Sweet Dreams

Ethan kissed perhaps his last vestige of toddlerhood goodbye yesterday with a move to a real bed. He left behind his cozy little toddler bed for a big boy bed, complete with sheets full of all things that go (thanks Melissa!). This bed used to belong to Ethan's Uncle Pauly, and it is just perfect for a little guy, with its sturdy frame to withstand jumping and its underside drawers in which to hide treasures from one's younger brother. Ethan took to it right away, and so did Adam.

For a little while, I was worried that there would be no sleeping in the new bed. There was far too much rolling around...

and climbing up and down, and up and down, and...

for any sleep to occur. But Adam eventually went back to his own room, and Ethan eventually fell asleep. He looked snug as a bug in a rug when we checked on him later.

Change is always bittersweet. Ethan's room is definitely losing its nursery look. My biggest toddler is turning into a preschooler, and leaving his baby self behind. But I love the little person he is becoming, and sharing these milestones with him is one of the true gifts of parenthood. And now there is plenty of room for me to crawl in for an extra long snuggle at bedtime.

Lobstah

I have been lucky enough to enjoy several girls' weekends away over the past few months, so this weekend, it was Ben's well-deserved turn. Instead of going away with some guys, he had some guys up here and the boys and I stayed away as much as we could. We spent Saturday down in Newburyport catching up with friends, and Sunday morning touring the Westbrook safety building (police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances all in one place = boy heaven). Although running around solo with the boys all weekend left me EXHAUSTED by last night, we had a ton of fun together.

Parenting a deux is undoubtedly easier, but solo parenting every once in awhile isn't a horrible thing. For one, it makes you realize that you aren't shouldering quite as much of the burden as you thought you were, giving you new appreciation for your partner's efforts. And once the boys are to bed, a little me time is a great thing. My mom and I always talk about this - how it's kind of nice to have an alone night every now and again. She remembers when we were young and my dad would travel for business. After she got us to bed, she would curl up in bed with a big bowl of popcorn, a glass of limeade, and a good book. My version is more like a bubble bath, a glass of wine, and Grey's Anatomy, but same idea.

In our house, the boys know that when Dad is away we have something "special" for dinner. It usually involves either seafood or tomatoes (or both), or some similar food that the three of us adore and Ben abhors. We use his absence as license to feast on these forbidden foods. Yesterday evening, the cloudless sky and 70 degree temps just screamed for an al fresco lobster feast. So we ran down to the local seafood shack, picked up lobster rolls, fried clams, and onion rings, and ate our hearts out.

Circus Tricks

The Stockwell boys have been busy learning some new skills. Adam has been practicing his Irish Step Dancing. He does this funny little high-stepping dance whenever he does something he knows is naughty. Usually, this involves turning on the fan in Ethan's room. It's like his little "Look at me, I got away with something!" dance. My favorite part of this video is that Ethan attacks Adam, Adam takes a momentary pause to cry about it, and then keeps right on dancing.

Not to be outdone by his little brother, Ethan has been working on some new skills of his own. He's learned to read!

Ready and Waiting

Winter has returned to Maine. I know, I know, it is only May, and we have had a fabulous spring so far, so I'm not going to complain. I just want to let Mother Nature know that the Stockwells are ready for summer, whenever it's ready for us. The flower beds have been weeded and mulched (thanks Ethan), half the veggie seeds (the hardy ones) have been sown, extraneous trees have been removed (ask Ben to tell you that story sometime), new bushes and perennials have been planted, sandboxes have been filled with fresh sand, sunscreen and sunglasses have been dug out of storage,

and of course, popsicles have been purchased (and sampled).

And now we wait.

Queen for a Day

Feeling loved, thanked, and thankful after a wonderful Mother's Day.

Hoping that all my fellow moms feel similarly appreciated, especially my very own mom - my sounding board, cheerleader, and role model in this crazy and marvelous adventure called motherhood.

And a big thanks to my partner in parenthood for helping the boys put together a lovely day for me yesterday. As independent as Ethan is, I'm not sure he could have pulled it off without a little help from Dad.

On a Mission

Our Ethan has always been quite the little helper. But I have noticed recently that it's not just that he likes to help - he feels like it's his J.O.B. He's just gotta get stuff done, and he takes this responsibility very seriously. I am realizing he is a very serious kid when it comes to the task at hand. His favorite song came on while we were in the car the other day, and he was singing it like it was his sole purpose on earth to nail every single lyric. He brings this intensity and mission-critical attitude to gardening...

cleaning...

mowing the lawn...

and of course... shoveling.

I remember many a morning this past winter when Ethan would come downstairs for breakfast and the first thing out of his mouth would be "Mommy, I have to shovel the deck RIGHT NOW!". And then he would be so disappointed if the sun would melt the snow before he had a chance to shovel it, like he had failed at his job.

A few weeks ago, I sent Adam to school and Ethan and I enjoyed a special day together. After a morning of errands and a nap, I asked Ethan what he wanted to do for the afternoon. I was expecting that he'd want to play, or read stories, or build legos without having a mini-munchkin around to destroy his creations. But no. His response was "I really think we should finish mulching the garden." Indeed, the garden did need to be mulched...

I am trying to capitalize on this eagerness to help. For example, I've been encouraging Ethan to lay out his clothes at night and get himself dressed in the morning. He does pretty well (despite some peculiar fashion statements), and I honor the effort. But it seems like pretty soon I will be completely expendable in the mornings (does that mean I can finally sleep in??). A few days ago, Ethan said he was going to go down and start breakfast while I was getting Adam ready. I came down to this:

Yup, he managed to find bagels and cream cheese, a plate (not sure where, because our plates are very high - I am guessing it came from the not-clean dishwasher), a knife (also a bit concerning...), and not make a complete mess! Three going on thirteen, without the attitude - I need to enjoy this while it lasts!