So proud

I like to think that all moms and dads are proud of their kids. There are times when we are a little too boastful. And it looks gross. And I too fall victim to that. And I think that we have to forgive ourselves for these moments. Parenting is hard work. Really hard work. And most of the time, you just feel like you are screwing it up. Yelling when you shouldn't. Criticizing when you shouldn't. So when we see stuff that may actually tell us we are kinda not 'effing it up ENTIRELY, we want to share. And for that reason, I'm forgiving myself in advance.

Because I'm so proud of my daughter!

This year has been a big one for us. The year of private school. And we are so freaking happy with the school. It is a real school. With passionate teachers, engaged parents and great kids. And it isn't as if this is an elite school for the rich. Trust me on that one. We are coming from all walks of life but are focusing on one thing: our kids' education.

I love everything. I love Seren's school uniform. I love her teacher. I love the kids. I love that there is music, Spanish, art, science, computers, yoga, and chess. But mostly, I love that she is happy.

Seren is generally a happy kid. She works to go with it. And follow the rules and expectations. She is quiet in school. A book worm. And kid that kids enjoy. She has always liked school. But man, she is THRIVING. Last night was the School's Success Night. It was a chance to visit the school, see what they have been up to during the year, read their learning logs, read their homemade books, see their art. Seren was giddy- wanting us to see it all! Read it all! Look at it all! And we were happy, so happy, to oblige.

I went to bed happy and so grateful. The school has been a wonderful gift to us. I'm a proud Momma. It takes energy and courage to start new. And Seren has done it!

Seren next to the mural the school created. Her little avatar is immediately left of her.

 This is thier ceramic penguin.

Second grade images of what they will be when they grow up.

 Our future art teacher!

Self portrait from early September. Look at those teeth!!

Facebook Status Updates that make me smile

This got a great response:

Wyeth loves to sing. The other day he was singing some of Daft Punk's lyrics to himself in the backseat of the car. "She's up all night til the sun/I'm up all night to get some/she's up all night for good fun/I'm up all night to get lucky." At that point, I lowered the radio and interrupted the song to him to ask him what it meant to get "lucky." He thought about this for a bit and said "Like when you win a board game. They played all night and got lucky!" Ok, good. Just checking.

As did this:

This morning the doors to my car were frozen shut. I scraped the ice for a good 30 minutes before I could get into the car to turn it on and warm it up. At the end of today, I walked to my car in my office's parking lot. And again, I couldn't open the doors. I started to curse winter, my buick, the sky above...irritated I started to figure out how I could go back into the office building and borrow someone else's ice pick. I pulled on the doors once again, putting a little hip into it. Then I realized: maybe I should unlock the doors!

Surprise!

I turned 37 on January 10th! It was a great day; friends called, Sam made a great dinner, I skyped with friends, yummy burgers, sushi the day before, home made cookies. Just a great day.

And for my birthday, I got a gift from the kids that was called 'surprise'. It was a home made ticket that said 'Surprise Family Adventure'. Included was: lunch, Sam, Wyeth and Seren. It also said that shirts and shoes were required. Hmm. All week I thought about what sort of day adventure we would have. And every time I wondered aloud, Sam and Seren would hope that Wyeth wouldn't ruin the surprise!

On January 19, a Sunday morning, we woke up early for my surprise adventure! The kids were so excited!  And so was I! As a self proclaimed control freak, I had to just hang out and see what happened. We went North instead of South on I-95 which in my mind meant New York City or New Hope. When we got to the New Hope exit, Sam pretended to turn towards the exit before pulling the steering wheel back on the road. We arrived in the parking lot of the train station to New York! I was very excited for a great day. But standing under a sign that said 'New York Train's' Wyeth couldn't understand how I figured it out.

He turned to his sister and said 'But that is ok! Mom doesn't know what we are going to do there, right, Sissy!"

Watching the kids get on the train and experience the train ride was a total highlight. They looked down the long track and jumped with excitement as the train- a basic NJ Transit- approached. We boarded the 8:30 am train. When we got on, they helped each other look out the window. And when another train passed our train and they heard the incredible 'whoosh' they both yelled in unison WOAH!!

When we finally arrived, we had a little bit of time to kill before the next adventure. So we roamed a bit and grabbed some coffee and pastries at a little coffee shop. I was in heaven. It was just perfect. At 11 am we finally went inside a museum I had never heard of before: the New York Historical Society Museum. They had a children's museum inside it complete with a story hour and treasure hunt. The kids enthusiastically enjoyed both. Then, as a special treat, they had live music. A wise guitar player performed classic hippie songs! I was in my element.

After the museum, we made our way across town taking the subway to Times Square. The kids tweaked their necks looking up at the huge buildings and lights. Another WOAH! It was simply fabulous! The people! The energy! The excitement!

We then went to lunch at a trendy little dinner called Vinyl. .Oh it was GOOD. We were famished- eating lunch at 3 pm. We finished up, walked a few more blocks, took two more subways and took the 5 pm train home. One more surprise awaited us all: the train was a double decker! They were SO excited when it pulled up.

