Back to school

Megan headed off to school yesterday for her first day as a "big kid" in first grade. All summer long she had been talking about this venture into a new grade always adding that this was the year that she would have homework. As someone who did not enjoy school until my high school years I've been hoping to help my kids have a different experience than I did at that age. I don't know if it's something that I can ward off or if some kids are just bound to dislike school but if I can help it be a positive thing, I will. So I've been re-focusing her on the positives as they come along. Of those positives, she gets to sit at a real desk this year instead of sharing a table with the other kids. She also gets to walk in/out of the building on her own instead of being escorted by a teacher/helper. (It doesn't seem like much but so far these little things seem to be working.)

She was slightly disappointed the other week when she found out that she wasn't getting the teacher that she had wanted. Her main reason behind wanting that particular teacher was simply because she had spent time with her in previous years in the after school program. However, after meeting Mrs. Lupo the other day she definitely seemed more at ease with heading in for her first day.

When I tucked her into bed last night and she told me that she "couldn't wait to go to school tomorrow" and that she loves being in first grade. I guess growing up and being a big kid isn't such a bad thing after all.

A week spent in PA

We headed back to PA early Saturday morning in order to arrive by noon and not have an entire day which would feel wasted by travel. The kids were great with Robert only fussing occasionally and two stops made for potty breaks. (One being a false alarm on a dirty diaper.)

The goal of this trip was to spend some time with the family before the kids went back to school and to take care of my grandmother while my parents went out of town to TX. Luckily they were not leaving until Tuesday so we were able to visit with them before they left and I was also able to fit in some quality time at the hospital with my brother while my sister-in-law went under the knife for a neck operation.

The first day home was spent with the kids traipsing around down at the campground, in and out of the creek water and running all over the place with neither one of them wanting the day to end. So they both decided to spend the night with Uncle Dan and Aunt Dina until Matt changed his mind and made Uncle Dan take him home to Mommy. ("I'm serious," Matt told him.)

Another afternoon storm clouds began rolling in with plenty of thunder following suit. The skies opened up to a torrential downpour and the temperature had dropped 20 degrees in a matter of an hour when suddenly the pounding of rain turned to something much harder. As we looked out the window we saw a hail storm like none we've ever seen. Now I've seen larger balls of hail before but I've never seen an accumulation like the one that day. It took over two hours for the hail to melt and after it was over I took some pictures to remember the craziness.

Here is a shot of the fog rolling off of the hill as the temperatures were still in a crazy flux...

Tuesday rolled around, Mom and Dad left town and I was left with the 3 kids and Grandma, hoping and praying that we wouldn't drive her up the wall. Fortunately, Megan and Matt spent two nights with Aunt Tam, Uncle Bill and the girls so some of the chaos was alleviated. Grandma and I didn't need to worry about entertainment while they were away because Robert certainly took care of that for us. He climbed up the stairs 100 times a day (of which I brought him back down another 100 times), worked on perfecting his walking skills (ok, so he's still working on that) and kept us laughing with his own crazy personality.

Here he is devouring the can of icing that Aunt Janet left sitting out.

We ended our trip that week at a cousin's 3rd birthday party after which we began our drive back north around 7pm. As is usual, for most of the ride home I sat and thought about how much I miss being back there. Life is quieter there and of course I miss being close to my family. But as I cross the CT state line I always get a bit antsy to go back to my own home, to my own bed, to my hubby and all that has become my life over the past 9 years up here. That last hour of my drive just never seems to go by fast enough.

What I did during my summer vacation

I was just talking to the kids this morning about the inevitable question that teachers ask upon returning to school in the fall and the various things that they could respond with when I realized that I have some great pictures to share and haven't gotten around to doing so for a very long time.

We spent a long weekend with some good friends down at Long Beach Island and of course I did everything in my power to remember to take my camera. I even argued with Bill at one point about where he had moved it to because, "GAH! I know EXACTLY where I put it and if he moves it to another location (even if it was better) I will no longer remember, blah blah blah". And guess what? No, I DID remember to take the camera. But I never unpacked it the entire time we were down there. But rest assured, we had a wonderful time with perfect weather and good company the entire vacation.

After that we were lucky enough to have some family come for a visit. We started them out with a trip down to New York City. It was the first time that Megan and Matt had been on a train and a first for both them, Zach, Jocelyn and Taylor to see the city.

