"The Trip"

At Green Valley Preschool this month, the kids have been learning about Ezra Jack Keats, "The Trip" and each child took a night of homework home. The assignment? To draw a picture in the class book about a favorite trip that you have taken. After much discussion, Tyler chose our Florida trip in 2008. The great part? He was excited to get to work and did a fantastic job!

Beside the class book in the homework bag there were markers, stickers, the book, and a camera. We read the book together and I learned that it was about a little boy who moved away from all his friends, not an actual trip (you learn something new every day)! The camera was to take one picture of our project in process (Tyler made sure to remind me of the one picture rule!). After we established the rules, Tyler went right to work.
In his picture? The pool (with him swimming in it), the house with Conor, Skylar, Tyler, Frank and myself, and a sandcastle. He also included a picture of the airplane we took to get there.

He did a great job and was so proud while he was working and when he finished. I could not believe the concentration and can only hope that homework is this easy next year!

Happy Easter

For Easter this year, we crammed everything in that would possibly fit! Easter eggs, art projects, and a visit with the Easter Bunny were all on tap.

The weekend before, we colored Easter eggs, and they turned out great! After many years of doing this, I have finally mastered the art of neat Easter egg coloring. The secret? Dark clothes, newspaper, and plenty of supervision!

The finished product:

For Easter weekend, we traveled to New York. After a quick trip (thank goodness!) and 18 "Are we there yets?" from the back seat, we arrived to our destination. Tyler had not seen his cousins since Christmas and they were all so excited to be together again!

On Easter morning, Tyler woke nice and early (ugh). He was the first one downstairs to see what the Easter Bunny left behind. Once again, the Easter Bunny was really nice to Tyler. He brought new Islander hockey guys, playdoh, lots of candy, and some workbooks. He was estatic!

Soon after Tyler went through his basket, Conor and Skylar made their way downstairs. For awhile, the kids were entertained by what was in their baskets. Soon they were asking where the eggs were hidden! The Easter Bunny was smart and left the eggs for all the mommies and daddies to hide when they were well caffinated! (Thank goodness for that since Tyler was up and 6:00A.M.!)

Soon the coffee was made and the eggs were hidden and the kids went to town! There were plenty for them to find and Grandma Genovese even brought the eggs the Easter Bunny hid at her house for the kids to find.

Tyler did really well and had a keen eye for the well hidden eggs, sometimes leaving the more onvious ones for his cousins to claim!

Tyler and Skylar:

Soon all the eggs were open and the sugar started setting in. But what comes up, must go down:

Skylar and Laurette:

The three amigos:

After breakfast (you keeping track? Baskets, eggs, then breakfast?) we all started to get ready for the day. Thankfully, it was a gorgoeus day out and the kids were able to run around while the adults cooked and prepped for lunch.

Not wanting to waste the opprotunity for photo ops, we all headed outside for some quick pictures after we dressed and showered. Someone in our family was not very happy, but he shall remain nameless ;).

After a late lunch and a long fun weekend, it was time to hit the road. We had a great weekend and can't wait for our next trip!

Hockey, 2010, Done

This morning was Tyler's last Learn to Skate with Holy Name hockey. What can I say? The kid can skate. Next year, I have to hold my breath while I watch my son, on the ice, with other kids, playing games. Ugh. Thank goodness he is one tough cookie!

I loved this shot. The big and the little. It seems like just yesterday I was watching him on the ice with a walker. He used to skate, with the walker, to the far end of the ice and where the advanced group was. He would try and hold his own. Nowadays, he goes right there, warms up, grabs a puck and shoots on net. My little guy is getting big.
No one is prouder of what Tyler has achieved through this program than Frank. He is on the ice with him each week, rooting him on, there to receive high fives, and to push him when the attention is waning.

The smile under that face mask says enough. Let's face it, I can't fight this love!

The last class today consisted of each group, beginner, moderate, and advanced, showing off their skills to everyone in the audience. I did not get many shots, I was in charge of watching, taking still shots, and using the video camera! What a job. Below, Tyler is showing the crowd their warm-ups. His group also practiced passes, stick handling, and took shots on net. The after picture. It has always amazed me at how much this five-year-old sweats!After the on ice portion, the kids were treated to cupcakes and juice and were each called up to accept their certificate and medal. It is the little things in life that make this kid proud (okay, and his mom and dad!).

Who knows what next year really brings? The definite is that this kid loves hockey (I guess that erases all questions of who his dad is! ;) and that he will continue playing. Where though? We will see where that road takes us!

Banquet, Fire Station and V.I.P. Status

When Spring starts to show signs outside that means one thing at our house. The end to another hockey season. After last years trip to the Final Four, this year was anti-climactic, but an exciting season nonetheless. Each year, the team has a banquet for the players, their families, and the coaches. This year the banquet was held at the North Thompsonville Fire Department. Not realizing that this was a real (as opposed to fake?), working fire department, Tyler and I were both excited when we walked in a were greeted with the huge, red, shiny fire trucks! It was great! However, we were not there to play (at least not yet), and we had to make our way to the banquet.

