Speaking of firsts

Not that this is Ryans 1st game of the season. But it is my 1st game to get to watch since most games are right after school and I am working still. So it was nice to be back out on the green with the wind in my hair and cheering him on. Ahhh sometimes I long for the days of traveling soccer!

Go Ryan go!

The next day Ryan had his 1st real date.

I mean with someone who wasn't already a friend. Someone he had just met at a football game. A real-hold-hands-and-shy-smiles kind of a date.

And I, of course, wanted to grab my camera so I could mark this most awesome time in his life. But Ryan knew better and when the door rang, he blocked my view and yelled "I'll call you to pick up", shut the door and ran.

Ok he didn't run but from my view peeking out of the sheer curtains it looked like he was trying to get away for some reason. I am thinking he was afraid I might embarrass him or something? I didn't even have my camera! But I am guessing he wasn't taking any chances. (But wouldn't that have been a great shot on here?! )

That is ok. I could see her from my peek hole. And she was cute! Shy. Sweet smile. Megan, who was standing next to me, agreed. She liked her shirt and declared she had good taste! And my girl friend, who was looking out some peek hole of her own, agreed she was cute too!
He probably would have done better to just introduce us!

So my 1st baby had his 1st real date and I had a mix of excitement and heartbreak. Gone are those days of him in footsie pajamas, cuddled up to me while I rocked him to sleep. And in place is a new 1st, a new woman and long ago memories. And so we begin that new journey........

1st time vs. seasoned vets

The other day I had gone to the peds office. It was crowded and so I signed in, handed them my copay and sat among the other parents and loud kids.

As I sat there I saw this oriental family sitting near me. A mom, dad and their new baby daughter. I smiled and watched with found memories as they catered to their obviously 1st and only child. How do I know this for a fact you might ask? By how their world was revolving around their daughter. It was like it was just them in that waiting room and all the noise and other parents somehow disappeared.

They talked to her. Held her. Goo'd to her and smiled to each other like this was THE most important moment in their lives. Mom awkwardly held the baby and tried to feed her a bottle when it was obvious the baby didn't want it. But it was probably time for it and so they tried the whole waiting time to give it to her. Then they tried to burp her cause it was the thing to do even though I doubt the child took a sip.

It was actually sweet to watch. It brought back those memories of awkwardly 1st times when the world stopped just for us too. Ahhhh how times have changed!

Now life is full of activities. Times when the world stopped because Ryan took his 1st step continued on for the girls. There was no baby books completed. There was no calling everyone on the phone when they did something amazing like saying Da Da or the 1st smile.

Now life is full of minivans and rushing to the next appointment and PTA bake sales and parent teacher meetings and.............somehow those special moments....those sweet 1st time parent moments get lost is the whirlwind of family life.

I don't think I missed out on anything with the girls. Special times we still shared. 1st times remembered. Kisses and hugs given galore. Laughter filled the air. But the other things were put aside.....the baby books. The phone calls. The running for the camera. Now those minutes are filled with more hugs, kisses, and activities.

But the image of that couple and their sweet baby still brought back fond memories that we, as moms, all know and share. It makes you want to step back and look more fondly at what you have.

Megan sat next to me that day in the peds office. And she was no longer that sweet little baby like that couple held. She is a beautiful preteen beginning to burst into a world of womanhood. Gone is the smell of her sweet baby head as I rocked her. The grip of her tiny hand on my finger. The look of love in her eyes as I held her and gave her a bottle.

In its place is memories of a new time. Of talks about boys and nail polish and who will take her to the next dance. Of cheerleader try outs and how she HAS to have that shirt from Aero because it is the most important thing in her world right now.

I might have gotten teary looking at that couple. I might have smiled at the image they gave. But I wouldn't trade that beautiful baby girl sitting next to me either. It is with days gone by that we have gotten to where we are today. And there is new things to explore together where we too are the center of the universe and I will enjoy this adventure too.