The best part of the day was that everyone was happy! And we were relaxed! No crying. No yelling. Just BEING. It felt so so good to just have a family day where the only objective was to have an adventure! Sam planned it perfectly: the train trip, the lovely museum that was age appropriate and fabulous, the subway maneuvers and the restaurant. Thanks Sam!!  It was an amazing day- not too cold, not too icy. Just a fabulous day spending time with those I love in one of the best cities in the world.

Happy 37th to me!

Five Years of Snuggling

Happy happy Birthday, Wyeth!

On December 3rd at 10:53 pm, you turned five years old. My head still spins that our little one is five.

You are one of the most passionate and stubborn people I know. You feel everything. Your feelings get hurt. People can be "so mean" and you often feel like a victim of your sisters' squabbles. Many things are "not fair!" and people "never do [nice things]". Whining is not uncommon. And most things need to be done "RIGHT NOW".

And of course when they can't be, you get upset. And the whole cycle can start again.

But then again, there are amazing things about having this much passion. You are enthuastic as well. And will say things like 'THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!' You also love on people. And love them deeply. Your hugs and kisses for all of us are the best.  And just yesterday you asked me to 'snuggle' on the couch.  I dropped everything I was doing and snuggled you tight. Your favorite part of our beach trip this year was that you got to 'snuggle with Mom on the beach'. It doesn't get much better than that.

You continue to be incredibly musical. You pick up music on the piano easily. And you love to listen to music. Recently we have spent much more time listening to the top 40. You will say things like 'do you hear that drum mom?' 'Dad do you hear the piano?' We will be curious to see if your musical skills will bloom. We hope so! To support that passion, Grandma and Grandaddy got you a huge drum set for your 5th birthday. You wanted them for over a year. And your reaction was to be totally overwhelmed by it. We all waited for a huge reaction of joy. But I don't think you knew what to do with yourself.

You continue to adore your sister. Geez. You two do fight and when you both have screaming matches, it is hard for me to not get frustrated. Seren loves to be 'right' and you get set in your ways as well!  It is a bad combination. That being said, your sister is your biggest ally and your strongest supporter. You feel better when she is around. And she does too. Together you guys take on the world. And we love to watch your relationship grow. It just doesn't get much better.

You are a physcial kid who responds very well to touch. You always have been. Our hugs, cuddles and hands comfort you. I love this aspect of you.

And you are beginning to read! In November,  you floored me while you were reading to me in Flushing over Thanksgiving. You were not just repeating back stories you read time and time again. You were actually sounding it all out. It is an amazing thing to sit back and watch! You are not as 'into' academics as your sister is. But when you focus and stop being humble about your academic pursuits, we enjoy watching you soar!

This past year you tried out basketball, soccer, gymnastics and of course three mornings a week at Breezy Point school.

You continue to bring us such joy. Your heart is so big and you just take it all in. You are friends with everyone and love life. Even when you are stubborn, you love life. We talk to you abou these 'episodes'. While less frequent than age 3, the tantrums do pop up. And we say to you ,"you know that we love you even when we are mad, right?" And you say, "I know. I love you even when I'm mad at you too."

Happy birthday Wyeth. Thank you for making us smile on a daily basis. Thank you for saying the most ridiculous things! We are so proud of you, Wyeth! Happy Birthday! We love you.

We started our celebration in Flushing where we had a joint celebratiion for you and Granddaddy. They bought you a cake. And we celebrated together!

On your actual birthday, we brought cupcakes to school! Then Grammy and Poppy came out to dinner with us to Red Robin. The waiters brought you an ice cream sundae! We went home and opened up presents. You were most excited about the remote control car! We hope to celebrate with your friends in the early Spring.

Back in the saddle

Today, after nearly two weeks off of school, work and routine, we rushed the kids through breakfast. Seren ate cereal while I brushed her long hair.  Her response to the morning was classic.

"Oh man, are we back to the rushing thing again?"

Yup. The rushing thing begins again. And wearing pants. And shoes. All of it.

Snow day!

Around five inches of the fluffy stuff, freezing temps, and blue skies.  Happy.

Christmas in Hershey!

Hershey Park is about 2 hours away from us. I hadn't visited the park since I was in middle school in a band concert! But every year they run these adds about Christmas at Hershey! This year my parents generously treated us to a night at the hotel and two days at the park! And we had a blast!

We left Saturday morning and make it to the part with very little snow. But then it started to really come down. And it was amazing! We dressed the kids up in their snowpants and went to the park! They enjoyed ride after ride as the parents looked on and laughed.

We got to see Santa's reindeer, ride the train, go "ice skating" on a plastic surface, and ride the rides. All in heavy falling snow!

My parents got us adjoining hotel rooms which was fabulous! The lodge itself was very beautiful and PACKED with families! It was just PACKED with little kids!

After a short rest, we went out to dinner and tried to see the infamous "Sweet lights". It was so snowy that half way through, they started to unplug the lights due to hazardous road conditions. We were really disappointed as it was touted as truly a spectacular event. Oh well. At least we got home safely. The snow continued to fall.

I really enjoyed myself! I had no idea what to expect but spending time with my parents and being part of such a magical place was really a special treat! The  hotel also served cookies and milk- and my god, the cookie was worth the 4 hours in the car! SOO good. The snow hampered us a bit but just added to the magic!