A Decade

To my biggest boy Ethan on a very big birthday: 10!

Ten years ago, I started this little blog.  I began writing and posting pictures of you because I wanted all of our friends and family to see just how perfect you were.  You see, your dad and I were pretty sure you were the very best thing that this world had ever seen, and we just couldn't help bragging about you to anyone who would listen.  I wrote about your first bath,

your first smile,

 your first time tasting "real" food,

 your first time on Stonywood dock,

 your first time playing in the snow,

 your first time sledding,

 your first Pats game,

 your first time playing piano (what a boy genius you were!),

 your first time driving a boat,

 and the first time you met your little brother.

And that was all in the first 21 months!

Looking back at these pictures, part of me wishes I could have these ten years back - that I could do it all over again, that I could rewind the clock back to here:

or even here:

Because someday, when you're a parent, you'll appreciate the bittersweet nature of this job - that every accomplishment, every celebration, every giant developmental leap forward, is also a little step away from us.  But here's the thing, kiddo: even if I could get in my magic time machine and travel back to January 2007 and start all over again, I wouldn't do it.  Why?  Because I'd miss YOU!  I'd miss ten year old you - my buddy, my helper, my strong and vivacious boy, my independent young man, my critical thinker and conversationalist, my partner in crime.  I wouldn't trade ten year old you for anything, even the chance to relive what has undoubtedly been the happiest ten years of my life.  

At ten, as at birth, you are perfect.  The difference is, now, I don't have to tell everyone just how perfect you are.  They know you.  They know who that boy who stole his Mom and Dad's hearts ten years ago has become.  You're out there making your own mark, taking charge of your own story, sharing your special self with the world.  So with that, I will say just a few words about my ten-year old Ethan, and then I will sit back quietly and watch as you write the next chapter.

Ethan, at ten, I can best describe you as well-rounded.  In other words, you are pretty darn good at almost everything.  You are athletic but artistic, smart yet curious and approachable, kind but also cool and popular, strong but gentle, and sweeter than honey, laced with a streak of cayenne pepper.  Because of this ability to be all things, you never get old.  You are so lovely to have around, almost all the time.  At ten, you like nothing more than playing outside with whoever will play with you - Dad is probably penultimate, but your brother or Josh are close seconds.  You have become a strong athlete, with an unbelievable arm and your Dad's eye-hand coordination.  You like watching sports almost as much as playing them, particularly your beloved Pats.  You love reading, especially fantasy and realistic/historical fiction and still love to color when you're in the mood.  You're into Legos, architecture, and anything you can build with your hands.  You are a strategic gamer, and are almost always up for a board game or a puzzle.  You've recently discovered Minecraft on your new Kindle, and love playing Wii with friends.  Fourth grade is "okay" and you'd much prefer to stay home, but you've made a good friend, Joseph, who is so much like you.  You still love movie nights, vacations, and spending time with your family, and we cherish the time with you.  You are honest, hard-working, responsible, confident, kind, strong-willed, earnest, and pensive.  You can also be silly and sassy and moody.  You are a worrier, a dreamer, a thinker, a feeler.  You are everything I could have ever hoped you'd become - more than I could have ever dreamed of when I first looked into those dark soulful eyes upon first making each other's acquaintance ten years ago.  Thank you for making me a mama, for giving me this forever job for which I will always be grateful.  I love you to the moon and back and beyond and beyond, forever and ever.  I can't wait to see where the next decade will take you - with you at the helm, I know it will be nothing short of great.

Happy Tenth Birthday Ethan!

Cards and a birthday breakfast parfait.  And a delay (he was hoping for a snow day).

Reading his birthday blog book, containing all ten of his birthday blog posts.  I think this may have been his favorite gift.

So big!

Ethan and a few of his friends at the trampoline park this afternoon.  Exactly what he wanted for his birthday celebration - trampoline park, pizza, cake, and a movie with his closest friends.

Ethan, Age 10 (age 9 responses in parentheses)

Weight: 72 lbs (64 lbs)
Height: 56.5 inches (55 inches)

 
1. What is your favorite color? Dark green, orange, and blue (Green)
2. What is your favorite toy? Kindle (Lightsabers)
3. What is your favorite fruit?  Berries (Orange)
4. What is your favorite TV show? Star Wars Rebels (Star Wars Rebels)
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? "Thermos food" (Bagel and cream cheese)
6. What is your favorite outfit? Anything Pats or Star Wars (Anything Pats or Star Wars)
7. What is your favorite game? Machi Koro (Life)
8. What is your favorite snack? Pretzels (Popcorn)
9. What is your favorite animal? Elephant (Elephant)
10. What is your favorite song? Stressed Out, or anything by 21 Pilots (Dynamite) 
11. What is your favorite book? Spiderwick Chronicles (The Rookie Bookie)
12. Who is your best friend? Josh and Owen and Joseph (Josh and Owen)
13. What is your favorite cereal? Life (Crispy Hexagons) 
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ski (Football)
15. What is your favorite drink? Hot cocoa (Hot cocoa)
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas (Christmas)
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Wince (Wince)
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cereal (Cranberry toast)
19. What would you like to have for a special birthday dinner? Mac 'n cheese (Mac 'n cheese)
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Lego creator (Architect and builder)

Oh Eight...Please Just Wait!

