OUCH!!!

Poor little Ollie. He was in the midst of one of those crazy-boy times, running around naked and not slowing down for anything or listening to a word I said. He and Maddie were playing in her room and I was down the hall in the bathroom brushing my teeth, when all of a sudden I heard him screaming, that sort of screaming that you *know* just isn't good. He runs into my room and he's bleeding at the very top of his boy-bits... apparently he had been climbing out of Maddie's crib, as he's done many times before, but perhaps never before without clothes on. His little bits must have gotten caught somehow.... oh he wasn't happy! Thank god Andy was working from home that morning -- we ran downstairs and he immediately determined they had to go to the ER together. Turns out he needed 3 stitches. He was very brave, as always, and made a big impression at the hospital; they gave him a special toy before he left, a very elaborate tool box that he was VERY pleased with. After some rest at home on the sofa, he ran around and played for the rest of the day as if nothing had happened. Now he has a story to tell forevermore... and he's pretty responsive when I ask him to put his underwear on.

Pirate Party -- Arrrrrrrrr!!!

Ollie has really enjoyed his first 6 months at Elements of Learning, his preschool - which is great since he misses the "cut-off" for kindergarten and has another full year at EOL before he "graduates." He has loads of friends there, and he loves all the teachers as well. The owner and head-teacher, Miss Parul, along with all the other teachers worked hard to organize a great end-of-year party for the kids on the last day of school. Ollie had voted for a beach-themed party, but the votes for a pirate-theme won out, so that's what it was! He wasn't so keen on that at first, even after I found a pirate costume. But a few nights before the party, once Ollie and Maddie were in bed, Andy said he wanted to make Ollie a pirate's sword. We made it together, out of cardboard, loads of tape, 2 wooden chopsticks for strength, tinfoil, black electrical tape, and fantastic sparkley gemstones. We left it out for him to find in the morning, and he was SO happy with it!! He wanted to put on his entire costume right away. By the time the party came around, he was an eager participant. You can see that his good friend, Claire, was an excellent pirate as well, along with all the other kids at school.

I Love You More Today Than YESTERDAY!!

Today is Andy and my 5th wedding anniversary! 5 years ago today, sweetie, it was a foggy and rainy day in Maine, but we could only smile. And it's true, I love you more every day. You are a man among men, and if anyone wonders how I know this is true, I might ask them: How many men do you know that love to cook dinners all weekend long? That get up on a Saturday morning at 6am to go on a 60-mile bike ride? That make a point of keeping in touch with old friends across the world from them? That like to make lists of things to accomplish over the weekend, rather than wait for "instructions" on what needs to be done? That iron their own shirts (beautifully)? That make life so much cooler for their kids (bat watching, camping, crazy dancing, the story of the Burning Bowl, "thinking about things")? That make their wife feel like a friend and a goddess, all at once? This is the short list of the many, many things I treasure in you.

I decided on a whim today that it would be fun to greet Andy -- just returning from a work trip to Germany -- in my wedding dress. I wasn't really going to, but when I mentioned it to Ollie, he said, "You should do it, Mommy!" So of course, I had to. It hangs in my closet on a hanger, unceremoniously, in a clear plastic zipper bag... I like it that way, because I get to see it every day! So out it came, on it went, until I realized that I couldn't zip it on my own, and Ollie couldn't manage either. While Maddie napped, Ollie and I trudged next door and rang Maureen's doorbell, and thankfully she was home! She got such a kick out of it, and (miracle of miracles), she managed to zip it! No room to spare, let's just say. I'm going for a loose fit on my 10th wedding anniversary.

So sweetie -- "Yes, I love technology. But not as much as you, you see. Always and forever. Always and forever."

First Beach Trip 2011

You know you have Maine in your blood when you can't wait to get to the beach even on a relatively cool and cloudy day in June. Drift-Inn Beach is beautiful all year round, but by the time June comes around, it's nearly impossible to stay away. The kids were so excited - "shubbel, shubbel!" cried Maddie (shovel!) - and after checking the tide chart to make sure there would actually BE a beach, we packed up a few toys and a towel, and we were off. Last year Maddie wasn't a huge fan of the beach, as she wasn't walking yet and crawling in the sand just didn't cut it for her... but this year, after a few seconds of pushing her toes around to test it out, she was off and running. Laughing and yelling, the two of them had the entire beach to themselves. Ollie asked if some "friends" would show up (meaning, any available kids who would play with him), but I couldn't make any promises... and none did. The sun had been out most of the day, but of course it clouded over as we got to the beach, and only poked out a bit to warm us up just before we headed home. Until next time, Drift Inn Beach.

Happy Birthday, Granddaddy!!

It's always easy for me to remember how old my dad is, because his birthday is only 4 days before mine, and he was thirty when I was born, so I always just have to add 30 to my own age! Andy had to head off to England and Germany after our long Memorial Day weekend here, but I stayed on with the kids... and dad's birthday fell on Wednesday, the day before we went back to NJ. It was a regular workday for him, unfortunately, but we all got together after work for a great dinner at the Dip Net on Port Clyde harbor. We all had the baked stuffed haddock, which was pretty good, but the cajun spiced maine shrimp appetizer was fantastic. I think it's best to stick with the excellent fried seafood there, generally. I vote for Cod End in Tenants Harbor any day, especially since it isn't owned by Linda Bean. :-) It was a bit chilly as the sun set, but we were just SO happy to be there on the harbor on a lovely evening, and the kids adored running back and forth to the "lobster tub" to watch the live lobsters inside crawling around. Maddie was mesmerized. It's a wonderful thing going out to eat in a place where the kids don't have to sit in their seats the whole time. After dinner we all went back to our house to enjoy huge, ridiculous pieces of birthday cake - a cake given to dad by his colleagues at the hospital. Yum! Frosting overload. Dad was super excited to receive a handmade card from Ollie, featuring a striped and spotted pteradactyl, signed by the artist himself. He was possibly even MORE excited about his present from Andy and me and the kids - a panini press! Pretty much beside himself with glee. Bring on the paninis! We love you, Dad, soooooo very much.

Father's Day 2011

Maddie and Ollie, you are so lucky to have such a cool dad!!  He's always coming up with ideas for fun things to do (camping! water fights! boat trips! rides on the superbike!) and he has just the BEST music collection!  You'll appreciate that a lot more when you're a bit bigger.  Most of all, he loves you sooooo much, and there's nothing he likes more than spending time with you.  For Father's Day this year, we decided to have an overnight in Guilford.  It was a gorgeous weekend, and we had so much fun at the beach.  Ollie, you got so worn out that you actually fell asleep at the Stone House Restaurant at dinner... I don't think you've ever done that before!!  Daddy made sure you were comfortable, as you can see.  xoxo