First Grade!

As we lay in bed snuggling last night, on the eve of the first day of school (for Ethan), with all the excitement and anticipation and clean slate-dom of the start of a new school year, I shared with the boys my hopes and wishes for them this year.  I told them it would be a big year for both of them - first grade and the last year of preschool.  That they would have many opportunities to grow and learn and have fun, and that I was truly jealous of their position.  That they were both so smart and able, and I knew they could do anything they wanted.  It was one of those moments that we parents of two boys so rarely get to experience, where they were BOTH sitting still, paying attention, and really listening with their hearts and minds.  So my big pieces of advice to my first grader and my pre-kindergartner were:

1.) BE KIND.  And not just to your friends.  Seek out opportunities to be kind to those who most need it.  Look for the person who could use a little extra kindness, and go give it to them.

2.) BE POLITE.  Say please and thank you, and hello and goodbye.  Ask people what kind of day they are having (which, by the way, my quick study did as soon as he got off the bus today).  Clean up after yourself.  Don't interrupt. 

3.) STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN.  If you see something that you know in your heart and gut is not right, do something about it.  Tell the offender that they are doing wrong.  Tell a teacher. Tell us.  And at some point, god forbid, it may be an adult doing something you know is wrong.  Please tell us, and know that we will always be there to help you out.

4.) LEARN!  Listen to those wise teachers of yours and do what they say.  There is so much to be learned this year, and your little brains are so ready to take it all in.  Be willing to experiment and grow.

5.) HAVE FUN!  (It is 1st grade and preschool, after all.)

I kissed my kindergartner good night and was greeted by an excited and just a tad nervous first grader (and his equally excited little brother) this morning. 

We sent him off with a hug and a "Have so much fun!" and lots of waves, and not a single tear.  Ah, first grade feels good.  Real good.

Just Me and the Boys

Well I'm about three weeks into this stay-at-home-mommy gig (or, as I prefer to call it, my new role as CHO, or Chief Household Officer).  It has certainly taken some getting used to, but not nearly as much as I had anticipated.  For the most part, our family has fallen into this new rhythm which seems to be working quite nicely, one where we are all a bit more relaxed.  Ben has always said, "When Mom's happy, everyone's happy," and I think he may be onto something there.  While I have certainly taken on replacement jobs with my same crazy Type A zeal (our floors have never been so clean! (which isn't really saying much)), I have also surprised myself with how easily I have been able to let go of some of those old habits.  I have found it easier than ever before (or certainly since before having kids) to ignore the to-do list, take my time, listen, be just a tad more patient, and quiet my mind.  All of this I had hoped for when I made the decision to leave the working world, but it is reassuring to see it all start to come to fruition.  Of course it is too soon to really evaluate this experiment, but for now I'm happy, and for once, I'm not thinking ahead.

One obvious side benefit of being home with the boys is, well, more time with the boys!  This development has been underscored by the fact that my departure from work coincided with a sharp increase in Ben's workload.  Getting the timing right is half the battle in any big life change, but it appears we got it just right in this case.  Times like these were so stressful when we were both working - it has been a welcome relief to ride this busy period out more smoothly with one of us at home.  Sure, Ben is decidedly stressed out at work, but I think/hope he feels a little less so with me being willing and able to pick up the slack at home.

All this is to say that the boys and I have had a lot of fun, just the three of us, this August.  Soon after my retirement, we headed down to Connecticut and New York for a few days.  There was lots of fun to be had at Noni and Papi's house...

I think Stamford, CT might have the most playgrounds per capita of anywhere in the United States.

Splash Zone at Chelsea Piers

...then a thrilling night in the Big Apple, complete with "the best pizza ever", the largest ice cream cones the boys have ever been allowed to eat, the most cartoons the boys have ever been able to watch in one sitting, and an invitation to sit in an FDNY engine to boot.  What are uncles and aunts good for, if not for spoiling their nephews?  

We then began our journey northward with a trip to the Bronx Zoo - on our summer fun list, this one was eagerly anticipated and did not disappoint.

We saw probably 300 different species of animals and the "bug carousel" was the boys' favorite.

Oh, and the 4D movie.  Big hit. 

They liked the animals too...

real and otherwise...I thought this dinosaur safari was a little cheesy, but the boys ate it right up.  And I just had to post this picture...think these two are related??

I guess there is a first time for everything...at 4.75 and 6.5, our boys fell asleep in the car on the way home from Connecticut.  Broad daylight, middle of the afternoon, nary a nap for either of them in years...I guess I finally wore them out.

Since our return, we've enjoyed staying local, soaking up these last few weeks of what we Mainers await all year long.  There have been lots of trips to the beach... 

cozy mornings at home...

a couple of hikes...