Eight!  Already!  My youngest is eight.  He's a week plus into eight already, in fact, and his birthday post is quite overdue.  So here's what I'm loving most about my newly-eight year old:

• His passion for the Jacksonville Jaguars.  So irrational ("because I like cats!") but so strong and brave in Patriots nation.
• The fact that he is my mini-me.  Maybe it's vain, but I love it when people tell me Adam looks just like me.  For one, he's adorable.  But more importantly, I agree, and it's fun to watch genetics in action. 
• His snuggles and cuddles.  Even at eight, Adam is still super affectionate.  He loves to curl his long limbs up into my lap at the movies or during storytime, or jump into my arms for a dance around the kitchen.  He holds my hand whenever I reach for it, and his hugs are pure gold.  He is generous with his affection, and as a result, finds buds who are similarly cuddly and sweet.  There's nothing cuter than watching little boys walk together holding hands, or tuck into one twin bed at a sleepover. 
• The way he slaps his forehead when he makes a mistake.  Or spills something.  Or knocks something over.  Which happens way more often than it should when you're eight.  Bringing me to my next love...
• That he is clumsy as all get up.  It's like watching a Three Stooges film on repeat.  When an entire glass of milk is spilled on the very day the cleaners have mopped my floor - that's maddening.  When his elbows carelessly jab into every tender part of my body - that hurts.  But his total, unabashed lack of body awareness also makes me laugh at least once a day.  
• His selflessness.  Adam has always been the best of sharers, but at eight, he also has an amazing ability to meet you where you're at.  If you need to be cheered up, he'll be silly.  If you need some quiet time, he leaves you alone.  If he hurts your feelings, he's quick to apologize.  Adam loves being the center of attention, but he's also eager to let someone else run the show, deferring to whoever needs to be in charge (usually his big brother...or his mom).  It's selfless and empathetic and emotionally mature, and one of his best traits in my opinion. 
• That he can throw and catch a ball with ease!  Although he could technically throw and catch at seven too, Adam's eye-hand coordination has clicked in a big way this past year.  And his confidence and determination have followed suit.  Watching him on the fields and in the gym has been a real treat of late.  
• His confidence and individuality.  From the day Adam was born, he hasn't cared a lick what others think.  He marches to the beat of his very own drummer, and while it sometimes makes for a challenging parental exercise, its a trait that I sincerely love.  He wears bow ties on school picture day, hooded Pokemon pajamas to his birthday party, and a crazy clown Halloween costume when all his friends are wearing the same old superhero and Star Wars costumes.  While his latest "Who cares?" response to...well, just about anything...is rather infuriating, I truly admire the spirit behind it.
• That he loves being creative.  One of his favorite activities at eight is "making a craft", which really means upending the bin of craft supplies, cutting many pieces of paper into tiny shreds, gluing them all to each other and the furniture, and then coloring them (and the floor).  No, in all seriousness, Adam has real artistic talent, and more importantly, a real drive to create. 
• His new four-eyed look and gap-toothed grin.  Adam picked out his very own set of reading glasses this summer and loves wearing them.  I think they make him look studious and handsome.  And his two front teeth couldn't be larger and farther apart.  But they make for a genuine and infectious grin that I'll miss when they start getting corrected next week.   
• That he's intellectually curious.  That he asks big questions, and then listens.  That he sees the world in a unique and different way, and that he observes things that I don't.  That he shares what he learns at school.  That he loves to learn, and to teach what he's learned to others.   
• His PRESENCE.  When Adam was very little, I called him my zen baby.  He is a lesson in mindfulness, that one.  He is never, ever in his head.  He is right here, right now, being Adam.  And that is a refreshing gift to all who have the privilege of being in his company.    

Adam, I can't believe we've had you for eight whole years.  We are so lucky.  You have always been my zen baby, my zany spark, my cuddlebug.  But now you are also my strong, smart, sturdy young man.  I wish you'd slow down just a bit, but wow, it sure is thrilling to watch you grow.  I love you more, my mini-munch, my mini-me, my heart.  Happy Eight - you are beyond great.      

There's the goofy grin I love.

Just after he picked up his new specs this summer!

2nd grade picture day!

Our adorable Pikachu.

The Pokemon trading session at Adam's friend party.  Serious business.

Eleven boys in our house on a rainy afternoon.  Yes, we are crazy, but we lived to tell the tale.  And our birthday boy had a blast.