Not realizing how the banquet came to be in the firehouse, Tyler was soon told by the parent of a player that if he behaved, that he would be treated to a special tour of the garage! And special it was. The only other thing that could have put Tyler in line was an afternoon of hockey. He was extremely well behaved through lunch, speeches, and videos and earned his tour! Our guide, it turned out, is the Fire Chief! Talk about special!

The first stop on our way in? The front office to collect the mandatory hat. When we entered into the garage, it was simply amazing at how beautiful the trucks were. They were all clean, including the tires, the chrome sparkled, and the insides were pristine. Tyler went right over to the bell on the ladder truck. I am sure the fingerprints were gone by the time we got home! ;)
After that, Mr. Provencher, our guide, showed Tyler into the back of the pumper truck and

My two boys got to sit in the front of the truck as well!

Tyler even checked out the rows of lockers which had the jackets, boots, and helmets for each firefighter.

It was a great trip and even more special that we had the place to ourselves! Thanks to Mr. Provencher for being a great guide and giving Tyler the V.I.P. treatment!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Mystic Aquarium

Sometimes the best laid plans are just that. Last weekend, the forecast was for beautiful Spring days. We had all decided to take a trip to the Mystic Aquarium on Saturday to spend some family time together. However, when Tyler crawled into our bed that morning and announced that his stomach hurt and proceeded to vomit for the next 12 hours, well, those plans changed. On to plan B. Stay at home this beautiful weekend, and we will simply make the trip next weekend.

Fast forward a week to the following Saturday. In the forecast? Rain, rain, and more rain. Oh, and wind, and cold, and just plain yuck. But the show must go on! We packed ourselves up and made it to the shoreline in Connecticut through the driving rain. (The next morning we would wake up and discover that there was flooding in many of the towns in the area!) Part of the reason we were looking to take the trip the weekend before is because the aquarium is build so that you are outside seeing many of the exhibits. Not realizing really how cold it was or how much it was really going to rain, we were severely under dressed! However, we decided that a little rain would not hold us back and into the aquarium we went! We were glad we did, too. You know what rain + cold means? No crowds! It was wonderful. We made it to all the shows and exhibits despite the conditions outside!

First stop? The Ray Touch Pool. I hung back to shoot some pictures, and Tyler was a but freaked, but Frank was a trooper and was lucky enough to have some of the Rays swim by and graze his hand. They are so graceful in the water and were amazing to watch, we were simply mesmerized!
Many times when we travel to the Zoo's and Aquarium's , there are such huge crowds, we usually don't make an effort to watch the special shows. Today was the exception. We caught the whale and shark feeding sessions, and the seal show! Our seats were in the third row, middle. That meant one thing-- a great seat for the show. The seals were each featured right in front on us, it was fantastic!

One of Tyler's favorite exhibits? The sharks, of course! He stood, nose glued to the glass, each time we visited the tank (which was many). Camera in hand, I waited for the perfect shot. Needless to say, his expression is priceless!

A close runner up to the most visited exhibit on the day? The Beluga Whales. The whale exhibit, despite being outside, was very captivating. At first, when the whales swam by, Tyler would back up. After a few swim-bys, he realized that there was very thick glass and stayed glued to their activity. We were even treated to feeding time in the whale tank and watched as the trainers interacted with these huge animals.

Taking a break towards the end of the day, Frank caught a shot of Tyler and I. If you look closely, you can see how wet the bottoms and backs of out pants were. Despite being wet (we will dry, right?) we had a fantastic day, it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. We made it to all the shows we could and saw each exhibit. Even the penguins, way out on the edge of the park, which meant a walk through the rain (and the puddles if you are Tyler!). The irony? The penguins were all huddled in a cave together! we had a fantastic day!

Oh Boy!

One of the things I remember when I was pregnant with Tyler were all the 'Old Wives Tales' about how to tell the sex of your unborn child. People never had a problem guessing what you were going to have and telling you why they were right. My favorite people were the ones who guessed boy one week and then guessed girl the next. These same people also had fun after Tyler was born saying "See! I knew I was right!"

Here were some of the things I frequently heard: If you have morning sickness, girl. If you sit on a fork over a spoon, boy. If your face loses beauty, girl. There is also the Chinese Gender Predictor which some people swear by. Well, here are the things I swore by this time around:

Morning sickness, afternoon sickness, middle of the night sickness. Not to mention nausea whenever and wherever. Including this week-- girl!

Skin like I am 14 again and eating greasy pizza everyday-- girl!

Emotions and mood swings that are OOC! (Out of Control!)-- girl!

