50 finalists submitted videos about two weeks ago and have been getting the word out about their video and their business. Thousands of people have been rating the videos and sharing insightful or encouraging comments with the entrepreneurs. Ratings close tonight, so if you have a favorite business or video, be sure to get your ratings in!

On Thursday, after the judges have reviewed all of the videos and after the calculations have been completed, we'll announce the winners. All 50 business owners received $5k in grants along with a Flip video camera. The grand prize winner gets $25K and four runners-up receive $10K. All in all, we'll have given out over $300K in small business grants!

A very busy girl

With all the talk about how Leo is developing, I'd be remiss if I failed to note Sophie's transformation. She's become quite the big girl - going potty all by herself, picking out her own clothes, stringing full sentences together and finding her "name" (aka the letter S) everywhere she looks.

Sophie's also become quite the worker bee here at home. Whatever activity Jeff and I have started, Sophie wants a piece of it. Any activity is a fun one - washing windows at the cabin, setting the table, wearing mommy's shoes. If grown-ups can do it, well, then so can Sophie!

Sophie has a particular fondness for anything involving water. Gardening, washing the car and, lately, washing the dishes.

Of course, with Jeff's move to a commercial kitchen, there's less dish-washing at home (and we really didn't press her into service). There's still plenty to do, and I hope she continues to find it fun!

Our little entertainers

We're a big fan of our incredibly easy-to-use Flip video camera (thanks Grandma Cindy). Here are some of the more recent moments from our two little celebrities.

We have no idea where Sophie learned these moves! :)

Leo continues to charm us with his laughter and smiles.

A flurry of development

Mid-March finds the Wamplers not only watching a rousing series of March Madness basketball games but also enjoying the craziness and wonder of life with two rapidly developing little ones. Leo just passed the six-month-mark, and Sophie is six months away from three.

Both Leo and Sophie are amazing us at every turn. Sophie's verbal skills and ability to process information continue to blow us away. She now recognizes the letter "S" and calls it "my name." She loves pointing out "her name" in many other words, and she's also started to recognize the "R" (for Roxie) and the "L" (for Leo).

Sophie is also making some serious strides in the potty training area. Last week, she asked to go to school in her big girl underwear and stayed dry all day. Now, later that night, she peed on purpose when I walked through the door from work, but I figure a greeting is better than no greeting at all. She also had a "take my poopy diaper off and spread it around the room" experience. Thankfully, Wendy, our wonderful nanny, took that one.

 

Leo is also thriving and really starting to come into his own. At six months, he's right at the 50th percentile, growing to 26 inches and 17 pounds. He's been rolling over from back to tummy since late January, and he's got an amazingly accurate reach and grab. We love watching him roll across the room to reach Sophie or to try to reach Roxie.

 

Leo's also teething, with one tooth already popped through (first week of March) and the other bottom front tooth coming right behind. Since his teeth are starting to come in, we decided to start him on real food. He had his first taste of rice cereal on March 5, and he's now moved to mushed up bananas. Since he reaches out and grabs for anything on our plates (burritos, pasta, salad), we figured he was interested in food!

 

More from the Wampler adventure in the coming weeks and months...keep living the dream people!

California Academy of Sciences - Great Outing Despite the Crowds

With backpack and tote bag packed last night, tickets printed out this morning, Jeff and I ventured up to San Francisco with Leo and Sophie to visit the California Academy of Sciences for the first time. We knew it might be crowded but we'd heard such good things about the museum that we thought we'd give it a shot with the kids.

Was it ever worth it! The city of San Francisco has really built out the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park, and, with the addition of the Academy, it's quite a destination. So much so, that when we pulled up today, there was a line of easily 150 people waiting for the doors to open. Hint: don't get in the line unless you already have tickets!

The line moved quickly, a blessing with two kids under two, and we were inside. The building is full of natural light, thanks to the very green architecture. Here's a shot that I like to call the friendly "Death Star."

We wanted to go to the Rainforest but the line was huge and Sophie was antsy. So, we headed straight for the Steinhart Aquarium. Good call. Sophie and Leo were mesmerized by the huge gars from the Mississippi, the monstrous halibut and the extremely cool looking sea pens.

We spent quite a bit of time roaming around the aquarium, checking out the coral reef fish, the octupus and more. Both Jeff and I felt the immediate urge to travel and snorkel or dive, but, a visit to the museum may have to suffice for now!

We then headed up to the African Center to watch the penguins chow down. The actual set-up for watching the penguins and learning about them wasn't terribly optimal - "everyone move back 5 feet and sit on the floor". But, it was fascinating to learn about what they eat (herring is one key fish) and to see a 26-year-old penguin (10 years older than most).

By this point, we all needed a break from the crowds, and we were lucky to ask one of the many volunteers for a suggestion. On the third floor, we were directed to the Naturalist Center, which had some cozy spots for reading and checking out the various educational efforts. Even better, the Center opened up onto a small balcony that overlooked the entrance and the Planetarium - perfect for snacks and a little discreet nursing.

Before everyone had a complete meltdown (including this mommy who is severly lacking in sleep), we checked out the futuristic and very green "living roof." Jeff and I both expected to be able to do more on the roof, though I'm not sure what (gardening, sunning?), but there were great views and the nice smell of loamy compost.

All in all, the trip into the city and to the museum was a highlight of the last month!

