Hail the Blue and Gray!

Last weekend we ventured back to our beloved alma mater for my (gasp) 15th reunion.  Although we attended Ben's 10-year a few years back, I hadn't been on campus with my class since 2003.  In 2003, I was 27, single (albeit almost engaged), childless, and in such a very different place in my life.  Even our last trip to Colby three years ago feels a bit like another lifetime - we stayed off campus with some friends, all of whom had tiny kids who were so much trouble to take anywhere or do anything with that we pretty much just stayed put and tried to catch up while playing defense.  This 15th reunion of mine was different.  The boys are old enough now to at least kind of understand the word "college".  They think it's amazingly cool to sleep in a dorm room and eat in a dining hall.  They find it funny to visit where Mommy and Daddy first met.  So it was a really fun family adventure to spend the weekend at Colby, to show the boys around, to see old friends with whom I'd completely lost touch, to meet some new ones, and to pretend we were 20 again for a weekend.  At the risk of sounding incredibly cheesy, Colby is where our family began, so it will always hold a special place in our hearts.  Bringing the boys back there to experience some of that magic...well, it feels a bit like coming full circle.

Future Echo editor?

The boys took right to dorm life, each claiming their own desk/Lego station. 

The class of 1998 took over Averill for the weekend, which was kind of ironic because I don't think I set foot in Averill once over the four years I was at Colby.  It was, however, where my Mom spent her freshman year.  Ethan and Adam loved staying where Noni once lived!

We took the boys over to West Quad to show them Daddy and Mommy's old rooms, right across the hall from one another.

Friday night dancing at the bicentennial bash

Mmmm...lobster!

Doing our very best lion impersonations in the library. 

Seeing how many Stockwells fit in a dorm twin.

The boys enjoyed kids' activities galore.  When asked what their favorite part of the weekend was, they both chose the babysitting Saturday night, where they were allowed to run wild, watch movies, eat cookies, and stay up until we picked them up at midnight.  We sure weren't winning any parent-of-the-year awards walking two pint-sized zombies across campus at midnight, but hey, at least we got a night off.

Bounce house + tattoos = happy boys

A small but mighty showing for our 15th reunion.

Both boys hated to leave on Sunday morning, asking when we could go back to Colby.  I remember feeling the same exact way at my parents' 15th reunion eons ago.  Full circle.

School's (Almost) Out for Summer!

And here we are, just one week away from Ethan's last day of kindergarten.  We couldn't have asked for a better start to school life than what we got this year, and we're eager to see what first grade brings. Ethan's grown a lot this year - I look back at the post I wrote on his first day of kindergarten and I remember being so anxious about putting him on the bus that day.  Although I knew he was ready, five seemed too young to be making such a big leap into the unknown.  But he did it, full of confidence, and his confidence has only grown since September.  Today, he knows where he needs to go and when, he gets himself ready, he packs his backpack, he knows his school routine, and except for a few recent slip-ups that I'll chalk up to end-of-year-itis, he has this whole school thing down pat.

One of the biggest transitions for me this year has been needing to rely on Ethan to tell me how things are going.  When you have a preschooler, you can walk him straight into the arms of the teacher, tell the teacher if he had a bad night, or if he's having an off morning, then return however many hours later and get a full report on how his day proceeded from there.  I feel very aware of exactly what sort of day Adam's had when he's not home with me.  With Ethan, on the other hand, I have to rely on his response to "How was your day today?", which is often a succinct "Good."  Although his teacher is on the communicative end of the spectrum, we still only get updates about once a week, and they are very general.  So I have learned a bit this year about how to really listen.  That the "good" spoken off the school bus is not always an accurate assessment of the day, and that the real stories come out after Ethan's taken off his backpack, gone to the bathroom, and saddled up to our kitchen counter with a snack.  Sometimes, if the story is particularly juicy, it doesn't come out until later when we're driving in the car somewhere, or until bedtime.  But it usually does come out (or at least I like to think it does), and I've learned that probing doesn't make it come out any faster.

I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to get involved with Ethan's school this year.  Volunteering in his classroom and with other activities at the school has afforded me a window into his daily life that I wouldn't otherwise have.  When he mentions a particular classmate, or a corner of his room, or his gym teacher, I have a picture in my head and can relate to what he's telling me on a different level.  And I've also felt lucky to have had some solo time with Ethan a few afternoons a week this year when Adam is at school.  We've used those afternoons to run special errands, go for faster bike rides than we can when Adam's home, take a sewing class, cook dinner together, practice reading, and work on his school garden.

Ethan and his first sewing project: a Tooth Fairy pillow!

Planting gardens at Ethan's school

On Wednesday, we took a walk/run at the Scarborough Marsh together, and while I have no pictures to document it, it was one of my favorite afternoons this year.  It was a perfect spring day and we saw so many beautiful birds, including a green heron.  Ethan alternated between holding my hand and challenging me to sprints.  He could have walked forever if I'd let him, but I knew we had to turn back or he'd never make the return trip home.

I've also cherished my alone days with Adam this year.  He is my little trooper, the one who does not complain about being dragged around to look at appliances, or two hours north to pick up tomato plants, or on our usual weekly errands.

Lunch in Wilton, ME after picking up our tomato plants

As long as he has his thumb, the Lion King soundtrack, and his mama, he's happy.  Before we head out for a day of these "adventures", Adam and I always squeeze in at least a game or two on his stay-at-home days.  Playing games is probably Adam's most favorite activity of late (well, that and color-by-number), and I love playing with him.  Although I was annoyed at the time, I'm pretty happy now that Adam decided to hang out in my tummy for an extra long time so that I get one more year of stay-at-home days with him.

And so next Friday, when Ethan gets off that bus for the last time as a kindergartner, summer vacation begins.  Ethan's signed up for a variety of camps which I hope will be fun and enriching for him.  Adam will stay at his school for most of the summer, with a week of camp and a few weeks of family vacation thrown in.  And while I'll miss the alone time I currently get with each of my boys, I am looking forward to some quality family time.  And I think these guys are too.