Magic Treehouse

This is what the boys in my house have been up to these last few weeks...

Tucked away in the woods behind our house, this little tree platform is a perfect spot for two boys to curl up with their books, or have secret brother meetings, or "get away from the little kids" (said Adam).  His sign (not pictured) reads: "No grown-ups allowed!  NO MEAN KIDS."  The boys are beyond thrilled that Dad finally listened to their constant requests for a treehouse, and I am so excited for them too - it brings back memories of when my own Dad built a similar tree platform for my brother and I when we were about these boys' ages.  Plans for treehouse enhancements are a constant source of dinner conversation, and by next summer, I'm pretty sure the boys will have moved out there permanently. 

Big Boy Grins

With bigger kids, the milestones tend to be less frequent and less obvious.  Growth and gains happen over time, and one day you notice that you have a reader, or that your kids can subtract very big numbers, or throw with accuracy.  There are not as many "big" moments, like those of first steps and first words, but the leaps and bounds are no less astounding, once you get around to noticing them.

Since they don't happen as often or as concretely these days, I have gotten out of the habit of recording milestones.  And so when I took Ethan to get two of his top baby teeth pulled yesterday, I realized I had been remiss in reporting the loss of his first tooth!  My boy waited forever and forever and forever to lose that first tooth.  He so wanted it to happen during the school year, so he could take his tooth home in a little treasure chest from the nurse's office.  And when it didn't happen during first grade, and he was the only first grader who hadn't lost a tooth (says Ethan), he desperately wanted it to happen before he began second grade.  So we were all thankful when, on August 20th (thank goodness for iPhoto dating), while eating an ice cream cone, Ethan lost his first baby tooth.

I have to be honest and say I've always been kind of disgusted by pictures of mouths with just-lost teeth.  Like everything else with parenthood, it's so different when it's your kid.

And promptly swallowed it.

Four days later, an ear of corn took the companion tooth out, but Ethan was careful not to swallow it this time.

Wow, I think I need to be better about enforcing the "wash your hands before dinner" mantra.

The first thing Ethan's second grade teacher said to him was "I can tell you are ready for second grade - you just lost two teeth!".  He beamed.

Yesterday, the dentist yanked the top two center teeth and altered Ethan's baby smile forever.  I took one last photo of that adorable goofy smile.   

Note the shark teeth going on up there, hence the need to get those baby teeth moving on out.

Ethan was so brave - no tears, just excitement to have two teeth to leave for the Fairy, and a little leftover giddiness from the "bubble gum air".  I will miss that baby smile, but am already getting attached to the crooked gaps in his new big boy grin.

Six-ing in the Sweet Spot

I remember distinctly a conversation I had with Ben's half sister Susan years ago.  At that time, her kids were at about the same age as mine are now, and I can still to this day hear her words exactly: "6 and 8 is the best.  The absolute best."  At the time, 6 and 8 seemed eons away.  We were still in the trenches of diapers and naps and tantrums and exhaustion.  6 and 8 seemed unattainable, and frankly, irrelevant, from where we stood.  But just like that, here we are - on the doorstep of 6 and 8.   

On Sunday, our Adam turns 6.  In January, our Ethan will turn 8.  I won't dwell on the "how can this be?"s and the "wasn't it just yesterday?"s (ok, I will, but privately), but I will say that (almost) 6 and (almost) 8 is pretty darn great.  I hope it's not the absolute best, as that would imply that it's all downhill from here, but I'll take it for now, and celebrate and cherish all that comes with being in the midst of 6 and 8.

So more about my soon-to-be six-year old...  At six, Adam is a master of paradoxes.  He is small but oh-so mighty.  He is calm and laid back and happy to go with the flow, until he isn't.  And then he really, really isn't.  Still a human tornado who leaves a messy path in his dust, Adam is also keenly interested in organizing his stuff and putting things in categories.  He is either intensely determined or kind of lazy, depending on what he's asked to do.  Adam is one smart little cookie, but makes some really silly choices (like writing labels on his dresser drawers or using a rock to draw smiley faces on the car).  Adam is squirmy but focused - his bum will be wiggling in the air for the entire hour he concentrates on a puzzle or a math problem.  And while often the class clown who seeks attention, Adam also enjoys playing all by himself. 

But despite his paradoxes, our Adam is dependable.  So much of who he is has always been there - his empathy towards others, his omnipresent desire to make people laugh, his unquenchable thirst for knowledge and figuring out how the world works.  The other day, Adam dismantled his music box, just to see how the thing worked, and then explained it all to me.  Again, not the smartest choice, but this is how it goes with Adam - all of his missteps come from a place of pure innocence and curiosity.  It's always been hard to stay mad at Adam for long.