As soon as we arrived we jumped on the subway and headed down to Fulton Street to see the WTC site. Bill and I have seen it before and although there's really not much left to see but new construction, I'm still struck hard with memories of that fateful day.

We then hiked down to Battery Park so that everyone could get a view of the Statue of Liberty, albeit it a long view across the water, but they saw it none-the-less. Here are Megan and Matt taking a break as we all enjoyed the view.

From there we jumped back on the subway and headed back up to Times Square. After grabbing lunch at ESPN Zone and playing hard in the arcade, we walked up the street to the center of Times Square where we caught up with The Naked Cowboy. There was no way that I was paying $2.00 just for a picture of an ugly guy with a smoking hot body so I quickly snapped these pictures of random strangers posing with him before we headed off.




We walked up to Rockefeller Center and then to the ultimate Megan spot, American Girl Place, where she was treated to a doll and the rest of the group took the nauseating tour (the beer back at The ESPN Zone was not enough to ward off the sweetness) of the entire building and the genius marketing that is American Girl. Before we knew it it was time to head back down to Grand Central for the train ride back to CT.

The next day was spent in the pool and then I took the older kids to Lake Compounce for the evening. We had a good time and we three girls enjoyed the look of fear on Zach's face as we persuaded him to get on various coasters with us. He was a good sport on all but one, Down Time, but we'll get him on there some day!

Tuesday was a lazy day although we did hit the mall for Tam to do some school shopping for the girls. And then Wednesday rolled around and they were off for the 5 hour drive back to PA.

Taylor stayed behind for the remainder of the week and she, Megan and Matt were pretty much water logged due to the amount of time spent in the pool and the hot tub.


Megan finally learned how to swim that week too... And the kids all enjoyed continuously jumping into the pool...






On Saturday morning I packed everyone up and we headed back for my week long visit with family in PA. I'll save those pictures and stories for a later post. Also to come next week...Megan goes to 1st grade and Matt hits pre-k!!

WTF!?! Otherwise known as "the hits just keep on comin'!"

Around 9pm last night, Bill and I were just getting ready to sit down and kick back for the evening when we heard an unmistakable cracking noise followed by a huge crash/splash. We both went running out the back door to find an enormous tree toppled over and laying across the entire width of our backyard.

I knew without a doubt that it had hit the pool due to the splash that I had heard from inside the house. So we threw on the flood light and climbed up onto the deck to begin pulling large tree limbs out of the water fearing that the pool liner or walls were goners.

The rain was still coming down and it was difficult to tell if the water we heard running was from the storm or damage done to the pool. What we knew for sure was that the deck was "dead" along with the metal vacuum pole that I had carefully propped up along the railing a few days before when I finished vacuuming. As it was still thundering and lightening, we decided to head back inside before one of us ended up electrocuted and we would assess the real damage in the day light.

We couldn't stop laughing about it for the rest of the evening because, for those of you who know us, this is exactly our luck these days. But if we're going to talk about truly being lucky then I have to thank God it happened at 9pm and not in broad daylight because the kids play back there all of the time on their bikes. The basket ball net survived and as it turns out, so did the pool, which appears to have only a minor ding from where the tree and/or the deck collapsed on it before falling into the water.

Relay For Life

There's a lot that I could say about our time spent at the Relay For Life that took place yesterday morning through this morning, but it all seems caught up in a hazy fog of incredible heat and humidity combined with sore feet and legs as well as a lot of exhaustion from getting only 2 1/2 hours of sleep. The most significant thing that I can say for sure is that it was humbling, sad, and joyous, all rolled into one event for a very worthy cause...the fight against cancer.

While we celebrated 2 battles won (Kyrstyna and Jean), an ongoing battle (Dan Topper) and two other battles lost (Grandpa Bob and his sister Beth), there were so many others that were thought of as well. What a great event and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to be a part of it.

Oh what fun - look who's one! (Or some other cheesy tag line for a 1st birthday.)

All day yesterday I would look at the clock and think, "a year ago at this time, I was doing *this*". At 6:00am I began experiencing some cramping. Around 11:00am, because the contractions had stopped earlier in the morning, I had the brilliant idea that if I did laps around the block, pulling 2 kids in a wagon, that it might jump start labor again. When that didn't work we went back to the house to relax. (Maybe resting would do the trick!) At 2:00pm I was sitting on the couch, trying to nap but spent more time whining about how I was going to be pregnant FOREVER because nothing was happening and it was all just another false alarm. Around 3:00pm I decided that the cramping that had come back was definitely turning into regular contractions about 10 minutes apart. "But surely this would not last either so let's just take our time packing up the kids and head into to town to wait things out."By 4:00pm we were racing through traffic in order to make it to the hospital before I had the baby in the front seat of our car. And by 4:45pm, I was admiring our new son who had made his entrance about 10 minutes prior and had already managed to pee on the nurses several times indicating that his one kidney was working perfectly.

