The Polar Express

I've said it many times before, but I'll say it again: I LOVE AGE FOUR.   Over the past few weeks, I've been trying to keep a log of all the funny, sweet, unique, and cute things my little boy has said, but I have to admit, it's been difficult;  these days it seems like everything that comes out of his mouth is cute...

Today, I'd like to share my favorites...

Looking at each other in the mirror.
Me:  "We've got the same noses, Lewie."
Him:  "Yes, but mine has polka-dots."  (Of course, he means that he has freckles.)

As he's swinging, "Mommy, the sun is following me."

While looking outside at the fog, "Today's going to be a froggie day."

While taking a bath...
Him:  "Mommy, is this my knee shoulder?"
Me:  "No, it's your elbow."

While at CVS Pharmacy, pointing to a toy cash register.  (Thank you CVS for including a lovely toy section)
Him:  "Mommy, can I have this?"
Me:  "I don't have the money to buy it right now.  Why don't you tell Santa that you want it?"
Him:  "Okay, but what if Santa forgets?"

Last week, he developed a very new fascination with The Polar Express.  Starting on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Lewie found the movie, still in its original packaging, and asked in he could see it.  (To be honest, it was given to us as a present, but I forgot about it.)  I knew the picture of the train must have fascinated him, but I didn't think he'd actually sit (or stay awake) for the entire movie.  Well, let me just say that he did both.  My little boy, who had preschool the next day, stayed awake until 11 p.m. watching the movie!

I probably should have insisted that he go to bed, but I was just amazed at how this movie captured his complete and total attention; he was mesmerized!  The very next day, he asked if he could see it again and so it was played again and again during the Thanksgiving Day holiday.  Then my aunt decided to buy him the soundtrack, and now if he isn't watching the movie, then he's listening to the music in the car over and over again.  For those of you who are fans (or have children that are fans), his favorite songs are "The Polar Express" and "Hot Chocolate"--I  captured a video of him dancing to his favorite songs before bed.

Yesterday we went to the mall, and Lewie saw Santa.  In previous years, he could care less, but this time, he wanted to meet Santa.  He wanted to tell him all about The Polar Express.  I wasn't planning on having his holiday pictures taken so soon, but hey, when there's an opportunity, especially with kids, you have to take it when it comes.

We met Santa, and sure enough, he told him about watching The Polar Express.   When Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas, Lewie answered confidently, "a cash register."  I don't know many boys that ask for a cash register for Christmas, but mine did.  I couldn't help but to laugh out loud.  I sure hope CVS still has it...after all, Santa can't "forget."

Grateful

Today I will be traveling to Delaware to spend cherished memories with our little extended family.  (We don't have many family members left, and so these holidays are especially important for us.)

In the meantime, I feel incredibly grateful today.  Grateful for my little boy, grateful for my husband, grateful for my mom, grateful for my aunts, uncles, and cousins, grateful for my friends, and grateful from my blogging friends.  Even more, I'm thankful for God--for his love, patience, and guidance (even when times in life get incredibly difficult and scattered).

On this very beautiful holiday, I will be sure to take time to count my many blessings, and I'll be sure to remind Lewie too.   My glass is not half empty; it's overflowing.

Thank you all for being such wonderful friends and inspirations for me. 

XOXO.

Much to be thankful for...Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Swing High Little One!

This weekend, my little boy achieved yet another milestone.  Yes, he can pump his feet and swing all by himself!  Over the years, I've watched many milestones...his first bites of solid food, his first steps, his first bath, his first art project, etc. etc.  However, this milestone of being able to swing all by himself will always be near and dear to my heart.

You see, I've been pushing my little boy on the swings for the past four years, and over the past year, I knew that he was starting to develop the concept of pumping his feet; he just didn't have the confidence to do it on his own.  Well, this week we spent several days practicing.  Every time he swung up, I would tell him to push his legs out. Once he swung them out, I would tap the bottom of his feet and tell him to push his legs back.

