Daddy & Sammy

And so the saying goes...

"A picture is worth a thousand words".

Owen - First Day of Nursery School

Today marked another last of a first for the Newton's. Owen began nursery school where he will attend three days a week. It was an awesome morning without any tears. We weren't sure how it was going to turn out as many of his friends from last year are going to be attending the Pre-K program. As it turns out there were many familiar faces. He is one of only 13 children in the class. We love the small group attention that he will be getting.

He reminded me on my way out that I needed to kiss his hand. Just in case he gets lonely, he can hold his hand on his heart and know that I am with him. That moment made everything okay for both of us. Even though the boys are expanding their horizons, our special Owen reminded me that sometimes he still needs Mommy.

Parenting a second child is a WOW experience. Owen is much more adapted than Noah was at this age due to having a sibling. He picks up on everything so fast. He loves books, puzzles, art projects, and learning, so we are confident that we will have another school lover. His personality is much more aggressive, so sometimes that can be challenge for him. He has chosen hockey for fall, so time will tell if the ice is the place for him.

Our babies are healthy, happy, and growing into young boys...life is good.

Noah - Off to 5th Grade

Today is the last first day of elementary school for Noah. He is beginning fifth grade and I am filled with sadness. I think that this days preparation has bothered me more than seeing him off to Kindergarten! This year of school appears to prepare the kids with so much independence. Or in my saddened view, a loss of innocence.

Noah and I changed this summer. His looks and height, once again. His personality is much stronger as well as how he perceives himself. He is more aware of how he dresses and how his hair is cut. He has moved beyond being afraid of the dark and the basement. His tastes in reading material differ. He eats many more foods. He enjoys alone time as well as family time. Me, well, as hard as it has been, I have been trying to give up some control. We now allow him to ride his bike down the street. He has been using the telephone when he needs to ask someone for something, instead of me doing it for him. I have learned to allow him to fail as well as allowing him to feel failure. Oh, and this is a tough one...I have asked for more responsibility from him. As a mother, it is so much easier to just do things yourself!

I met with some wise friends for dinner last week. A gathering of friends and fellow mothers that I never part without something to scratch my head about. One of the off the cuff topics that was brought up was whether we are bucket fillers or bucket emptiers. I have been reflecting for almost a week. Thanks, Barb! After some deep thought I have decided that for the most part I am a bucket filler. However, to the people I love the most, I do on occasion tip their bucket. Why do we do this to the ones that make us the most happy? The ones that give us the most in return? I vow to change. I vow to my husband and children, especially you Noah, to fill more than I empty. I love you all more than I can physically express.

So, the day goes on filling buckets. And, Isaac has not moved from the porch. He is standing guard until his Prince of Wright St steps off the bus. The cookies are baked and the little guys are missing Noah as much as mommy and I-Z.

Cape Cod Year 4

We had another enjoyable year on the Cape. We enjoyed the beach tremendously! We enjoyed spending down time with the Newton Family. We traveled to areas of the Cape we had not yet explored. We located many, many book stores...and loved it! We found a new one this year - Titcomb's Bookshop. It is a family owned store that has been in business since the late 1800's. This year marked an anniversary for the current owners, so they had 40 different authors doing book signings during the summer. Noah was intrigued to think that one of his favorite authors, Jeff Kinney, had been to their store.

We went to Dairy Queen every day. We don't have this store at home, so it is a huge treat. Most days dessert came before dinner. I think this might just be Steve's favorite part of the Cape - "The DQ"! He loves their peanut butter cup blizzards. We cooked in and ate out. We discovered and sampled some new wines and drank some old favorites. We discovered two great restaurants, Ardeo and Wicked. Two places that we will be sure to hit again in future years. We all took turns at the dining room table, which is the official jigsaw puzzle table. This year we seemed to have 2 going at all times. I find it funny that we all cram around the breakfast table (all 9 of us) for meals and not use the dining room which is much larger. Just proves that old saying no matter where you go, the kitchen is always best. Plus, not one of us would dare to disturb the puzzles.