Although I think this way on the kids' birthdays every year, it really doesn't have the same impact as it does for that first year. It all flies by so quickly that the sleepless nights, crying fits, sickness, etc, which at one point felt as though they might never end, now feel to me like they flew by in a blur. And in reality, they probably did.

The first year is the hardest and so far one of the most rewarding for me. The kids change and grow so much that it feels like I'll miss something if I happen to blink for too long. And although the years are definitely not slowing down and the kids are growing up far too fast for my taste, I know that with the first year hurdle down, we can begin to relax a little as Robert turns from a baby into a toddler. The growing and changes that seemed to have taken place before our very eyes now begins to slow down to a steadier pace. To a pace that seems more manageable for our day to day lives. From here on out the obstacles become a bit bigger but perhaps it's the simple fact that we are sleeping through the night (most of the time) that makes it easier to breathe. (Amazing what sleep deprivation can do to a person's perception!)

So after a full year of topping off the growth charts, dealing with snot, more snot, wheezing, doctor upon doctor visits, a hospital stay for good measure, more wheezing and tons more snot, Robert is now a normal, (relatively speaking - he is a Baker remember) healthy 1 year old. He weighs 24lbs, 12 1/2 oz and is 30" tall. He's cruising furniture now, has two teeth with two more only mili-seconds away from popping through on top, and although the only word in his repertoire right now is Da-Da, he says it with a vengeance. He's a happy kid and rounds out our family perfectly. I can't imagine life without him.

Happy 1st birthday Robert Paul Baker!

Brothers and Sisters

I walked around the corner the other day to find this on the back deck. As Megan and Matt were sharing an afternoon snack, they apparently decided to sunbathe together. So if Matt can go topless, then why can't Megan?!

Summer, Summer, Summertime!

Some of my favorite memories growing up in small town, south-central PA were of summer vacations. Mom and Dad both worked back then and because we lived out in the country, the summers were laid back and as a young kid I would have told you that they were BORING! These days with all the running around that we do, there are times when I long for boring summer days to unwind both my body and my mind.

I remember the hot mornings when my sister and I would wake up, pack some drinks and hop on our bikes for a long ride before the summer heat would dictate that we slowed things down and stayed inside. We'd come home, sweaty and tired and plop ourselves on the floor in front of the box fan in a desperate attempt to cool down.

We spent a lot of time at our cousin's on their circus trampoline. We'd spray it and ourselves down with the water hose, terrorizing Pinky the dog as we'd bounce like maniacs above his head. We'd ride our bikes during the day when Aunt Janet and Uncle Ron were at work and then do crazy things like have food fights, attempt to survive Aunt Janet's flaming hot, spicy BBQ pork chops, go for walks and catch the neighbors doing questionable acts up on their second floor, tour the Gettysburg battlefield and climb all over Devil's Den in the evenings or on Aunt Janet's days off.

On the quiet times when we were back at home we had to find ways to entertain ourselves. Rain storms always provided the perfect excuse for cooling off and playing in puddles. Riding bikes, playing wiffle ball and hide and go seek until dark with the neighbor kids are memories that I look back on fondly.

I want my kids to be able to create memories like these that they can in turn share with their own kids later in life. I wish that I could go back in time to really appreciate these things as they should have been back then. But I'll settle for seeing the joy and happiness in my kids' faces as they splash in the puddles after a summer rain.

Hot Date With Daddy

Megan and Bill had their annual date to the Father/Daughter dance this past Friday. Once again I got away with buying a new dress for her at the bargain price of $10.00!! (Two years running...can I make it to her prom at those prices?)

The most important part for Megan was her request for straight hair. So off we went to buy a flat iron...

While Matt and I shared a quiet Mommy and boys night at home with chinese food, Dad and Megan danced the night away. Ok, so Megan ran around with her friends, but I was told that they shared two dances. That's better than nothing, right?

It's Our Anniversary

Eight years ago today, I woke up with a hang over from the countless rounds of shots downed at our rehearsal dinner the night before, and began preparing for the day that I married my best friend.