"Great job, Lewie!  Keep pushing those feet out!  Keep pushing them out!  Remember, out and in...out and in!"  I'd praise him over and over for a job well done, and amazingly, he kept swinging higher and higher with very little of my effort.  At this point, I knew he was doing it, but he didn't realize it.  He still thought I was the one helping him by tapping his feet.

On Sunday, my mom, aunt, and I were out raking the leaves, and Little Lewie ran for the swings. "Mommy, can you push me?" he asked again and again.  My mom pushed him a few times, and then the unthinkable happened...he started pumping his feet, and before we all knew it, he was swinging higher and higher.

"Look Mommy.  Look!"  Lewie shouted.  "I'm doing it all by myself!"

"You are, Lewie.  You are.  I'm so proud of you!  Mommy's so proud of you!"

For the next forty minutes, my family and I continued to rake the yard while Lewie pumped and pumped and swung higher and higher.  I've been a proud Mamma before all of this, but that day I gloated.  With a little bit of my time, patience, and praise, I helped my little boy develop the confidence to swing!  I've been a part of many milestones, but this is one that I can call my very own accomplishment too.   Swing high, Little Lewie.  Swing high!

Little Lewie's first cradle "swing."

Before Lewie knew how to pose for pictures... (park in Prospect, CT)

Swinging in three feet of snow during the winter of 2010.

A "little" snow never stopped anyone...especially him.

Swinging at the park in Litchfield, CT during the summer of 2011.

I told him I'd push him real high if he just smiled for the camera...  I bribe all the time :)

My little boy's first time on a "big kid's" swing.  (This is the backyard of our friend's house.)

My last picture of him on the swings...Now it's hard because he's a moving target!

The Halloween Mystery...

This Halloween, Little Lewie and I dressed up as Scooby and Velma and went off in our "Mystery Machine" to find clues.  (Actually, our mission was to find candy...but you know...)

This year, hands down, we had the best Halloween.  All day Lewie referred to me as Velma instead of Mommy, and I got to be his trusty sidekick that every once and a while replenished him with a "Scooby Snack."  In the morning, we took off in our "Mystery Machine" to preschool where he had a chance to march in a Halloween parade with all his other little friends.  Later that evening, we went out trick-or-treating in our neighborhood where we received tons of compliments.  One little boy (around five or six) came up to me, and said:  "Excuse me.  Are you that kid's mom?  Could you tell him that I love his costume?"  By far, that was the best compliment of the night!

The Friday after Halloween, we dressed up one more time to visit my mom's place of work.  There, Lewie received some more Halloween candy and had a chance to entertain everyone as Scooby.  (I still remember the very first year I brought him over to visit as a pumpkin--that very first year he was only two months-old!)

Besides the compliments, the very best part of the night was watching Lewie go from house to house with joy.  A few times I caught him singing the Scooby Doo song as we walked.  He was so excited to be his favorite cartoon character.  (To be honest, I enjoyed dressing up as Velma too because I loved watching Scooby Doo mysteries as a kid!)

Well Scooby, we had a great Halloween.  Our next mystery will be guessing what costume we want to wear for next year...

Scooby and Velma at preschool.

A profile of Scooby in the costume parade.

Scooby and his antics!

Scooby and Gramy at her work.

One more picture of the Mystery Machine Crew.

My College Kid (at age four)

Okay, I like dressing my kid in college T-shirts.  I figure if I start early, he'll come to expect and look forward to attending college one day.  Still, let me not rush his childhood.  In fact, I don't want him growing older any time soon.  Age four is such an adorable age, and oh my gosh...I find that I want to just squeeze my little boy all the time because he's so cute.  (Is this normal?)

My belated first day of school picture.

I can already see the "college boy" in him!

Today I want to make a list of all the fun moments I've been having with him lately.  Age four is just the best!

1) Hide-and-Go-Seek--My little boy loves playing hide-and-seek, especially right after his bath.  Once I get him in his pj's, he tells me to close my eyes and count to ten while he hides under the covers.  Then when it's my turn, I'm instructed to hide under the covers.