A Chinese Gender Predictor result-- girl!

There is a reason why these things are 'Old Wives Tales'-- they do not ensure a 100% correct guess! So instead of keeping people guessing, we thought we would let the Big Brother in this house give the news!

The next 'Old Wives Tale" to defeat? Heartburn. They say if you have it, your baby has lots of hair! Well, I had it bad with Tyler and now I have no heartburn at all, so we'll wait and see!

The Baby Limbo

On Friday, this "baby" I am having will become a son or daughter. No more will we be caught in the limbo of "baby", green, yellow, and what if....

I can't wait!

If you have not guessed, Friday I have an ultrasound, the second part of the Nuchal Translucency screening, to be exact. After weeks of going back and forth on the "do we" or "don't we" find out topic, Frank and I have settled on the you-better-cooperate-kid 'cuz we really want to know!

When we were pregnant with Tyler (okay, who am I kidding, when I was swollen and huge with Tyler), we did not find out. We wanted the suspense of waiting until the last possible minute to find out what we were having. After all, the only thing that mattered then is the same thing that matters now-- a happy and healthy child! But that being said, why prolong the suspense? I am feeling suspenseful enough to last me until Friday!

One thing is for sure. If this growing baby is a girl, I will fill her closet with pink, dresses, ruffles, and bows! It is about time that the Estrogen level in this house increases! However, if God brings us another boy, we will have enough for a Bobsled team! Watch out 2030 Olympics!

We will all continue to wait until Friday when we will know more. Say a prayer that little Geno Baby, or Tigger as Tyler refers to 'her' as(yes, he calls my bump a 'her') cooperates. In the meantime, vote and give us your opinion on what our next addition will be!

**********

I will share this gem of a story with you. When I was pregnant with Tyler and set to be induced, my parents flew in from Indiana and Frank's drove up from New York. Unfortunately, Tyler did not cooperate as planned and I was sent home after the induction failed. My dad was not able to stay and await "the big day". My mom did and the next weekend proved to be the successful induction. My mom and mother-in-law waited outside the room while I was giving birth to Tyler. My mom stayed on the phone with my dad (who was at an IU football game) to give him this play-by-play. I guess the nurses were providing everyone with updates and they were told that Tyler was crowning and had a head full of hair. My mom relayed this to my dad. His response?

"Well, is it a boy or a girl?"

One of THOSE Days

To say the past few weeks have been trying in our house would be an understatement. We were never blessed with the Terrible Two's, the Three's were also pretty smooth, and the Four's? I would hesitate to say a cake walk, but still pretty easy.

But the Five's? Calgon, take me away!

It seems that almost overnight, our sweet, charming, polite, no-trouble-at-all, perfect specimen of a child has turned into a mouthy, can't-keep-his-hands-to-himself, rude child. All I have to say is that when he acts like that, he is not my son!

We have scratched our heads and wondered is it the upcoming changes? Kindergarten? New baby? Those are things that are all six plus months away! Regardless, this is the exchange that took place on Brookside Circle at 6:45A.M. on Friday morning.

Me: "Tyler, please come into the bathroom and brush your teeth."
Tyler (sitting on the floor, playing with his Legos): "NO! I want to finish this first!"
Me: "You know the rule. No playing with toys until you are all dressed in the morning."
Tyler: " I don't care."
Me: "I am going to count the three, and then I will take away your Legos if you are not in the bathroom."
Tyler: "Fine! But I am bringing my plane with me."

At this point I am not going to argue anymore and accept the compromise. He comes into the bathroom, carrying his Lego plane that he has been building. I now have to remind him that he needs to brush his teeth. He then half-heartedly swings at me, knowing that will be cause for more trouble on his end...

Tyler: "Stupid mommy." and "I hate you." and "Stupid dummy mommy." and "You are really a stupid dummy."

At this point, I wanted to wring his neck and bust out laughing. So what did I do? I took a page from the parent of the year book that I authored and said:

"It's really too bad that I am so stupid because you are my son and that must make you stupid too."

Guess what? He brushed his teeth and we made it to school without any more incidents! That is, until we got to school and I realized I forgot to bring in something for Show and Tell. I went over to where Tyler was hanging his jacket and apologized for forgetting. You know what he told me (the same kid who was a monster from an hour earlier)?

"That's okay mommy, we had a really rough morning."

And with that simple exchange, I knew that the cranky monster from earlier was gone, at least for a little while. I also knew I needed to give hugs and kisses and leave quickly so I could go cry at the sweetness of the moment.

P.S. I said for a little while.

Mayor's Cup, 2010

Last year, despite the huge season the Fermi Falcon's had, there was one monkey on Frank's back for the past year. That was their loss to cross town rival, Enfield Raiders. Always a huge game for the kids, parents, and the town, Fermi came away losers last year.