The Pokeball cake.

A pooped but pleased Pikachu.   Note the massive amount of stuffies that join our boy in bed each night...these seem to grow in number with each passing year.

Birthday morning!  Luckily, Adam's birthday fell on a late start morning, so I got to treat him to breakfast at IHOP.

Followed by a trip to see the Chocolate Moose at Len Libby's, where the generous lady behind the counter let him pick a birthday chocolate.  Going to see the Chocolate Moose is something Adam has been asking to do for years.  I finally threw the kid a bone on his birthday and stopped in for a quick peek.

Talking to Noni and Papi on his birthday evening, atop his brand new Jaguars blanket, reading his new Treehouse fun book.

The loveliest eight year old I know.

And in typical birthday tradition, Adam at eight, in his own words:

Height: 49 inches (+2 inches (4%) from last year)

Weight: 51 lbs (+4 lbs (8%) from last year)

(* indicates same answer as last year.)
Favorite color: Lemon

Favorite toy: Pokemon cards

Favorite fruit: Lemons (but really, it's apples)

Favorite TV show: Ninjago*

Favorite thing to eat for lunch: Pizza

Favorite outfit: Jammies* (forever, and ever, and ever, in jammies)

Favorite game: Machi Koro

Favorite snack: Olives (for real)

Favorite animal: Jaguar*

Favorite song: Coldplay's Adventure of a Lifetime ("the one with the electric guitar")

Favorite book: Animal Encyclopedia (or the 13-, 26-, 39-, 52-story treehouse books)

Best friend: Harry, Jackson, and Evan

Favorite cereal: Honey Nut Cheerios

Favorite thing to do outside: Football*

Favorite drink: Lemonade

Favorite holiday: Christmas* and my birthday

What you take to bed at night: Horsey* and Pillow Pet* and Mama Pillow Pet (what a great find at Goodwill - Pillow Pet's long lost mama!)

Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: Cranberry swirl bread

What you want for your special birthday dinner: Lemon chicken (chicken piccata)

What you want to be when you grow up: "the guy who designs houses" (and architect)

Back Once More - 2 and 4

OK, so this might actually be my favorite day of the year.  That first day that the boys are back in school and I am home, alone, in a very quiet house.  The boys started school a week and a half ago now, but because of work and school holidays and whatnot, today is the day.  My list of to-dos is endless and I don't even know where to begin, but it feels great to resettle and tidy my house and start chipping away at all those things that got pushed aside in favor of summer fun.  But one thing I promised myself I'd do today is post those classic back-to-school photos, to mark the start of second and fourth grade in our house. 

Ethan is now a fourth grader, and this picture says it all - he is calm, mature, and confident.  This is the first year Ethan wasn't excited to go back to school, and that makes me sad.  He misses his third grader teacher, loves his neighborhood friends, and is just my boy who prefers to stay close to home. 

Despite his reluctance to head back to school, I was delighted to see this true smile on his face as he boarded the bus that first day.

Ethan tells me little about his school days, but from what I can tell, fourth grade is off to a decent start.  He is enjoying trading Pokemon cards on the bus, getting back into the routine of after-school football in our backyard, and of course, the return of the Pats to our Sundays.  He is also enjoying the return of soccer to our fall lineup.  He and his Stingers took their first win this past Saturday, and I'll proudly note that Ethan scored two goals himself.   

I am relieved that Ethan chose to play community rather than travel soccer for one more year, but it is clear that his competitive spirit and drive will lead us in that direction sooner or later.  It is a joy to watch him play and I, too, welcome the routine and community of soccer Saturdays.

Adam started school one day later than Ethan, doubling the opportunity to snap a few pictures of my favorite boys!  Here they are on Ethan's first day:  

 And then on Adam's first day:

I let the boys pick their own first-day-of-school outfits again this year, and they are just so perfectly indicative of their personalities.  Adam chose a "handsome" shirt to go with his brand new camping motif-ed backpack, while Ethan chose his favorite sports attire.

When we got to the bus stop, we realized one of Adam's friends and classmates had nearly an identical handsome outfit on!

And even in second grade, Horsey is still getting in on the back-to-school action.  This is Adam entering second grade - still cute as a button, quick to joke, and always up for a snuggle. 

So far, Adam seems to love second grade.  He is in class with one of his favorite buddies from last year, and says his teacher is very "sweet".  He is enjoying reading with his brand new glasses and meeting some new classmates, including a boy who just moved into our neighborhood!

Back to school = back to the hair salon for Mom!

The start of each school year brings with it excitement, transition, new worries, and opportunity.  My hope for my boys is that this year also brings new friends, different experiences, a whole lot of learning, a healthy dose of challenge, and a good bit of fun too.  Here's to a great school year for our 2nd and 4th grader!