2.  My Good Little Boy--I told Lewie he's a good boy.  He thought about it for a minute, and then said, "Daddy's a good boy too.  We're both good boys because we're both Lewies."  I laughed, "Well, of course, if you're both named Lewie, then you must both be good boys."

3.  Lewie's Office--Lewie insists that he goes to work and that he has an office too.  When I bring him to my office, he likes to sit in my seat and pretend to answer important phone calls.  I should just let him do the work, right?

4.  Lewie's Keys--Whenever Lewie leaves to go to school, go on a play date, or accompany me on errands, he always brings his pretend keys and pretend cell phone.  On other days, he also brings his pretend credit card, his camera, and even my purse.  In his little world, he drives, he buys things, and he's got a very busy social life.  Of course, since he's absentminded like me, he's always losing his keys too.  I find that I'm now in charge of keeping track of his keys and cell phone in addition to mine.

5.  I Make You a Big Deal--Lewie's always making deals with us. (Is this a good thing?)  When I drop him off at school, he tells me if he wants Gramy, Daddy, or me to pick him up.  The other day, Lewie made me a "big deal:"  "Mommy, when you pick me up, you need to bring me a chocolate treat."

6.  Lewie's Sister--Lewie insists he has a sister.  He's always talking to her on the phone or texting her, which leads me to believe she's an "older sister."  I suppose she's like an imaginary friend.  Of course, in this case, she's an imaginary relative that he "loves very much."

7.  Manners--Lewie is very polite.  He remembers his please and thank you's.  The other day as we were leaving preschool, he yelled out to his teacher, "Take care Miss Taylor."

8.  Empathy--Last weekend Lewie's ear was hurting him, and I started to get emotional after seeing my little boy so sick.  He looked at me and said, "Don't worry Mommy.  I'll feel better tomorrow."

9.  Favorites--Lewie's concerned about playing favorites, (I guess it's part of him having empathy) and so he never wants anyone to feel left out.  When he tells us that he loves us, he always pipes in, "I love Mommy and Daddy and Gramy too."

I suppose I could spend the whole day writing about his cuteness.  All I can say is that I love this age...he's quite the chatterbox, travel buddy, and comedian.  Using his very own words, Lewie: "I love you.  You're my best friend."

Savoring the Fall

The fall is such a beautiful time of year, but it's also so short.  From the minute September arrives, I feel like the clock is ticking to get in as many country fairs, hayrides, and farm visits for apple picking and pumpkin picking as soon as possible.  The race, of course, is to beat those cold November days when the leaves have officially fallen off the trees and the wind feels like it has the ability to go right through you.

This is how I'm feeling on this lovely 14th day of October... Yesterday, it felt like the wind and the winter chill had already beat me to the finish line.  Still, we bundled ourselves up and made the most of the day.  Last weekend, I went on a canoeing trip with an old friend from work, and I learned about a beautiful farm and vineyard called Rosedale in Simsbury, CT.  After our canoe trip, the guide led us to a 350 year-old tree.  "This tree is the largest in Connecticut and also the largest in New England," he told the group,  "It's a miracle it survived. After all, when the early Colonial settlers inhabited our state, they turned all our forests into farmland.  We have more forests and trees today, than we had back then."

Well, after having an amazing time last weekend, I knew I was going to take my mom and my little guy on the same trip again this weekend, minus the canoeing (although I do look forward to the day when I can take my little buy on a canoe or kayak trip).  We packed our bags and headed back north to Simsbury... When we arrived at the farm, we bought some hot apple cider and chocolate chip cookies, took a hayride, and then purchased a few, yummy baked goods to enjoy for the week.  Next, we went to see the famous 350 year-old tree, and then we stopped at a lunch place in Collinsville called the LaSalle Market and Deli.   I love this market because they have toys and board games you can play with while you're having something to eat.  (The only downside is that Lewie gets so caught up playing with the toys that it's hard to convince him to eat!)

