Auld Lang Syne

I know MOST people think that New Year's Eve is on December 31st... but for teachers... it's not. Honestly, I'm struggling to remember the last time I actually stayed up 'till midnight on December 31st! My real New Year's Eve is the night before I start school for the year. I can't believe it, but tomorrow I will start my 13th year of teaching. Wow. I have no idea how that happened.

Anyway... just as most people get emotional and nostalgic on December 31st - I am feeling those things tonight. As I put Nicholas to bed tonight, I stood over his crib and cried. I feel so many different things right now.

First of all, I feel thankful to have been given this very special time with my special little boy. We spent so much time together this summer - nothing fancy... just time. And I know a lot of moms that would give anything for that... time. I pushed him for countless hours on the swing. I pulled him for countless hours in the wagon (or... as he calls it... the "bump bump"). I have served him countless lunches and snacks, and given him countless hugs and kisses this summer. I think it's these times, that seemed trivial at the time, that mean so much to me now.

I also, in typical New Year's fashion, feel a little bit sad tonight, because summer is over. I know that now, we will get much less time together, and that the time we will have will sometimes feel rushed, or wasted by running errands, or some other meaningless activity. I also know that next summer... he will be SO much older and SO much more independent. Man, we'll be thinking about having his 3rd birthday! I hope this year goes slowly...

But I'm also feeling excited tonight. I'm excited about Nicholas's second birthday, and dressing up for Halloween, and picking out our Christmas tree, and watching Nicholas grow and learn, to become the amazing kid I know he'll be (but already is).

I always knew I wanted to be a mom, but I guess I never expected the roller coaster of emotions that come with motherhood. I honestly never thought that I could love another human being this much. I'm sure that I am the luckiest person on the planet. And I keep telling myself... summer will come again next year.

Is it too soon to start counting the days???

"Fishies!!"

Dear Grandma and Grandpa,

Thank you so much for coming with me to the aquarium today. I had so much fun! When you said we were going to see fishies, I thought, "Big deal, I have a fish tank right in my own living room at home." I had no idea I would see so many cool things!

Sometimes the big animals, like the beluga whale and the sea lions, were a little scary, but I still wanted to stay and watch them.

I think the coolest part about the aquarium was that I was actually allowed to touch things, and even put my hands in the water and splash! When Mom takes me to Petco to look at the fish, she NEVER lets me put my hands in the water. Don't tell my mom, but I think the aquarium is way better than Petco.

I loved the freshwater marsh exhibit too. The frogs were huge, and the flowers were so pretty. It's funny - at first we couldn't find any of the little turtles and frogs, but then once we saw one... we saw a bunch! That was so cool.

I think my favorite thing, though, was the penguin exhibit. I've seen cartoon penguins on TV, but the real ones are even cuter. I loved watching them swim around underwater. It was so funny when they were chasing Grandpa's hand all around the glass. I know I kept saying, "no," but secretly, I loved it! Penguins are so funny!

I loved spending the day with you today. I feel so lucky to have you for my grandparents. You're the best, and I love you so much. Can we do it again tomorrow?


Love,

Nicholas

The Way Life Should Be

That's Maine's motto, you know. And... I couldn't agree more. There's just something about a beautiful summer day in Maine that makes me feel like everything is right with the world. I swear, I must have caught myself taking deep breaths and closing my eyes about 100 times last week- trying to store up the sights and smells for a cold day in January.

Something tells me that Nicholas will love Maine as much as we do as he grows up. He has such a good time when he's there. He must have walked up to my dad's garden 50 times looking for tomatoes to eat. (My boy's a veggie junkie!) And then there's the water... Nicholas LOVES the water! He was in and out of the water all week - and no fear. Which, I guess is a good thing and a bad thing. We're going for a healthy respect for water, and I guess I'd say we're there - a couple good facefulls of lake water will do that to ya!

We really stayed busy during this trip. We went to a fair, where all Nicholas wanted to do was watch the horses running on the track at the fair grounds. We also went to a farmer's market, and Papa bouht him an apple - which is one of his favorite words to say right now. Andso is "poop" for some reason- who knows what the heck that's all about...

If Nicholas was writing this, and you asked him to write about the highlight of the trip - he'd DEFINITELY say the boat. Or, as he says, "the boop." Don't tell the Falmouth police (or whoever the heck is in charge of such things), but Papa actually let Nicholas drive the boat. It was hilarious - and a little rough at times. He always wanted to go fast, so he'd push the lever to the limit - and the rest of us would practically go flying out of our seats! I swear, he'll be pulling that thing into the dock with no problem by the time he's 5.

Old Cape Cod

You know, that Patti Page really knew what she was talking about. (Come on Aunt Sue, sing it!) As it turns out, the Cutlers are, in fact, fond of sand dunes and salty air!

We just got back from an amazing weekend with Aunt Sue and Uncle Hugh on the Cape. The three of us have been there together before, but only at Christmastime, and it's definitely a different experience in the summer! We had such a great time, and the weather was perfect.

Nicholas was hilarious, as usual. He loved going to the beach and running around on the sand. He also loved watching the crabs - and he started imitating them by pinching his fingers together and laughing. It was so funny. On Saturday we went clamming, and even Nicholas found a clam (with just a little help from Aunt Sue.) In fact, I just got finished steaming them and chopping them up for chowder. Yummy!

Todd and I even got away one night to see a sunset. Is there anything better than watching a sunset at the beach while listening to the waves crashing on the shore? I can answer that - no.

Aunt Sue and Uncle Hugh really know how to take care of their guests, and they made our trip so special. Lots to eat and drink all the time - and if there's one thing we Cutlers like to do... it's eat and drink! How lucky we are to have such a wonderful family to make memories with. This was a trip we'll remember forever!