Birthday Pics (Age 7)

This year we celebrated Lewie's 7th birthday party a bit early...  (Since many of his friends are August babies, we wanted to beat the crowd, so to speak.)   We rented a pavilion down the street from us at Veteran's Memorial Park in Bethany, so all the kiddos could swim, play on the playground, and get their face painted.  (Our famous art and Spanish teacher, Miss Gabby, provided the face painting; Lewie was so happy to see her!)

This year, like last, I also asked for an ice-cream truck to come, so everyone could choose an ice-cream of their choice on us.  Kids and adults never tire of ice-cream trucks, so it was a win-win for sure. 

The day, as usual, went by in a heartbeat, but it was nice to reunite with family, old friends, and some new ones.  Some of Lewie's little friends at the party were his very first play-dates--starting at 18 months old.  It's funny to say that they've already been his friends for five years!  Other "newer" friends were from Lewie's kindergarten class this year.  Indeed, with only six students in his class, they all became very close to each other, and the party was like a mini-reunion for them.  There were lots of hugs and giggles from this crew to go around...

The famous ice-cream truck appearance--now in its second year.

Lewie's friend and classmate, Payton (and her mommy).

Aunty Karen

Lewie's Godfather -- "Uncle" Theron

Lewie's friend Ryan and his daddy.



Lewie, Elliot, and Wyatt (his friends starting at 18 months old)

Lewie's littlest cousin, Lily

Lewie in the ice-cream truck.

My boy with his Minecraft swords...

Can't believe he's 7 years' old!

Cousin Sarah

Cousin Brooklynn

 

Cousin Elijah

The talented Miss Gabby!

Lewie's classmate Evelyn and her mommy.

Clean faces after swimming.

It's sad to say goodbye to year six.  It was a fun year of transitions from Thomas the Train and Paw Patrol to Ironman and Minecraft.  Underneath this "big boy" exterior, however, he's still my same little boy who requests "fairy dust" to sleep at night and big hugs to wake him in the morning.  I feel incredibly blessed to say goodbye to a fun-filled, amazing year and to welcome a brand new one that will be just as wonderful.  As long as I have my little buddy with me, this coming year will certainly be as special as the last...

My Baby Turns Seven!

Dear Lewie,

Happy birthday, Lewie.  Today you turn seven!!  I'm still struggling with the number; little kids are 4, 5, and 6.  Seven seems to be an age all on its own.

Mine Craft Swords at his Birthday Party

Indeed, you are growing up right before my eyes.  Only a few years ago, you watched Thomas the Train faithfully and played for hours and hours with your train table and TrackMaster train set.  Now, "big kid" influence from your older cousins and friends has made an appearance, and you are into games like Minecraft, LEGO Marvel, and Disney Infinity.

This year, surprisingly, has still been a year of many firsts.  At Surreybrook, you made friends with your classmates (which wasn't so important before), and you were given "homework" for your very first time.  You started taking private roller skating lessons and swim lessons, and as a result, you are now both a confident skater and swimmer.  (You recently learned how to do front and back flips in the water all by yourself.)

You are still quite the talker, but instead of telling us about trains and their different parts, your conversations are more about zombies, creepers, skeletons, and all the other Minecraft characters.  You tell me that you want to become a YouTuber, and your stage name with be Enchanted Diamond Lewie.  Half the time I don't know whether I should belt out in laughter or whether I should take this endeavor very, very seriously.

When you are thinking about LEGO Marvel, you can spend hours talking about Iron Man, the Hulk, and the Hulk Buster.  Admittedly, I grew up as an only child with my mom, so my childhood revolved around Barbies and My Little Ponies.  This new world of diamond swords and iron suits has been a learning lesson for me, and I'm still unsure of how to answer questions like, "If you had a sword, Mommy, what would it be made out of?"  "Um, Lewie, can my sword be made out of hearts?" I ask.