And one day, many years from today, that couple will be embarking on a new beginning too with a smile on their face and memories in their heart.

Leaves, taps and tutus

Not to be left out of the 1st day pictures.....

Delaneys 1st day of dance!

They all look so impressed and excited don't they?!

And here is what happens when you come to my house. Delaney puts you to work!

Now if only she can work her magic on her brother and sister like she did on Mimi!!!

I forgot my camera!

To touch a little on my last post....
The other day my son gets picked up and brought home from soccer practice. He opens his bag and pulls out a wrinkled hoodie and smells it. I ask him what he is doing and he says that he put his clothes in the soccer bag to carry them home and he was checking to see if it smelled. He put it to his nose and inhaled and says "Nope. All good. Not stinky!" and put it in a the 'ok' pile. Now any girl would never THINK to do that!!! This is totally a husband DNA trait!

Moving on to better smelling things, on Saturday I went to a Women of Faith concert in Philly. If you have never been, you should go. It is amazing. Thousands of women collecting in one huge stadium to celebrate being a woman! Life. Family. Husbands. Kids. God. All wrapped up with tears, laughter, praise and love.

One of the speakers was talking about how she was a scrapbooker and one day her husband had fallen off the roof while putting up Christmas lights and gotten hurt. Once she heard he would be ok, she ran in the house to get her camera so she could document that very moment! I laughed. Cause, as a blogger, I probably would have thought about how good those pictures would have been too!!!

I wish I had thought to grab my camera for the concert. I cannot fully describe the setting like a picture would have done.

The shot I wanted was when we had all gone outside to eat our lunches. Hundreds of women sat in the sun on the sidewalk eating. Women of different colors. Different background. Different ages. Different religions. All sitting and just being. All in a row in the sun. Now THAT would have been a shot!!

The lines at the ladies room and icecream stand would have been an awesome one too!

Now we sat and we listened to bible stories. We listened to personal and touching stories. And sometimes we listen to meaningful stories that can change our lives like this (turn down the music and turn up the volume. Ladies you have to hear this).....


It's all about being a woman! The good, the bad and the funny!

The mind of a teenage boy

Let me explain the set up. We have a finished basement. Two bedrooms, a sitting area, two storage rooms and a bathroom/laundry room fill the lower section of our house. My son's room is part of all that.

Now sit back, close your eyes, open your senses and envision..........
I gather up the girls laundry and walk downstairs to throw in a load of laundry. As I get about 1/2 way down the stairs something hits me. *sniff sniff* It is musty. Damp. Stuffy smelling. I assume it is because the heat/ac is off during this fall season change and there is no air stirring so I shrug my shoulders and venture on, promising myself to open the downstairs windows before I head back up.

One step, two.....*sniff* No. It is getting stronger. I cannot begin to think what it is!

I finally hit the bottom step and can clearly smell the sour smell. I get in a panic and take the basement tour looking for water. Nothing. This I find confusing and again shrug my shoulders and head to the laundry room.

Oh yes! I can clearly smell it!

It is a combination between a locker room, sour milk and dead leaves. *sniff sniff* I hunt the bathroom down. Cannot find the source. I am now running out of time cause it would be an insane person who would leave a 4 yr old alone upstairs for a long period and assume nothing was being touched! So I begin unloading the laundry basket and putting the dark load in. I notice Ryans soccer clothes from two days ago sitting on the floor. Typical boy! So I sigh and bend to pick them up and throw them in with the current load. And there I find it!

Soccer shoes. Soccer shoes and shin guards. Soaking wet from the down pour on Saturday soccer shoes and shin guards. All rolled up in the carelessly discarded soccer clothes on the floor.....from two days ago.

I do not think I can truely discribe the smell that assulted me and do it justice.

When I asked him why he didn't lay them out to dry or attempt to dry them in the dryer he said............."I thought YOU would do it Mom!"

