What's S'Happening with the Stockwells: Wind of Change

Fall is here. The calendar doesn't say so, and even the thermometer would disagree today, but nonetheless, the seasons are changing and we're settling into the welcome routine of autumn rituals, football Sundays, less travel, and quieter weekends. After many late summer adventures, it was restorative and rejuvenating to spend last weekend on the homefront. On Friday, we squeaked out one more (last?) beach day. It certainly wasn't swimming weather (brrrr!) but it was a perfect day to fly a kite.

Uncle Pauly got the boys their first kite for Easter, and all summer long, Ethan begged to fly it. Every time we headed off to the beach, he would pack it in the car along with our sand toys and beach chairs, eager to try his new toy. And every time, the kite would return home unopened, with a disappointed owner who couldn't quite understand why a crowded beach on a hot, still day wasn't the best kite-learning environment. Alas, our determined lad finally got his chance and we inaugurated our Woody and Buzz kite amid a deserted beach and steady breezes on Friday.

Ethan got the hang of it pretty quickly, Adam cared a lot more about the snacks but occasionally checked in, and Daddy had the most fun of all.

We spent Saturday cleaning out our garage. I know you're disappointed, but I don't have pictures. I do, however, have a lot of junk that I am now trying to get rid of. Sunday, of course, was a day of emotion and remembrance. I had decided that the boys are still too young to explain 9/11, or maybe that I am not ready to find the words to try to explain it...regardless, I didn't want to sit in front of the TV all day and relive the horrors of September 11th, 2001. So when I found a little local 5k (for me) / fun run (for the boys) in memory of a Gorham native who had perished while just beginning his career at Cantor Fitzgerald, it seemed the perfect way to commemorate the day.

The boys were visibly nervous at the start of their first fun run - 1/4 mile around the track. But as soon as the he heard 3, 2, 1...go!, Ethan was off and running. He appears to have quite a little competitive streak, that one...when we went to pick up our numbers on Saturday afternoon, he asked the race director if he could have number 001 because he was going to win. And now he wants to bring his "golden" (as he calls his gold medal) into school to show off to all his buddies. Adam, on the other hand, stood there motionless when the race began, like a deer in headlights, until I grabbed his hand and started running with him. We ran together, hand in hand, for most of the lap, until the last stretch when he saw Daddy and his brother at the finish, dropped my hand, and sprinted across the finish line all on his own.

Of course, snacks are in order after such a long run.

Next it was Mommy's turn. I loved having all my boys at the start and finish - their smiles and cheers certainly helped put an extra spring in my step.

Pre-race hugs

Mid-race playground break

Post-race celebrations

I was so proud of the boys for taking part in their very first fun run and hope that this becomes a tradition - something we can do together. Since I can't for the life of me convince their daddy to run (despite the fact that the man is built like a runner, through and through), I am hopeful that at least one of my boys will become my future running partner. It's fun, this next stage, where we can really get out and do things with the boys, share our interests with them and participate in activities as a whole family. Something about the change of seasons and all the neighborhood kids heading off to school always makes me a little sad, mourning over of the ever-increasing passage of time and aghast at how quickly our boys are growing up. But the flip side, the increased family mobility and independence and enthusiasm and FUN - it cheers me up. Seeing my boys become their own little people, runners or not, people with their own dreams and hopes and plans for a Saturday afternoon - what a sweet reward for all the hard work.

And finally, speaking of growing up fast, our Adam has decided he is ready for his big boy bed! When we were cleaning out the garage on Saturday, we decided to move the toddler bed up to his room, to clear space in our garage really, and that was that! No going back for him - apparently he has been ready for who knows how long, just waiting for us to ask.