A Very Important Phone Call

Tyler asked me tonight while I was making dinner if he could call Grammy in Indiana. Since I had just hung up with her, I knew she was still at the office. I helped him dial the number and turned the phone over to him.

My mom's assistant, Jenny, answered the phone. This threw Tyler for a loop and he demanded to know who he was talking to and where his Grammy was. We will have to work on phone etiquette! Eventually Jenny put Tyler on hold and went and got Grammy and told her there was a "very important gentleman on the phone wanting to speak with her."

As soon as Grammy picked up, he was all talk! He made himself at home on top of the dresser in the living room (awaiting the weekends Tag Sale!).

At one point, I heard Tyler say "Just a minute Grammy, I have to use the bathroom." He came into the kitchen where I was and asked me to put the phone on speaker so I could speak with her while he did his thing. Or so I thought. Instead, he brought the phone into the bathroom while he did his thing and then resumed his position when he was done. Once again, it's that phone etiquette thing!

The conversation last all of about 20 minutes and it was the cutest thing on my end to watch and listen to! Grammy called me later on to tell me that it was just as cute on her end as well!

Preschool, here we come!

My baby is growing up.

Today he donned his Star Wars backpack, his Star Wars lunch box, and his favorite Yankee shirt, and I took him to Green Valley preschool.

This really should not have been such a big deal, after all it is just preschool! If I am having this hard of a time dropping him off at preschool, what is it going to be like when I have to let go for him to get on a bus? I guess I can't freak out too much about that right now!

The night before, I packed his lunch-- peanut butter and Fluff on bread, he asked for. I am sure that will not be the last time I make one of those... should consider stock in Jiff and Fluff... I'll look into that... We also packed some cuddly guys for nap time-- Dinosaur blanket and Kitty, the go-to stuffed animal since he was and infant (we keep another one at daycare!).

This morning was not as easy. I put on a brave face, as did Frank. Tyler posed for pictures, and then we were off to drop off. I tried to quell my anxiety by saying that he was going to need me, but the sad part is, he didn't. We went right in, found his cubby and his hook, put everything away and said our goodbyes. Mrs. Fitzpatrick came over and welcomed him, and whisked him off.

Just like that, my baby was gone.

I think I was looking for tears, for the tight grasp on my arm, for that longing look of "just one more hug and kiss". But there weren't any.

Okay, I lie, there were tears. In my car on the way to work. At least I held it together long enough to be brave in front of him!

Frank and I both did the pick up tonight as well. We walked through the door and you would have thought he was an old pro and had been there for years! He went and got all his art work and belongings that he had worked on that day, and told us all about what happened! As a special treat we told him we would go eat at Mountain View, his favorite place, and he declined. He opted instead to eat the remainder of his lunch from his lunch box!

I am so proud to be his mom. I am proud that I can walk away and know that he has the tools to survive a day at school with new friends. I am proud that I survived today!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I had decided a few months ago that I really wanted to do something fun and 'adult-like' for my birthday this year. Initially the plan was to have a group of people travel into Hartford and attend a show at the comedy club. Frank, however, decided that was not enough and came up with a whole other plan. What did he come up with?

Saratoga, New York.

At first I was a bit skeptical. After all, the horse races? I am not a gambler. I am that person who enters the casino clutching my money and I leave clutching the same money! But it sounded like a fun time and the thought of spending the weekend with our friends sounded even better. On Friday night we jumped into the car with our friends, Elaine and Glen, and met Laurette and Jim, my sister and brother-in-law there. We owe both these couples-- Elaine for hooking us up with her sister's apartment to stay in for the weekend and Laurette for watching Tyler for us for the entire week! Thanks guys!

As we spoke to people about our weekend plans, we all learned that there are certain ways to do a day at the races. The main theme people suggested? Waking early the day of the race and placing blankets on picnic tables to claim them for the day. The catch? You need to get there when the gates open. What did we do? Not that! We took our chances and opted for extra sleep in the morning. After all, we were kidless for the weekend! When we arrived to the track we found a spot in the grass by the tables. Fine by us! We plunked our coolers down, spread out, and took in the sights.
Turns out that the spot we chose was better than we thought! We were situated right near the walkway where the trainers brought the horses from the track to the barn. As the guys poured over the odds on each race and horse, the girls looked over the horses as they walked by and picked the one we liked best!

The horses coming down the track for the final stretch.

In between every race we would gather at our "spot". We had packed coolers with food and drink to enjoy throughout the day. Good thing we did-- it was a beautiful August day, not a cloud in the sky, but very warm! The trees over our heads were a blessing! There were also televisions set up in this area to watch if you did not want to go by the track to watch a race.

No day at the horse races is complete without a fancy hat!

Frank and I....

Jim and Laurette...

Glen and Elaine.

On Friday night when we arrived we hung out at Maggie's, a sports bar. The guys were able to watch the Yankees, the girls talked, and there was Karaoke to entertain us all. On Saturday we were unsure of where to go, what to do, so we headed back there. The owners were very friendly on Friday and on Saturday shared their secret of how Maggie's came to be.... the owners won a Pick 6 at the track one day... the rest was history. Twenty-four hours earlier I would never have known what a Pick 6 was, much less a Trifecta, Box, or Show!

Needless to say? I left the track with more money than I came with, I bet every race, and I can not wait to go back again!

The Beach, take 2

After our beautiful day at the beach the week before, my friend and I decided to take the kids mid-week to the shore. In the beginning of the week, the weather looked absolutely beautiful... on Wednesday, when we got there, not so much. It was a bit chilly and very overcast. The good part about a beach day with weather like that? Not many other people to compete with!

No matter the weather, the kids had a blast playing in the sand and enjoying their picnic lunch. After lunch, we headed over to the snack bar for a treat. What goes better with the beach in August? Ice cream!

We ended up calling it a day a little early and while Derek was getting dressed for the drive home, Tyler and Olivia gave me some classic four-year-old smiles:

Unfortunately the way home did not quite go as planned. We got a little (okay, a lot!) lost looking for a gas station. Isn't it ironic that when you need a gas station there is not one near by? We eventually found one and managed not to run out of gas (did I mention the gas light being on when we were on our way to the beach?). By the time we found a gas station the kids were getting really antsy and I was feeding them whatever food I could find in the bags within an arms length. I gave them mostly Oreos and this is what the end result was:

I guess they tasted real good!

Beach Bums!

One thing I love about the summer? The beach!

Early in the week I saw that Saturday was going to be a beautiful day so I started putting the bug in Frank's ear to make the drive to the beach. Luckily, it didn't have to be a very big bug, and he was quickly planning right beside me! Friday night we packed lunches, snacks, drinks, and toys, and on Saturday morning we headed down to the Connecticut shore and Hammonasset State Park.

There was not a cloud in the sky when we arrived! It was great! We picked out a perfect spot, plunked our stuff down, dumped out the toys, and Tyler headed right for the water!

He was all work and little talk for awhile after we arrived.

Tyler managed to connect with some friends who were also there for the day. They had a great time playing in the sand and running in and out of the water. Tyler even dared to dunk his head under the water! We were so proud of him!

All the played eventually led to one thing: A big lunch!

After lunch Ty and I took a walk down to the stone breakwater/ jetty. We enjoyed watching people fish for crabs.

Later in the day we all ventured into the water. It was so warm! Tyler and Frank swam all the way out to the sand bar (much to my chagrin!). The great thing about Hammonasset Beach is that it is in the Long Island Sound and has no waves! So I didn't have to worry too much!

We had a great day and can only hope we have another beautiful weekend like this! Even when we were on our way home, the clouds were still absent from the beautiful blue skies!