sat morning

The best kind of Saturday mornings include:

Carousel rides on dragons!

Diner brunch

Funny platypus pictures hanging on the wall

Big boys sitting in big boy schnazzy chairs

More funny drawings

Sugar packet villages (that the big bad wolf blows down!) and tickles

Happy husbands

Banana, peanut butter, and fluff on grilled tuscan with all of "da fun brellas"

Cupcakes! - not pictured here because they were purchased for a picnic in the park later!

(All photos from the trusty iphone)

last day

Today was Aiden's last day with Rebecca.  Aiden has no idea how lucky he was to have Rebecca in his life.  He also had really no idea why Rebecca was buying him presents which including a new school bag, coloring books about going to school, and new crayons/markers.  She also put together a double frame with her favorite photo of Aiden giving her a big hug (above) and this (which inevitably made me cry):

Aiden

I remember the first day I met you at the Daycare

I remember looking at you thinking,

“Oh my goodness, this kid is adorable.”

I remember the struggle of putting you down for a nap,

I remember how much you love to participate in new crafts,

especially the messy ones.

I remember the day you started walking,

which led to your first incident report.

I remember the first day as your Nanny,

and how excited I was.

I remember the first time we went to the playground,

the first time we went to the beach,

and the first time we went to Gymboree.

I remember how you used to call me Ba.

I remember the day you started napping in your big boy bed.

I remember the first days of potty training.

I also remember thinking the process was going to take forever.

You caught on to potty training so fast,

and it seems these years with you have gone by just as fast.

I am going to miss seeing you everyday,

but I am so excited to see you start school.

I love you BIG boy,

Becca

this old desk

Here is my old desk.  I'm calling it my old desk because I'm giving it up.  I'm going to be ever so slowly walking away from this desk (and that balance ball chair I never gave up from my pregnancy) over the next few months.  This desk has logged many hours of editing and creating.  This desk has moved a few times since I've been here.  This desk was harder to give up than I expected.

Last month, I officially resigned from my full time gig.  Next week, I will go part time to help out with the transition for a few months (at least until December).  I have a good feeling that this is the right thing for me...for J...and most importantly for Aiden.  Aiden will still start school as planned, but he will only go in the mornings just like the other stay-at-home families.  I will finish my RISD photography portfolio, kick start some freelance work, join a quilt group, and invest in some mom outlets that I can be proud of even if they don't earn any money at all.  I'm lucky that I have this opportunity.  I'm also lucky that I didn't hear all these opinions about working versus stay-at-home until after my decision was made. Everyone makes a different decision that works for them.   All I know is that I will now be living by this -

(Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. - Thanks R for posting this at just the right time not too long ago).
This is my last full-time Friday!  TGIF!

poppop's surprise

Happy 60th Birthday PopPop!  Here are a bunch of fun tidbits from the surprise party earlier this month:

PopPop's Surprise! from LB on Vimeo.

good list

I think Aiden's good list would include sleeping bags!  We hyped up the excitement so that he will sleep on his own in a sleeping bag in the hotels and he loved it because it seemed like fun.  The particular bag I found online is for hot weather so it "breathes" and doesn't make him too hot.  

We recently picked up two classic Milton Bradley games: Don't Break the Ice and Don't Spill the Beans.  Don't Break the Ice was a quick favorite.  He usually tries to spill the beans and break the ice instead of trying now to ;)  When we were home in Ohio we were organizing old home movies and there was video of my family playing it together on Christmas 1985.  Classic.

"Books on the computer puhlease!"  I found this wegivebooks.org site, which donates a book to whichever cause you pick every time you read a book online.  There is a pretty good variety of books and Aiden loves clicking the button to turn the page all by himself.

While I was away on girl's weekend, J and Aiden had a great boys weekend. I heard a lot from Aiden about the splashy pad, the playground, and the Despicable Me movie. He got to visit all the typical fun places, and the highlight of my missing-out-on-the-fun was the opening of a cupcakes shop in Federal Hill called Cup 'n Rol - sounds like Rock 'n Roll, so the cupcakes must rock right?  I asked J if he would snap photos, and I expected photos of Aiden stuffing a cake in his trap, but I got these shop shots and a report that the mini sample cakes were dry.  I'm ready to head back and try it for myself.

Aiden is finally excited about using his computers to play the actual games on them instead of just pushing the buttons that make the most noise possible.  He loves the orange computer puzzle matching  game and knows better than I do how to get to the game.

pirates

We went to a pirate party at the Scituate Library and Farmer's Market, which Aiden thought was Daddy's birthday party.  I think after PopPop's surprise party he thinks that any big gathering he drives up to must be a birthday party.  He immediately shouted, "Surprise Daddy, it's your burtday party - I can't wait for da cake!"