What a difference a year makes.

After losing their game before playing Enfield, and winning their few before that by a score of 2-1, the Falcons found the puck on their sticks and then in the goal. Needless to say, they came away big, with a 7-2 final score. The only way the game could have been even better was to have scored more goals!
The Fermi-Enfield game always serves as senior day for the kids on the team. After presentation of flowers to the moms, it was time to move on with the game. Frank's parents even travelled to town for the weekend to watch a big victory. Stands packed, alumni present, and school officials were all ready to keep control of the crowd during the game. Tyler helped with picture duty and took this great one of starting lineup announcements.

Then it was time for the opening face-off.

Towards the end of the game, it became very apparent that Fermi was going to come away victorious. Tyler and I made out way towards the team bench. He enjoyed the game for the top of a spare net, his preferred seat!

The final score!

This game is also the 'Mayor's Cup" in Enfield. Not only are bragging rights at stake, but so is a beautiful trophy. The kids all gathered at center ice to accept their prize.

After the kids enjoyed their trophy, skated a lap with it, and showed it off to the crowd, they gathered in front of the net for the "Stanley Cup" picture. A must in any hockey celebration! Remember how Tyler and I moved closer to the stands? Well, Frank came and get him and if you look really closely, you can see his little hands around Frank's neck. So excited to be part of the celebration. Unfortunately, this was the best shot I could get without taking my pregnant belly onto the ice! :( (For a better shot, go here.)

I did manage to get this shot as Tyler and Frank were on their way off the ice. One of the captains skated over and handed the trophy to Tyler! Smart kid-- he will make a great dad someday!

Congrats Frank and the Fermi Falcons!

And baby makes four!

That's right, folks! After five long years, Frank and I finally decided that it was time to add to our family! We could not be any more excited/happy/nervous! This decision has been in the works for awhile but because of moves, job changes, life, was always put on hold. Not any longer!

I found out I was pregnant on Monday, November 23rd, while Frank was out playing hockey. On a whim, I took a test and it was positive! I really thought that I was going to jump out of my skin! I was so excited, but I also knew that I knew and no one else did.

How could I break the news to Frank?

After collecting myself, I remembered that on Wednesday, my in-laws were going to take Tyler for the night so Frank and I could have dinner. Alone. Together. Knowing that Frank is not one for big spectacles and to-dos, I decided that dinner would be perfect!

The problem? That was 48 hours away. I couldn't say anything to anyone! UGH!

Anyways, I went out, had the following picture printed, bought a card, and stuck with my plan. The funnier part? I filled out the card in the car, while Frank was driving. I was in the backseat, but he still had no clue!

All throughout dinner I was jumping out of my skin! I just could not wait to tell him! I managed to wait until we were almost done with the meal and then presented him with the card. His response? "What's this?" Mine? "Just open it, I got you a card." Well, duh.

I did not even have to write anything in the card (but I did) and when he saw the pictures, he said "Really?" That response and the expression on his face (oh yeah, and the tears in his eyes) was well worth the 48 hour suspense!

Six weeks and twelve weeks, below.

Tyler posing with his new baby sister/brother. Will we find out this time? I am definitely ready for some pink, ruffles, and dolls to overtake the house next!

But wait, the story of Baby Geno's arrival is not over yet. For a few weeks after we found out, we told a select few people-- family, and close friends. One of the most common questions we were asked was "Does Tyler know?". We waited to tell him until we were ready for everyone to know! But the way in which he found out was pure accident.

One afternoon Frank picked up Tyler from daycare. When he arrived, Katie and Ellie said to Frank "Congratulations!". Frank, looking quizzical, must have needed a better explanation. Katie told Frank that Tyler had told her that I was going to have a baby boy and name him Ellie. Frank, assuming that I had told them, as well as Tyler the news, thanked them, said we were very happy, and that Tyler would indeed be a big brother. However, Frank could not understand why Tyler had a confused look on his face!

When they were on their way home that night, they called me and Frank told me what had happened. I explained to Frank that no, I did not tell Tyler, or Katie and Ellie! Whoops! That explained the strange look on Tyler's face when Frank announced he would be a big brother! Needless to say, I was disappointed the news was not given at home with both Frank and I, I quickly had to laugh (damn those pregnant mood swings!) about how things came about! That was the night it was time to break the news! Thankfully, Tyler is as excited as we are!

More irony about this pregnancy? Projected due date? August 4th! Importance of that date? Our 9th wedding anniversary!

All Aboard!

How do you entertain a five-year-old during the middle of winter? You don't! you let him do his own entertaining!

As Frank and I were doing some cleaning and putting away laundry, Tyler found the basket, a very old hat from Disneyland, circa 1980's, and his Islander jacket. For thirty whole minutes, Tyler played in the basket and was as happy as a clam!