Remembering

It's hard to find just the right words to express what I'm feeling this weekend. As I sit in front of the television tonight, It's like I'm being transported back 10 years, and I'm remembering the feelings as if it was yesterday.

September 11th is surely my generation's "Where were you" moment. Todd has vivid memories of his grandmother telling him about where she was when Pearl Harbor was attacked. I remember my parents talking to my sister and I when we were kids about where they were when JFK was assassinated. Unfortunately, Todd and I will be having similar conversations with Nicholas one day when we share with him our memories of September 11, 2001. I don't even want my mind to wander to imagine what kind of conversations Nicholas might be having with his own children someday...

Everyone has a story to share when the topic arises. I was teaching in Southington and was handed a memo written by my principal. It made absolutely no sense to me, so I sent my para to find a television. The look on her face when she returned said it all. I remember walking over to the window. It was an absolutely beautiful day. I remember looking up into the sky and feeling afraid, in a way that I'd never felt before. I somehow expected to see something up there... I don't even know what. I remember Todd rushing to school in his uniform, headed toward the New York border on the ambulance to help with all the casualties... which eerily never came. And then, I remember the countless hours spent in front of the television over the following weeks, just trying to make sense of it all.

It's amazing to me to think about how much has changed since then. In 2001, Todd and I both had different jobs, Tigua was still a puppy, and Nicholas was just a twinkle in our eyes. As horrific as all of this was to experience, it did teach me some important lessons. It made me appreciate all of the wonderful gifts in my life. It helped me to prioritize my life, and to realize what is important, and what really matters - people, family and friends, and special moments- not things. I feel lucky to have been raised in a family that never felt funny about expressing our love for one another. Not a phone conversation has occurred that hasn't ended with "I love you." Not a visit has ended without a hug and a kiss. So, on this 10th anniversary, let me say, "I love you," so all of the special people in my life. You are the most important part of me, and I appreciate every single one of you. May the rest of our weekend, and all the time after, for that matter, be peaceful.

Busy Busy Busy

Whew! What a week! First of all, we survived the storm, and luckily we never lost power. We did, however, lose a large branch off the maple tree in the back yard which made quite a mess. We're also now left with a closet full of canned goods and preservative-filled foods in the basement, but compared to what a lot of other people went through, we were really very lucky.

We spent the night before the storm at the Balloon Festival. Nicholas has this thing for hot air balloons, I'm not sure where it came from. He calls them hot balloons. :) We see them flying over the house every now and again and he gets so excited, so you can imagine how excited he got when there were about 20 of them in one place! The night always ends with an amazing fireworks display, and we tried to make it through - they would have been Nicholas's first fireworks. But when 9:45 rolled around, and they hadn't started yet... we gave up. We did manage to see a couple from the car on the way home, but he was not impressed - it was just way too late for him. Maybe next year...

School started a couple of days later than expected because of the storm, but nevertheless, my class is looking very promising. The kids made a very good first impression, and I'm hoping for a great year ahead. Nicholas and Todd fell right back into their old routine, and the two of them are like two peas in a pod again. But this weekend was all mine! Todd worked days, so I got some nice alone time with the monkey. I took him on a hay ride at an apple orchard on Saturday, and we had a GREAT time! We visited with the farm animals, picked and ate lots of fruit, and even bought our mums. It's funny how in just one week, the shift from summer to fall can happen- just like that.

As tough as it is to get back into the school routine, I have to admit that Fall is my favorite season. I'm already thinking about Nicholas's birthday and planning our Halloween costumes. I can't help myself! For goodness sake - I took my kid on a hayride to pick apples on September 2nd on an 80 degree day! I draw the line on the pumpkin, though. We won't get that until October 1st. I have to have some standards...

Happy September everyone!

Already??????

I can't believe it's time to go back already. (Sigh.......) This year, I decided to write my end-of-summer blog post the night before "New Year's Eve" so I can actually see the screen when I'm typing. Last year, I was a complete blubbering idiot and nearly shorted out the laptop! I can't help it - this time of year forces me to look back at how much has changed over the past year, all the while looking ahead and wondering about how much more will change in the year ahead. It's hard not to become emotional.

Although there are no tears tonight, I can feel the emotions creeping into everything I'm doing. Everything Nicholas says seems just a little bit funnier, I find myself looking at him more often and marveling at how beautiful he is, and my hugs are lasting just a little bit longer now.

What a summer we've had. I cannot believe how much he has grown - physically and otherwise. Maybe it's the cute little undies he's sporting now, but those skinny little legs seem to go on forever! He is so tall, and so incredibly handsome. He is certainly not a baby anymore, although in my eyes... he'll always be that little 5 lb bundle I held in my arms.

And the things that are coming out of his mouth are priceless! I realize that I haven't been great about blogging this summer, but I have been keeping a list of hysterical things he's been saying lately. Some of them are obviously things he's heard from us (some we are proud to admit, others... not so much.) Other things he says are just classic 2-year-old hilarity. I made a list below of some of my favorites. To all of my fellow teachers out there...hold on tight. Here we go again!

Kids Say The Darndest Things... Summer 2011

• "I need to check my email."
• "I don't like clowns. They're really creepy."
• "I'm a construction man. I work in the dirt."
• "I'm into nuggets, y'all!"
• "Mom, I wanna rock out!"
• "I like this juice. It makes me healthy."
• Kristin: "Nicholas, don't let go of your balloon!" Nicholas: "It's OK. An airplane can get it and bring it back to me."
• "Let's jam!"
• "That wasn't a toot, Mom. I'm just making my butt talk."
• Kristin: "Nicholas, do you have to use the potty?" Nicholas: "No. I'm doing the salsa."
• "Mommy, I don't feel good. I think I have to go to the dentist."
• "Touch my boobs! Touch 'em!"

We are so proud... :)

Nicholas's First Road Race

Watch out all of you Ironman competitors out there... here comes my Nicholas! Nicholas has spent countless hours in the jogging stroller while I did all of the running. But now that he's getting older, most of my runs are spent trying to keep him in the stroller amidst cries of, "Mommy! I wanna get out! I wanna get out!" So lately, at the end of my run, I've been giving him some running time too. And this kid can go!

So, this weekend, Todd and I ran in the Petit family 5K in Plainville, and we let Nicholas run in the kids funrun. He ran a quarter mile without stopping, and he loved it! He even got to high-five Dr. Petit when he crossed the finish line. The only tough part was Ronald McDonald. Let's just say... the boy does not like clowns.