At six, Adam loves Pokemon and Angry Birds and Minecraft.  His interest in Legos has exploded in the past year, and unlike his manual-abiding older brother, his favorite thing is to dump out a whole bunch of Lego sets and build something new.  Adam likes watching football with his dad and brother, but likes organizing his football cards and memorizing the teams in each division more.  At six, Adam is still attached to Horsey but has ditched his thumb.  We enjoy a near-daily snuggle in my bed every morning, but he asks to be carried less and less (if at all).  Six-year old Adam would be a pescatarian if he could - he can never get enough fruits and vegetables, isn't so excited about meat, but loves his fish.  He prefers sour and salty to sweet, and always asks for his sauce on the side, even when we're serving spaghetti.  Together with his brother, the kid is eating us out of house and home, and I still question where all the food can possibly go.  At six, Adam LOVES school, and loves riding the bus even more.  He has some sort of Pokemon trading ring going, where he seems to acquire dozens of new cards on a daily basis.  I suspect that, in true Adam form, he charms and argues and outsmarts his way into his trading partners' heads and somehow convinces them that they are getting the better deal.  Law and/or politics are most certainly in Adam's future.  At six, Adam still loves playing soccer, costumes, superheroes, wrestling with his brother, bathtime, being read to (though he is able to read to himself), riding his bike, coloring, and climbing on furniture (much to my dismay).  He still has the longest eyelashes, the dreamiest curls (though they are straightening!), the bluest eyes, and the cutest freckles on his back.  And I still, and always will, love him to the moon and back.

Happy Sixth Birthday my sweet Adam!  You are so very loved.   

Memorizing NFL divisions

Daddy's helper in the garden

This outfit is just so Adam

Clowning around

Always in costume

My little loverboy

First day of kindergarten

And the facts:

Adam - Age 6

Height: 45 inches (+2.5 inches (6%) from last year)

Weight: 40.8 lbs (+1.2 lbs (3%) from last year)

(* indicates same answer as last year.  not so many this time!)
Favorite color: Orange

Favorite toy: Pokemon

Favorite fruit: Pineapple

Favorite TV show: Pokemon

Favorite thing to eat for lunch: Salami

Favorite outfit: Jammies

Favorite game: Ratuki

Favorite snack: Crackers (huh.  there's always at least one surprising answer.  he never eats crackers.)

Favorite animal: Coyote* (well, wolf was last year's answer)

Favorite song: BINGO

Favorite book: Fly Guy

Best friend: Eli* (BFF I guess)

Favorite cereal: Chex

Favorite thing to do outside: Play on the swingset

Favorite drink: Lemonade*

Favorite holiday: My birthday (not sure that's a holiday, but ok)

What you take to bed at night: Horsey* and Pillow Pet* and Teddy and Uni (why does our bedtime set keep growing bigger when most kids' is growing smaller?)

Favorite thing to eat for breakfast: Toast (editor's note: with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top.  or with lots o' butter)

What you want for your special birthday dinner: Mac 'n cheese

What you want to be when you grow up: Artist (love this!)

Oh Canada

To celebrate our big anniversary this year, Ben and I got away for SIX WHOLE DAYS and SIX WHOLE NIGHTS at the end of September.  This was twice as much time as we've had solo since having our munchkins nearly eight years ago, and it was lovely.  While Noni and Papi held down the fort (or the kids, not sure which needed more "holding down"), Ben and I escaped via the newly re-running ferry to Nova Scotia.  Neither of us had ever been to Nova Scotia before, and it was exactly what we were looking for - quiet, remote, relaxing, and spectacularly beautiful.

After a restful night aboard the Novastar, we arrived in Yarmouth on Saturday morning.  We meandered up the coast from there, stopping at a few scenic spots before lunch in Digby.

Mavillette Beach at low tide - the sand went on forever

So many interesting colored and striped rocks 

The first of many selfies

Smugglers Cove Park

Digby - an adorable little fishing town

...with scallops entirely worthy of their fame

After our beautiful drive up the coast and through the farmlands, we arrived in the Wolfville area, our home for the next two nights.  Wolfville is a small college town surrounded by farmland and gorgeous scenic vistas of the Bay of Fundy.

The view from the house we rented

A sunset walk just down the road from our house

Country roads, cows, dykes, and the Bay of Fundy

 On Sunday, we toured three area wineries via the Magic Winery Bus.

Spectacular weather made our walks through the vineyards even more enjoyable

We were scheduled to visit four wineries, but stopping at this one for a leisurely lunch with an amazing view seemed like a better idea.

On Monday, we left Wolfville for another scenic drive - this time through the interior of Nova Scotia, and westbound on the southern coast.