We ended the day with a quick trip to Target (hey, we always need to fit in errands when we can) and hurried home to put little guy to bed.  After a long, brisk day, we were certainly tired but happy we could fit in another fall adventure.  The time is going by way too quickly; I only hope that we'll have a chance to enjoy a few more fall weekends before the November chill creeps around the corner...

Getting ready for our canoe trip last weekend.

My friend Sue and I stopping at Rosedale Farm for a bite to eat after the canoe trip.

The adorable farm market.

The calm, tranquil Farmington River.

More of the river...we did get hung up a few times, but at least we never tipped over!

My mom and Little Lewie enjoying the farm.

Lewie and me by the old-fashioned tractor.

Hayride anyone?  (I love how they used comforters to protect our butts from the hay...)

The pumpkin patch...

More of the beautiful farm...

The winery and shop with lots of baked goodies.

The miracle tree.

Checking out the tree.

Proof I was there...

My mom hugging the tree...(to see how wide it actually is...)

Playing with fun toys at LaSalle's Market.  Much more fun than eating a hot dog!

A Wishlist for my 37th Birthday

This is going to be a short post, I promise.  Ever since I've become a mom, my birthday just doesn't have the same meaning anymore.  Instead of wanting things for me, I want things for my little boy.  So instead of creating a "wishlist" for myself, here is a "wishlist" I've written to my little boy:

1.  I wish you happiness.  Oh my little man, there will be times of sadness, but you will soon learn that our own happiness comes from having a positive attitude and an appreciation of all things both big and small.  May you learn to "look at the glass half full" and recognize that even during our hardest times, there is always a glimmer of hope and a lesson to be learned.

2. I wish you confidence.  In a world where people are bullies and can say and do some very mean, hurtful things, I wish you the confidence to be strong and to love yourself no matter what.  Even more, I wish you the courage to stand up for others that are being knocked down as we must all have compassion for our fellow brothers and sisters.

3.  I wish you love.  In this lifetime, I wish that you know not only how to be loved but how to love back.  I hope that one day, you will learn the true meaning of unconditional love--the kind of love that's felt the strongest between parent and child.

4.  I wish you laughter.  In this world, I have learned that you can never take yourself or your life too seriously.  There will be mistakes.  There will be catastrophes.  There will be days when you feel like hiding under your bed. But take comfort in knowing, that we've all been there.  Laugh.  Laugh at yourself.  Laugh at funny moments.  Laugh at hard moments.  Laugh when you feel like crying.  It's always easier to live with a light heart.

5.  I wish you passion.  I wish you a zest for life.  By finding joy in both the great moments and the mundane, you will learn that every moment counts.  May you live each day to its fullest, and never look back on past regrets.

6.  I wish you dreams.  While we must never sacrifice our present moments worrying about the future; we can, however, dream.  Without dreams, there are no goals, and without goals, there is no desire to truly live, learn, and grow.

7.  I wish you spirituality.  Although you are being raised Catholic, I want you to know that practicing spirituality is more than just believing in a religion.  It's about recognizing that we've been put on this earth for a purpose.  It's about loving and appreciating our lives, our blessings, and our family, friends, and neighbors.  It's about being thankful for all of God's great gifts, and trusting Him to help us during our most difficult moments.  May you some day learn and find comfort, like I have, in the meaning of "Let go, and let God."

Little Lewie, I suppose I could have written a wishlist for good health, success, and fortune, but the reality is that health, success, and fortune are temporary.   There are no guarantees in life that we will have any of these, and there are certainly no guarantees that they'll stay with us.  No, instead, my wish for you is to have the "tools" to live life on life's terms.  Everyone has good and bad days.  Everyone has struggles.  Everyone has lessons to be learned.  As your mother, I want to do my best to protect you from hardships, but even I must learn that I don't have all the power to make things easy for you...Instead, I can only teach you the tools that I have learned in my 37 years.  When I blow out my candles today, know that my wish is to pass these tools on to you.  I can't say I've mastered them, but I can say that they've helped me find beauty in this uncertain and sometimes crazy journey called life.  I love you with all my heart.  ~Mommy