Lewie, underneath this talk of TNT and superpowers, still exists this amazingly creative and sweet little kid.  You spend hours making up unique stories in your head--sometimes you talk about them, and sometimes we can see your brain moving a mile a minute as you pace the room in a trance making up sound effects as you move from one area of the room to the other.   (You can build a castle in Minecraft like no other.)

At other times, we have deep conversations with you.  You miss Uncle Terry tremendously and often ask about him being in Heaven.  In fact, one morning you woke up and told me that you had a dream about being in "God's Place" and hugging Uncle Terry.   You have become very close to Gramy (my mom) that lives next door.  If we dare go anywhere without her, you're always the first to ask why she can't come.  Next year, you insist that she come with us to Tampa, Florida.  In fact, you said the trip just wasn't that fun without having her with us.

When it's time to visit Ninny and Papa's house, you immediately go to Papa (my father-in-law) to see if he'll play a video game of some sort with you.  You have developed quite the connection to Papa, and Papa has equally developed a very special place in his heart for you too.  (While your cousins are all playing their own games and begging you to join them, you simply choose being with Papa instead.)  Maybe it's because he makes you feel special; maybe it's because he's ill, and you feel badly for him; or maybe it's because you just have this mysterious, unexplainable connection--after all, if you look at a picture of Papa when he was seven, and we look at a picture of you, Lewie, the resemblance is eerily striking!

Lewie, one thing that hasn't changed about you is your incredibly kind, sensitive, and nostalgic nature.   You love your home, your family, and everything around you.  You never want to part with your toys, and you don't want to part with the rock you found two summers ago either.  One night you said to me in tears, "Mommy I don't want to be seven.  I don't  want to grow up.  I just want to live here with you, Daddy, Grammy, and Tigey (your Tiger stuffed animal) forever."    How do I respond to that?  The reality is that I don't want to see you grow up either...

Lewie, in honor of your seventh birthday, I decided to do a little interview while we were on a road trip with Daddy.  You loved being interviewed; you barely even finished answering each question before you'd ask, "Mommy, do you have another question for me?"  The answers to your questions were quite telling; they definitely showed the transition you've been making all this year (and the transition that we're still trying to wrap our heads around.  It's not easy watching you grow up.)

Favorite Food:  Macaroni and Cheese
Favorite Number:  Nine Million
Favorite Cartoon:  The Avengers
Favorite Toy:  Wii U
Favorite Activity:  Playing LEGO Marvel with my dad
Favorite Colors:  Orange and Pink
Favorite Season:  Summer
Favorite Car:  Nissan Leaf (my car)
Favorite Place:  The Train Museum
Favorite Vacation:  Aunt ReRe's and Uncle Terry's House
Favorite Fruit:  Strawberries
Favorite Park:  The Rec Center in Beacon Falls with the Secret Playground
Goals:  To make a camper van that runs on solar and electricity.  To make my own train that runs from Connecticut to Tampa, FL.  (I will charge each passenger $10.)

Finally, here are some questions Daddy asked:
Q:  What do you think about Girls?
A:  "They're pretty."

Q:  Do you want to get married some day?
A:  "No, because I don't like getting married."

Lewie, although it pains me to watch you get older, just know that I couldn't be more proud of you.  Once upon a time, my mom shared with me that she loved every age as she watched me grow up, and now, I believe that too.  In many ways, you have become Mommy's buddy.  I love talking to you, jumping on the trampoline with you, playing board games, and even helping you with homework (even though it's not your favorite thing to do).   I love the bond we've developed, and I know it will only get stronger through the years.  Right now, even when you're visiting friends, I cherish that you still look to play with Mommy and Daddy first.  Just know, that if I ever have a choice to spend time with anyone in the whole world, my first choice will always be you.

I love you forever and ever and always.

Mommy

Mount Tom State Park

My girlfriend and I have been taking our two boys to Mount Tom State Park since they were toddlers.  In those days, the boys loved to sit in the water, play in the sand, and go out into the "deep end" while we held them in our arms.   The summer day would always end with ice cream and a long nap in the car.