The foliage was just unbelievable as we drove for miles and miles without seeing another car

We stopped in Lunenburg, another quaint fishing town, for lunch and then made our way to the Trout Point Lodge, our home for the next few nights.  Trout Point is literally in the middle of nowhere - it is the most remote place I have ever stayed, which made for a couple of incredibly relaxing days.  Our weather turned drastically, from hot and sunny to cool and cloudy, so we enjoyed our roaring fireplace, a riverside hot tub, and bundled walks in the woods.  

The Stargazers' platform in the middle of the wilderness - too bad the cloud cover prevented us from using this at night!

...but it was a pretty spot from which to view the foliage and the river.

The view from the hot tub

After two nights at the Trout Point Lodge, we headed back towards the coast for our final night in Yarmouth.

Cape Forchu

Our trip home on Thursday felt looooong, partially because we were so anxious to get home and see our boys, partially because eleven hours is just a really long time to sit on a ferry if you aren't sleeping, especially once you finish your book!  But we did enjoy a gorgeous sunset from our cabin on our way into Portland harbor.

The perfect end to a perfect trip

Although the boys were very excited to see us when we returned (almost as excited as we were to see them), they seemed completely unfazed by our absence.  It seems that Noni and Papi struck the perfect balance between maintaining the boys' daily routine and sprinkling in a little extra grandparental spoiling.  

Noni and Papi got to experience their first soccer Saturday

Ice cream AND s'mores - the boys thought they'd died and gone to heaven

80 degree weather at the end of September = one last trip to the beach (or two!)

And what would a trip to the beach be without Papi's famous sandcastles?

Thanks again Mom and Dad - you did such a great job that we'll let you do it again sometime!  

School Daze

We're now two weeks in, and while I wouldn't dare to call us a well-oiled machine just yet, we're at least heading in that direction.  The boys seem to love their respective teachers and classrooms, and we're adjusting to a quieter house and some new routines.  Adam is L-O-V-I-N-G kindergarten, and I am remembering how awesome it is to be greeted with an over-the-moon giddy grin at the bus stop each afternoon.  Ethan's smile has dimmed a bit over the last two years, sadly, so it's refreshing to see that kindergarten excitement again.

And my oh my how different my two boys are...  Over the past two years, Ethan has never, not once left anything at school.  Anything!  He missed the bus once, and you would have thought that the apocalypse was upon us.  With my dear Adam, it's always a surprise what we'll find in the backpack each afternoon.  He's already left his lunchbox at school, forgotten to bring his nap towel home, and lost his water bottle (temporarily, according to him - "I know I've seen it somewhere, Mom, I just don't remember where.").  If it weren't for the 198 reminders I give him every morning, Adam would most certainly get on the bus in pajamas with an empty belly and morning breath.  While this brand of unpreparedness is quite foreign to my personality, it is actually a nice change from my over-prepared, always-anxious first child.  It's kind of nice to hang out in our jammies for more than thirty seconds, and at least I don't have two kids asking me "how much time do I have?" on a repeat track from 7am until I finally, thankfully say "none, let's go!".  In all seriousness, I'm grateful I have a yin and a yang in our house, as I'm not sure I could handle two of either one of my guys.      

The other big difference between my boys is that Adam is a sharer!  From the moment he gets off the bus, I get a running commentary about life in Ms. Foss' classroom.  Some of it is hilarious, some a little disturbing, and most just confusing, but I love hearing about Adam's day.  I already feel like I know Adam's classmates better than I know anyone in Ethan's grade.  This has been a welcome juxtaposition to my "How was school?" "Good."  "Anything exciting happen?" "No." "Who did you play with?" "My friends." kid.

Tonight is Open House, and we're all excited to visit the boys' classrooms, talk to their teachers, and meet their friends.  In Adam's case, I know exactly who's been line leader, who's been in time out, and who has trouble with his "l"s.  Maybe we'll even locate that water bottle.

No new pictures of back to school, so I'll post some pictures of our extracurricular activities instead.  Fall means soccer for the boys...

Adam's first year of soccer and he loves it!  He's on the Triceratops team with other kindergartners and pre-kindergartners and most enjoys keeping score and learning who he's playing each week.  Two games in, and our little guy has already scored upwards of five goals!

Ethan's in his third year of soccer and is shining on his Lions team.  He's really connecting the skills and scored his first goal this week!

and running for Mommy.

The start of the Reach the Beach journey, at Cannon Mountain.

Beach reached!  One of my most favorite weekends of the year, with the best group of runners and teammates a girl could hope for. 

Our athletic endeavors have meant Daddy hasn't been playing as much tennis as he'd like, but he's been keeping busy assistant coaching and playing soccer with the boys in our backyard, and celebrating the return of football (with two avid fans).

Glad we have our calendar straight.

Let's go Pats!