How sweet of him to know that I would take care of his wet and smelly soccer apparel! Maybe it was the knowledge I love him that caused him to just lay them in a pile and assume I would do it for him. Or that I am the only one in the house who knows what a washing machine is and would be the most likely person to find them. Maybe he assume that one of the neighbors walking their dog would eventully report an odd smell coming from our house to the local police and know that someone, someday would find the wet pile of soccer apparel! I am not sure. Cause I cannot begin to understand WHAT THE BOY WAS THINKING!!!!!

Or how he was able to live in the lower section of the house and still breathe without passing out or throwing up!

All I have to say is that I feel sorry for the coach of the boys highschool soccer team. If the other team players are anything like my son, the smell on the team bus must make the coach have a need for a hazmat suit!

You want me to do WHAT?!

The other day Todd, myself and my girlfriend were sitting in the van and chatting about when we were in school. And we talked about gym and how a lot of schools are passing on that now because they do not feel it is necessary. It is slowly joining ranks with art and music.

Drs and government complain on how big kids are today and how they eat and then they take away gym and recess. That makes sense. Kinda makes one wonder why they bother to complain!

But this had Michele asking about the fitness tests we had to take when we were in school. Complaining how she had to do stupid things like the uneven bars at 5ft 10in in which the bar came below your hip and chin ups which few girls could do and how kids today are getting away with murder. They should feel blessed!!

She went on to talk about gym and how it was awful to be the last one called when teams were picked. It seemed to make a permanent mark in her life being the last one called. I just laughed and said I could not blame my co-students for passing ME by. I would have too! Lets be honest, I was not the athletic type. I was more into dance, pageants and theater. The thought of running after some stupid ball and getting sweaty was certainly not my idea of fun!

Oh I passed gym. I got dressed. Did some fake jumping jacks when the teacher looked my way and looked at the sky while my classmates tried to hit that home run and make the bases. The ball would come my way and I stepped aside and let it roll! No need to break a nail or get hit in the face when you can just let it fall and roll! Right!? Then when it came to a stop, assuming it was still somewhere near me, I might bend to pick it up and chuck it to someone close. Might was the key word. I guess it depended on if the teacher was looking my way or not! And if there were boys on my team....all the better cause I knew they would help me out and grab the ball for me. Not sure if it was cause they liked me or if it was more so cause they knew I wouldn't bother to grab it. Either way, it worked for me!

I am a self confessed gym slacker. I admit it. I am sorta proud of it too in some odd way. After all, I was able to pass gym class and the fun state fitness test and hardly broke a sweat. And on a good day I might have even gotten a bit of a tan standing in that outfield. A true accomplishment if you ask me!

1st day of school

Delaneys friend, Sean, on his way to his 1st day of Kindergarten!

Making cookies for the school kids with Alyssa

As we were sitting and waiting for the bus, Delaney sits in the front porch rocker and yells "Bye Sissy!". And then I hear her mumble to herslf as she rocks, "I LOVE my sister. She isn't stupid. (shaking her head no) She is just stupid to me!" LOL! Ahhhh sisterly love!

Ahoy!

Saturday we had thought to head to the beach for one last Hoorah! BUT, when we clicked on the news in the morning, they were talking about the crowds of out of staters and the traffic and the thought of getting into that on a holiday weekend ranked up there somewhere with doing to the dentist and a mamogram. So we sat down and rethought our plans........

Instead we headed to the Cape May Lewis Ferry. Yeah, it is still the shore line. Yeah it is still heading into terror area but most of them were heading to the beach and we were heading to a boat they had already used to get to the beach. And there layed our logic! In reality, the drive was not so bad once we got going past the town limits. And the crowds really were not that bad cause they were, in fact, on the beach when we got there. Getting there was another story.

Now Todd and I often joke about what a great team we would make on The Amazing Race. He is good at driving and following directions and I am good at directing. We never usually have a problem. Usually was the key word.