This marriage is a second time for both of us; Bill's first ending after bringing a son into their relationship and perhaps a general moving in different directions, amongst other reasons and mine...in retrospect, I would normally say that mine ended due to marrying too young, but considering I married Bill at the age of 25, most might argue that I was still pretty young. (What can I say? I accomplished a lot in a short period of time!) I think that my first ended mainly due to the other party not being fully vested and I was too young and naive to make it work for the both of us.

Bill and I met while I was living in Nashville, having moved there less than a year prior to get away from things that had recently failed up north. I was a corporate travel agent and he was one of my clients who happened to travel quite frequently with a local colleague. We laughed a lot and harrassed each other for about 6 months on the phone before we finally met face to face. I'd like to say that it was love at first sight but I think it probably took me an entire week before that happened. (Again, that doing things in a short period of time...). What I can say for sure was that after our first official date I knew, without a doubt, that even if things didn't work out for our long distance relationship, that I had a new perspective on the kind of relationship I wanted to be in.

I said goodby to him at the Nashville airport on Sunday morning and then I left there...waiting for him to not call. Anticipating the akward phone conversations that were sure to follow at the office when we tried to remain business like and act like the date was nothing. I figured a best case scenario might be one where we decided to give a long distance relationship a shot but struggled to figure out how to make it work over time.

What I got instead was a phone call that very afternoon after he landed and was back in CT. What followed were endless phone calls lasting until the wee-hours of the morning, bi-weekly visits (on weekends he didn't have his son) and a three months later, a cruise to the Caribbean over my 24th birthday when we decided to get engaged. (Again with the short time period thing...)

Two months later I was on the move again and this time it was to CT to be with him. The following year flew by with settling in to a new job, fixing up and selling a home, moving to a temporary home, a new job oh...and wedding plans of course. And before I knew it, May 27, 2000 had arrived and I was about to become a "Baker".

I couldn't have asked for a nicer evening. We were married at sunset, overlooking the ocean and as I walked out to stand next to him, the wedding reception on the floor below us was bellowing out "Beer Barrell Polka". How fitting.... We danced all evening and then moved the party on to Bill's college roommate's bar for more dancing (some on the bar, some involving $20 bills) and partying into the wee hours. The next day was spent with family and friends and finally on Monday, we were off on our honeymoon to Turks and Caicos.

Since then we've bought and sold homes and welcomed three more children into what started out as a ready-made family of three. We've had some obstacles to overcome over the years; some were pretty funny, like psycho ex's, (we both had one of those) and others were not, such as sudden deaths in the family and a mammoth sinkhole in our back yard. But we've never faltered in moving through these as we both travel on the same path to an ultimate goal... Growing old together.

Happy anniverary Bill - I love you more today than ever before!

Punishments

Honestly, I love Matt unconditionally. But recently he's been pushing me to the end of my rope. It could be because I'm home with him 24/7 now. Or it could just be the age. Who knows. But when he makes me mad, he inevitably makes me love him a little more with those big, sad, brown eyes.

He's taken to doing things to Robert that I would have expected to see from him after we brought Robert home from the hospital. You know, that whole adjustment to another human being taking up space in Mom and Dad's arms. But c'mon kid...it's been almost an entire year. Why now?

Today, for instance, Robert was sitting on the floor, innocently playing with a toy and Matt walked over to him, stepped on his ankle and as soon as Robert began to yelp, he walked away as though nothing had happened.

After his time out, I make him hug Robert and tell him he's sorry. When I spoke to him about his actions the other day, his eyes filled with tears and his lip began quivering. This is very unlike Matt because after a punishment is doled out, he gets over it and moves on rather quickly. So I asked him why he was sad and he replied, "he was sad that he hurt Robert." (Insert heart melting.)

Unfortunately it hasn't stopped the behind the scenes torture. Recently a similar event occurred and as I mentioned before, Robert can be quite whiney. So when I hear the whine, I tend to ignore it figuring he's probably just stuck standing up and will eventually figure out how to plop down on his hiney. This time, however, the whine grew to a frantic cry and when I turned around, I found Matt sitting AND bouncing on top of Robert.

I immediately reprimanded him and made him sit on the couch while the rest of us went about our business. About 5 (ok, maybe 10) minutes later I realized that I had forgotten to tell him he could get up. I also realized that it was awfully quiet over on that couch. I snuck around the corner and found this...

Darn you child! Why must you be all innocent like when Mommy is still trying to be mad at you!?!