Aiden christened his very first port-a-potty and he has been so good with undie pants that he got to pick out his own treat at the farmer's market.  He picked ginger spice cookies.   I found out that my favorite pesto guy isn't selling anymore because he needs a kitchen license - bummer - so I got my own big batch of basil.  J got some big brownie birthday treat along with some delicious pesto bread.  Then we headed over to the pirate tent.  They had some fun activities for the little pirates. including making your own hat and parrot on a clothespin.  Then got a chance to listen to some "real" pirates tell us about navigation (knots was actually counting knots on a rope while timing it with an hour glass).  Aiden, our little hot mess, was sweating through his paper hat, so we knew it was time to say goodbye to the pirates.

Then we picked a random restaurant off the GPS, which turned out to be a gem.  The pirates even came there for their "after party" and still had their gear on, so Aiden really thinks they are real now.  Cindy's had pumpkin spice pancakes with fresh fruit for Aiden and I to share... and some sort of kielbasa peppery mess sandwich which J gobbled up.  It was a good birthday treat a little bit early.  I didn't have my camera to record the arghs, but here are some quick shots off the iphone:

happy bday

Happy thirty-fun J!  I love it when you roll your eyes and sigh a little bit whenever I enthusiastically say -woohoo we're turning thirty-fun!  We are thirty somethings now!  I hope you have a good one.  Here are Aiden's bouncy birthday wishes:

Happy Birthday to Uncle Matt and Great Nana too!

polo

Newport Polo Club hosted the US versus Ireland and bunch of rowdy little boys that had no idea what polo was (and still may only have a vague idea that the horses were kicking the ball like soccer?)  Polo matches just north of Newport are quite the scene and crowded - even though it poured right before the game.  Aiden and I were lucky and arrived just as the rain had cleared and broke up the humidity.  They were playing "Here Comes the Sun" as it cleared.  We had a picnic packed (with the delicious pesto bread we got at the farmer's market).  The five boys mostly wrestled, danced, and played games.  We occasionally wandered over to see the horses in action.  Thanks to T for the photos:

Newport Polo from LB on Vimeo.

girls

I'm back from Girl's Weekend 2010, our annual high school reunion of six high school friends that live very different lives, but always manage to find a common ground. A common ground full of laughs, woowoohs, hoots, cheers, and the occasional moan. A common ground found because we loved sharing a high school lunch table and still enjoy reminiscing about buckeye bars and kuchen (is that what that stuff was called?). A common ground based on knowing each other very well, yet still finding it interesting when we learn something new. A common ground that this time included walks along the beach lit up by the city scape, tiki dolls in drinks, mani/pedi love, first public karaoke performances and dress purchases we never would have made without encouragement. A common ground shared with Fergie, from the Black Eyed Peas, as Anna shared the same drink she had at the Wit.  A common ground spent staring down the set of Transformers 3 from our tour boat. A common ground around a tapped pitcher of Planter's Punch at the Southern (thanks E/R!)  A common ground of fresh peanut butter sauce on homemade french toast (yum thanks S/E!) A good 'ol common ground I look forward to sharing again soon. Thanks for hosting us R and E!

big bike

Aiden's just getting the hang of his big bike. He would occasionally pedal it before, but was mostly timid about tipping over because he really had to stretch to reach the pedals. I think since he's out of the diaper all the time now and has grown just enough, he can just reach to cruise along pretty slowly. This video was taken last week, and he's cruising along a bit quicker now, but not fast enough that I can't keep up ;) (I did graduate from physical therapy for my ankle last week- woo woo!)

Big Bike from LB on Vimeo.

splashy

Last weekend we went back to the splash pad we've visited a few times this summer and this time I had the camera.  Aiden warms up with some laps around the edge and comes over to ask dad if he is wet enough yet.  This time the water pressure was way up and he loved trying to sit on the water stream or blast himself in the face (silly boy!)

Splashy from LB on Vimeo.

biking

Bikin' from LB on Vimeo.

boom tigers!

The willo-beee fireworks never disappoint.  We walk to the high school from our house and it's the perfect spot to be right under the boom colors.  After a few warm up booms, Woah/David decided to whip out an elaborate story about the fireworks actually being tigers jumping up in the sky.  The loud noises were tigers growling.  Aiden's imagination loved this story and he's still talking about it.