Well, Todd seemed to be in a mood or something cause he would not listen when we headed into the Cape May beach area and I said "We don't usually go this way Todd". He actually ignored me! We drove further and I said "Todd this isn't the way to go. You are heading to the beach and light house." And again he ignored me, humming some song on the radio, like I said nothing and driving forward like he knew where he was. Then he pronounced that he knew exactly where he was and I had no clue!!!

I got out the map which just happened to be in the van still from vacation and showed him that he was headed to the coast. WAY past the ferry terminal! I, it was pointed out, have no clue what I was talking about and he continued to hummmm. The sound of his humming was about on my last nerve and was almost like nails on a chalk board. I began to mumble. The mumble and hum got louder and at one point I think we probably could have given the worst Amazing Race couple a run for their money.

When we reached the light house, which is BTW at the end of the state and you can go no futher without SWIMMING, he prounced that maybe he might have indeed turned off the wrong way! I wanted to shout.........YA THINK?! But I just mumbled some more cause I was the only one, it seemed, who was listening to me anyway! And his direction, or lack there of, took us a good 20 minutes out of our way and we missed the boat at the time we wanted!!!

Next time Todd....stop humming and just drive like I tell ya! Better yet, if you drive like I tell ya, you can go ahead and hum cause I won't care!

We finally made it and killed some time taking long potty breaks and walking around the terminal. When the next boat came in we took the ride over to Delaware on the most beatiful day!!! We saw some dolphines and walked the boat and watched the birds. Then we got off for some play ground fun and a glass of wine. Well it was more like the playground for the kids and the wine for the adults. Wouldn't want you to get confused on that! We took the ferry back over and had dinner on the way home. One could not have asked for a better day.

Well, ok it maybe would have been better minus the humming!



LOOK MIMI!

Delaney giving her best pirate face!

Girl talk!

A new hair do for Delaney!

How could I forget!!!???

The last picture of our stay at the cabin! The whole crew (well except me who was taking the picture!)

As I posted this, Delaney walked up and was viewing the pictures. When the song from Dolly came on "My mountains, my home"....Delaney stops still, listens and looks at me with a smile cause she knew the song. Then a big grin comes on her face and she stays, all excited, "Mommy that is Barbie singing!!! The big Barbie is the one singing that song!"

LOL! Out of the mouths of babes.

Gear up for battle!

Our last big day in TN was back to Dollywood. We still had to complete the other 1/2 of the park if you remember! We awoke to light rain. After a chat on what to do, we got dressed, threw the rain ponchos and umbrellas in the van and off we went. We already had the tickets and figured we would get wet on the water rides again anyway so what the heck! BUT due to the rain, my camera got another break!

We arrived at opening and went to a bakery and ate not so good things for you. Oh they were yummy. Just not good for you. Do you think we cared as we shoved that cheese danish the size big enough to feed the whole lot of us in our mouths?? Nope.

Then we headed off to see a show called Sha-Kon-O-Hey. It was just beautiful! I am not sure that if I could have taken pictures that would have truely shown how good the show was.



Then we went off for some rollercoasters and rides. We got soaked on the river battle. We liked this ride so much and had the goal of getting eachother, that we went on the ride like 3 times! And when we were done, we stayed on the side and got others that went on the ride.



We lazy walked the whole park and did rides as they came up and ate a yummy lunch. And sometime around 2 or 3pm it finally stopped raining on us. But who cared at that point cause we were soaked anyway! Nothing a clothes dryer couldn't fix!

We stayed till closing and headed back to the cabin, wet, tired and gift shop bags in hand. We opted to stay in this night and picked up take out so we could watch a movie on Disney that the kids wanted to see and pack some.

____________________
Saturday!

We packed up and headed off sadly for NewMarket VA. We arrived there, after a good 6+ hour drive, and hit the pool! Then we ate dinner and kicked back for the rest of the night.

We arrived home Sunday afternoon sometime around 5pm

Here is a few left over pictures.............