Catching up with the Wamplers

Wow! It's been a whirlwind month since I last posted. Here's a smattering of what's been going on in our lives since late December:

* Had a great time with family in Davis for Christmas with the following caveat/reminder: An over-stimulated 2-year-old should not be expected to immediately go to sleep, especially when we're trying to get her to sleep in a tent in a closet. Just sayin.

* Leo rolled over from back to tummy on January 23rd, just past his four-month birthday. He was really excited until he realized that rolling over wasn't getting him any closer to his object of desire, his sister Sophie.

* I started back to work two days a week right when Jeff got slammed with business at the catering company. Thankfully, we have an amazing nanny and Sophie goes to a great school. And, we have a sense of humor.

* Sophie is really starting to have a lot her own thoughts. My favorite time with her is in the evening after we read books. She tells me all about the things that are on her mind at the time, and it's pretty darn cute.

* We had our first family service day. We couldn't make it work to volunteer on MLK day or on Inauguration Day, but we planted trees at Shoreline the following Saturday with both kids in tow. It was muddy but rewarding work, and the kids enjoyed it.

More adventures are bound to ensue as I head back to work four days this week and Jeff's catering schedule continues to fill up. Plus, we've got things like potty training Sophie, helping Leo sleep through the night and trying to lose the baby weight (Kira) still on the to-do list...!

Christmas in California

One of our neighbors put this video together about Christmas in California. It's very apt with all of the snow and ice falling throughout the country. Enjoy!

Sophie and Leo caught on tape

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, we whipped out the Flip camera and caught a few of these moments. We realized we should do this more since it was so easy!

Here is Sophie dancing with the Thanksgiving turkey toy that the Dimonds have had for a couple of years. It is a major kid pleaser and, with dogs, not so much.

And, here is Leo in full conversation mode with Jeff and me. He is such a charmer. Look at how he uses his whole body to communicate. As Tyra would say, he even smiles with his eyes!

Yes We Are

On Tuesday, November 4, we made a momentous decision to elect Barack Obama as our 44th president, declaring that change, hope and unity were more than words but real ideas with strength and power. Though excited about the election, I almost immediately delved into a pity party about the inauguration. Back in the day, as a sophomore at Georgetown, I witnessed what was then historic...Bill Clinton's first inaugural.

The day after Obama's election, I spent the morning regaling my husband with memories of Clinton's inauguration and trotted out lines like "if that was historic, imagine how amazing this experience would be" and "if you really, really loved me, you'd help me find a way to go." Hardly fair.

Then, to top it off, I listened to the talking heads say things like "Obama has to do XYZ" and "Obama must do ABC". I realized that the chattering class was making the same mistake that we've been making for years; that's it about one individual's responsibility to fix our problems and not all of our responsibility to do so. What was so inspiring about Obama's campaign is his focus on the "we" and not the "me." That made me realize how selfish I was and got me thinking about how we could start making change happen on Obama's inauguration day.

So, going big, I want to encourage 1 million people to give at least two hours of their time on inauguration day to send a message to our country, our leaders and, frankly, the world that optimistic, can-do Americans are back! Not just Yes We Can but Yes We Are!

Imagine what two million hours in one day can accomplish across the country. Imagine how many books can be read to kids in a literacy program or meals can be shared at a food pantry or trails can be maintained in our parks. Imagine what that gift can mean to our communities, to ourselves and to our new administration. Let's do this people, let's get out there and make this happen.

So, if you already volunteer your time to a local organization, make plans to do so on January 20th. I'd love to be able to share with the world how many folks are giving to their community as a way to usher in change by ALL OF US. Feel free to use the comment field in this blog, your own blog, the wall in the Yes We Are Facebook group or the Twitter sign #daytobelieve to share what organization you're supporting and how.

If you don't already support a local organization and would like suggestions or if you are a local organization and need help, please use the same options (comment field, Facebook group or Twitter #daytobelieve) to get the help you need. We want to make sure that everyone who wants to volunteer can, and everyone who needs help gets it.

So, what do you think folks? Can we make the change we want to see in the world?

Life at the two-month mark

Today is Leo's two-month birthday, and I can hardly believe how quickly time has passed. He's a thriving infant, no longer a newborn. He's full of smiles and loves to coo and caw to get a word in edge-wise with his big sister Sophie.

At his two-month visit, Leo weighed in at 11 pounds, 14 ounces. We slowed down his weight gain a bunch since the 1-month visit to try to dissipate his tummy troubles. That and mommy is barely eating anything with taste is starting to help him digest things better. We no longer have the hour-long crying bouts that characterized his third and fourth weeks on the planet. Poor guy!

Leo takes great naps during the day, especially when he's in the Ergo on a walk. Night-time leaves a lot to be desired, but I'm giving him one more month of leniency. Then, I think we'll need to get him into his crib and, fingers crossed, sleeping more than three hours at a time!

In the midst of life with an infant, we're really living in Sophie's world. She seems to have turned into a real kid, stringing together full sentences, beating up on her little brother and generally have her way with the world.

Sophie now goes to a Montessori school four half-days per week, and she really seems to thrive on the structure, social interaction and intellectual challenges. She sings full songs, can recite numbers (though doesn't know what they mean) and now knows how to push and kick.

 

All in all, life is totally hectic but it seems like we've always been this way.