I think Ben might faint when he sees that I let the boys climb this tower with a very rickety barricade atop Mt. Douglas solo.

But they thought it was pretty fun.

some bikes...

the occasional craft (far too occasional if you ask the boys)...

and many opportunities to catch up with friends.  

Dinner at The Well

Because why wouldn't you take off all your clothes when playing in a friend's backyard?

We even squeezed in some backyard camping (with Daddy!), an activity that is fast becoming a late summer tradition.

   

The days have felt long (in a good way) and though we've packed a lot in, it hasn't felt frantic or rushed.  We are all excited about Ethan starting first grade on Thursday and Adam beginning a new preschool next week.  The end of last summer was wrought with emotion, with our oldest going off to kindergarten and both of us returning to work after a magical summer off.  It is super refreshing to have this decidedly more matter-of-fact start to the school year, and the opportunity to start this new year with a fresh outlook, more time and energy, and confidence that we've made a positive change for our family.

Paradise Found

Every summer, I find it hard to properly sum up our week at the lake.  In the absence of much of anything to do, or anything we have to do, our days are full and rich.  Time slows down, and extra moments for games and stories and canoe rides and ambling hikes and porch conversations and cousin snuggles suddenly appear.  Ben and I have been lucky enough to get away for a winter weekend together each of the past two years, one which we jokingly call "marriage saving" (or maybe we should call it "marriage nourishing" - that sounds a little less dire and is hopefully more accurate!).  Well, in much the same way, I believe our vacations at the lake are "family nourishing".  They provide a much needed break from the reality and craziness of day-to-day life, allowing us to slow down and simply be together.  To remember why and how darn much we all love each other.  But it's difficult to really capture all that beauty in words, and so I'll just get to the pictures.

The highlights of our 2013 Waterford vacation (at least in my humble opinion):

• Waking up to this view every morning.  Enough said.  But I'll say more anyway...

• This view is pretty nice too - my three men looking at Grandpa Howie's scrapbooks on Stonywood porch 

•  A special father/grandfather/son fishing trip for our Adam

Eagerly awaiting Grandpa's arrival 

Got one!

"Can I touch it?"

Seriously steering back home

•  And a later trip for the older brothers (and Uncle Mike)

•  Everyone pulling their own weight so it felt like a vacation for Mommy too

• Realizing that vacations with a 4- and 6-year old include...a little bit of vacation!  I actually read a whole book, cover to cover, and did a little of this with my boys:

OK, I know that's Ben, but I swear I tubed too - although the boys kept begging for Daddy instead because I refused to ask the driver to go faster or make wake for us to bounce on.

• Reading together.  Particularly up in the boys' room, which just screams nostalgia to me.  Wood paneling, squeaky old twin beds, dim lighting, family pictures.  It feels so so campy, and so so cozy.

•  A trip to Mutiny Brook with oodles of cousins

• A road trip to Bridgton (Grandma and Grandpa's "Garden House") to pick blueberries and dig up potatoes

• Watching storms wash over the lake.

• The Waterford town breakfast.  A perennial favorite of mine, made even sweeter by the fact that the boys now know to wear their Waterford shirts for the occasion!

• Cousin time.  We don't get to see Brian and Andrew (and their parents) nearly, nearly enough, so we soaked up lots and lots of cousin love.  And adored every minute of it.  

• Finding a new home for my old Laser.  And teaching the next generation (and my spouse) how cool it can be to let the wind power you.

• Late night (for our kids, at least) T'Kozy parties.

All the grandboys in one shot!

These parties were chock full of dancing (not pictured, thank god), wrestling,

doing the worm,

and maybe even a little yoga thrown in.

• Our boys finally discovering the ability to sleep in after said late-night parties!  This record had to be documented on film - here's our sleepy Adam (being assaulted by his brother) after stumbling downstairs after 10 in the morning!

• New adventures, like a trip to the bison farm

• Old favorites, like the beach - always a highlight for me, and the weather (and boys) really cooperated to allow for lots of beach time this year.  

• A morning canoe trip, just the four of us, with no cameras (and therefore no pictures!).  But another highlight was this motley caravan:

And many other fun times not caught on film:

• Taking my boys and their cousin Collin on a hike up Tir'em.  Almost made me want three boys.  Almost.
• Double-dating at the Waterford Inne with Gwen and Mike (and the dock cocktail hour that preceded it).
• Having a great long run around the lake, and getting really lost on another run and having to call my mother-in-law for pick-up.
• Pajama pancake parties (or PPPs for short).
• Making friendship bracelets with the boys on Stonywood porch.
• Hiking Mt. Sabattus and finding our very first geocache.
• Staying one extra day because, well, now I can!