We met up with old friends, Chris and Pam. The boys enjoyed meeting their girls Emily, Caroline, and Hannah. Owen, the ladies man that he is, was holding hands with Hannah within the first hour he met her! So cute. Chris remarked that summer romance is how it all begins! Oh, we can only hope to have it flourish for years to come. It was awesome to catch up with the Wilson's. Just like old times. We vow to not have so much time pass between our next visit.

We purchased a new game called Find It. We had to have the sports edition. I had in mind that this would keep the kids busy during some down time or during the traffic home, but I was proved wrong. I think the adults enjoyed the game more. So much so that Ron & Judy went out and bought the zoo version. This was great fun.

Steve and I took in a late night movie on our 15th anniversary. We started the evening arguing like an old married couple, but ended it laughing our heads off! Laughter does do a body good. As does sunshine...again, how we love the beaches in Cape Cod. We love to watch the kids in the sand and surf without a care in the world. We ventured to two beaches that we hadn't previously spectated thanks to our friend Angela Peloquin and family. We met them last year on the beach. Unfortunately we were unable to coordinate getting our kids together this vacation which was a bummer. But, I had many great phone conversations with her.

So next year we hope to rent a place right on the ocean. We have some feelers out for something large enough, but yet affordable. We all would really like to be able to open the door and be right there. Or, we may stay where we are and stay an extra week. Each day when we travel to the beach, it is like we are moving in with all of the stuff we have to carry for the boys age ranges. We walk past some of the families with older children, and they either tell us directly or you can hear them amongst themselves, "oh, I remember those days with so much stuff". Thank goodness for the beach carts.

Poor Isaac, he missed us terribly this time. He is having some serious anxiety issues with us being gone so much. So much so that he has jumped through two window screens this week to get to us. He has never reacted this way before. For those of you non-dog lovers out there, I am sure it is hard for you to understand our love for our dog. He truly is our second child. His love for us is like no other - unconditional. Who else would sit on your feet at 1:00 am looking at you like you are the most amazing being in the world?! I am hoping I-Z will be back to normal soon.

Grandpa Lew (Steve's grandfather) fell while we were gone and broke his leg. He underwent surgery and is doing okay. He has many months of recuperation ahead of him. He has been transferred to the Sam Keep Home this week. Pray for a speedy recovery so that we can get him home to Grandma Vi.

Speaking of grandparents, Grandma Durma (my Grandma on the Elliott side) is doing well since Aunt Connie has been away. Being that Grandma is 93, she pretty much tells you what is on her mind. She says the funniest things to family. She is rude in her own candid way...but yet, for the most part she speaks only the truth. She is a very wise woman. We are so blessed to have our children have their great grandparents in their lives.

Unfortunately, our vacations are over and we are back to life on Wright Street. Don't get me wrong, we all are glad to be home. It is just when we got home, all of our summer projects that are incomplete were staring us in the face. Actually, Steve and I were thinking about the projects on the drive home from the Cape. Yuck, so much to do! And, it is sad to think that yet another year has passed. Another year watching our boys grow like all of the weeds in our flower beds! So our countdown begins until school starts, until PTO fund-raising, until soccer and hockey seasons start, until Halloween (the boys favorite holiday)...until our next vacation!

Ethan's 4th Birthday Party

Our nephew, the Big E, turned 4 on 7/22. We celebrated his day with him while we were in Lake George. Speaking of Lake George, the slideshow is now posted below. However, while we were in Cape Cod, he had his friend birthday. Luckily Matt and Kate have a big house and yard as they had a total of 16 kids over for the party. I just say WOW...16 little boys and girls. Katie said it looked like their finished basement exploded by the time the families all left. I can only imagine!

We can't believe that 4 years have passed since we welcomed him into our lives. Uncle Steve made the invitations for Ethan's day. We were glad we were able to be part somehow. Here is what they looked like:

You can't see it very well on this blog, but on Ethan's shirt it says Uncle 'Teve Graphics.

Cape Cod Here We Come!

So this is the Cape house. This is where we will be hanging our hat for the next week with the Newton family. We can't wait to hit the beach and hear the surf!

Photos of the George Vacation

Finally, the slideshow. Sorry for the delay in posting.