2016 in a Nutshell

We had this whole little amazing trip to Iceland in April that I really need to get around to posting about.  But the 500+ pictures we took are completely overwhelming to sift through, edit, and organize.  And when I dig in and begin, I start to realize that it isn't just our Iceland pictures that are disorganized and need editing - it's really ALL the pictures we've EVER taken and then WOW.  I'm totally overwhelmed.

So baby steps, small chunks.  Iceland soon...but for now, some of the top hits of 2016 thus far.  (And yes, I do realize 2016 is nearly half over.)

January.  The big 4-0 for yours truly.  An amazing Sunday out with my girlfriends, old and new, from near and far, and then a personal chef-turned-friend at our house for a gourmet Middle Eastern dinner with my family.

I love how Moxie makes this picture but my Dad doesn't (well except for his thumb).

And I love how much fun my mom is having.  Two days later, my Uncle David passed away after a very quick decline following surgical complications.  My mom so needed this night out.

And the day of my family party, I got the best birthday present ever!  I never imagined I'd have the pleasure of taking one of my kids for a pedicure.  But alas, the allure of Storm Troopers on the toes was enough to convince this little guy to join me!

February.  A week at the Duck House.  Skiing and relaxing and skiing some more.  

March.  Ethan's first performance as a Gym Dandy.  What a fantastic group to be a part of!  We feel so lucky to have this opportunity in Scarborough.  We saw Ethan juggle and devil-stick, and the big kids do amazing things on unicycles.

And on the last Sunday in March, us Mainers bundle up and and traipse through mud to the maple sugarhouses, sitting outside in the chilly sunshine and celebrating an excuse to drizzle maple syrup on anything and everything.

 April.  Easter!

The morning egg hunt.  Eggs were hidden, letters were hiding inside said hidden eggs, and those letters could be unscrambles to find the location of the baskets.  Despite some stealth hiding by the Easter Bunny (let's just say there are still eggs on the loose), our smartypants were able to interpolate the missing letters and locate the baskets in no time.

At least one of them still enjoys cleaning up nice.  Unfortunately, that same one didn't eat a lick of Easter dinner, and came down with a nasty stomach bug about 10 minutes after dinner ended.

Time with friends.

Five silly boys and a mud run.  What could be more fun?

And lots of sleepovers.  This is what a 9/10 year old sleepover looks like when the little brothers are all somewhere else.  Lightsaber duels ad infinitum.

Sleepovers at Grandma and Grandpa's are special too.

 And April 26th is someone's very important half birthday! 

To celebrate 7 1/2, we used four candles (halfway to eight) on a mini cake. 
(As an aside, please note snow on April 26th.  Blech.)

April also brought the annual Race 2 the Point, a big fundraiser for Adam's school.  This year, the boys ran the 1-mile kids' run. 

Warming up

Ethan had chosen the 1-mile over the 5k because he thought he had a "better chance of winning".  (He's not competitive or anything.) 

Sure enough, it was a photo finish.  Ethan came from behind and beat his good friend and neighbor Joey by only a few tenths of a second!

One proud mama over here.

Adam also had a great run!  One proud mama x2.

May.  My favorite day of the year is in May!

Such a lovely spread this year.  I really appreciated the sippy cup now that I'm over the hill.

A movie date with my loves followed by linner at my favorite favorite these days, Empire.

May also brought opportunities for special field trips with my boys.

Adam and I got to spend the day together at the Maine Wildlife Park. 

And piano recitals.

The theme was music from the 50s and 60s. 
Adam was the one-eyed one-horned flying purple people-eater and Ethan was a greaser (he played Yakety Yak).

 And of course putting our gardens in.
 

May is also aMayzing because we get to return to the lake! 

This year we were blessed with hot and sunny, very un-Maine-like weather. 
We actually swam in the lake - a first (that I can remember) for Memorial Day weekend.

Our boys are finally old enough to be of real.honest-to-goodness.help.

The reward for all that hard work is fishing with Grandpa at dawn.

June.  Paul and I both had a great run at the Acadia Half Marathon.  The course was the most beautiful I'd ever run - knock-your-socks-off, pinch-yourself vistas at every turn.  It was quiet and peaceful and inspiring and spiritually fulfilling in a way that I had not yet experienced.  A great way to kickoff our Maine summer. 

June is bittersweet.  One the one hand, June means summer is finally here!  Our gift for surviving the long Maine winter.  June means school's out for summer.  Two plus months of more carefree days, bare feet, and sand in our toes.  But June also means another whole school year has passed.  We are saying goodbye to first and third grade and on our way to second and fourth.  June reminds me that time is passing swiftly and that I can't stop this tide.   So I'll hang on tight for now, and try to enjoy every moment this fleeting but fantastic season throws at me.

Welcome Summer 2016!  We are so ready for you!

Annual neighborhood last day of school celebration.