Today, little Ryan is seven years-old, and Lewie will be too in a matter of weeks.  I knew I'd be sad when they reached this age, but then something miraculous happened...  When we first arrived at the beach, Lewie and Ryan headed straight for the water with their goggles.  (No more floaties, life vests, or tubes.)  They spent twenty or so minutes playing "fish finder" (the water is so clear that it's easy to spot the fish), and then they pleaded, even begged, for us to go in the water too.

Last year, we played a game called "Shark," where I was the big, bad Shark looking to eat little Ryan's and Lewie's toes.  They'd go to my friend Sue for cover and hang onto her for dear life.  It was fun, but in all fairness, I had forgotten about it...until...

Ryan blurted, "Let's play Shark!"

"Yeah," Lewie agreed.  "Mommy, you can't catch us."

Then, for the next hour, we played Shark and had motor boat races (where the boys held onto our back and neck).  It was so much fun, and even more, they were having so much fun!!!  Sue and I were reminded that our little boys still need us just as much as we need them.  What can be better than that!

Our day ended with ice cream, but naps in the car are long gone.  I kept peeking at the back seat; all I saw were two happy boys laughing and talking energetically about different characters in Mine Craft.  It's fun to watch them become friends.  This year, they bonded with each other even more, but even after turning a year older, I'm happy to say that we (Sue and I) are still number one in their book. 

The sky was so beautiful that day!

Ryan "photobombing" a picture of Sue and me.

ICE CREAM!

An "active" ride home! :)

Delaware Vacation 2015

Most of my family lives in Connecticut, but a few of them moved to Delaware back in the 90's.   Since this move, I usually make one trip per year to visit them--sometimes during Thanksgiving or other times during the summer. 

Little Lewie has been used to this visit too.  Since he was a baby, we would pile our things into their camper van and sleep there.  (It was the most convenient form of camping I knew!)  This year, however, was different.

Since my Uncle Terry passed away (now already a year ago), my aunt decided to sell the camper.  The upkeep was much too great for her, and quite honestly, she could use the money.  My son was heartbroken, but I told him we would make up for it by staying at a hotel near the beach (Rehoboth Beach to be exact.)  In the 25 years that I've made this trip, I never once went to any of Delaware's beaches, and as it turns out, boy was I missing out!

After a grueling eight-hour car ride through New York City and down the Jersey Turnpike, we finally arrived there late afternoon on Thursday.  We checked out the boardwalk (which is awesome at night), and then we made the decision to go to the Jungle Jim's Waterpark the very next day.  (The weather was HOT!!!)

Eating at the Purple Parrot Grill in Rehoboth Beach

Jungle Jim's Waterpark!

The next few days were spent at my aunt's house in her pool.  Lewie's cousin Frankie celebrated his 14th birthday (he was only five when he was the ring bearer in our wedding), and we had a few cookouts.

Little Lewie and his 14 year-old cousin, Frankie

Frankie and his mom, Janine

All in all, our little family reunion was similar to ones of the past.  The difference, of course, is that for a second year now, we missed the presence of our dear Uncle Terry, who certainly added character to our visits.  Although we didn't stay in the camper van, we LOVED staying in Rehoboth.  Lewie had a chance to ride a bicycle on the boardwalk for his very first time, and on another morning, my mom and I had a chance to venture out and go to all the cute little shops in the area. 

The trip, only five days (including travel), was short and sweet, but it brought just as many memories to cherish.  We're already looking forward to our trip next year, which most certainly will be in Rehoboth again.

Taking a rest...I can't wait until the day when both of us will be able to bike ride on the boardwalk together!

He really like his little bike.

Do you see the light house on top of the chimney?

This shop touted that they have more than 100 ice cream flavors... 
Some like Captain Crunch, Swedish Fish, Georgia Peach, and others....

We found this cute little French bakery that served the most awesome crepes!

Enjoying a yummy strawberry and Nutella crepe!

Lewie taking a bath in our room's Jacuzzi.