Niko's 8th Birthday Letter

Dear Niko,

Today you are EIGHT!! We blinked and you somehow turned into a big kid, with feet nearly as big as mine! Our socks are constantly getting mixed up in the laundry. And you're just over a foot shorter than I am, but I am sure my lead won't last for too much longer. You are growing like a weed!

This past year has been marked by both physical and cognitive growth. You are so smart, and your ability to reason through problems and get things done continues to amaze us. You love to read, and have blasted through pretty much the entire Magic Treehouse series this year, along with too many other chapter books to count. Your math skills also put you at the head of the class, as I got to witness firsthand recently as your substitute teacher. And while you profess to not enjoy writing, you are quite good at that, too. These things come very easily to you, and for that you are so very lucky! Homework is a breeze, and your errors are always of the careless, rushing-through-work-to-get-it-done variety. You seem to enjoy school, too, and your teachers are always saying how quiet and well-behaved you are in the classroom. I'm glad to hear it, since I know full well that you are not always quiet nor well-behaved at home!

What's funny is that the older you get, the more I recognize traits in your personality that have been there since you were a tiny baby-- we just didn't know what we were looking at. You have a very strong opinion on most subjects. And if you want something, you will pursue it relentlessly. Little baby Niko was the same way, he just didn't have the words to say it (so he screamed and cried). You are stubborn as a mule, which is both a good trait and a frustrating one. It is very tough to get you to try new things but, at the same time, you will never be the kid who gives in to peer pressure. You don't do anything unless you've really thought about it and WANT to do it. We can constantly see the wheels spinning in your brain, trying to figure out how to turn a situation to your advantage. And that is definitely a skill that will help you later in life! We've said for years now that you are our future lawyer, and that hasn't changed!

You have lots of friends at school and are generally well-liked, though you prefer to play with one or two kids at a time instead of a big group. You generally don't choose to play sports at recess, preferring to instead play games that require your imagination. Minecraft is always a popular choice. In fact, Minecraft is your favorite everything right now. You love the video game and would play it all hours of the day, if you could. You read the handbooks that go with the game. You build with Minecraft legos. You are dressing as a Minecraft character for Halloween. And... you get the point. You love anything and everything associated with Minecraft, as do a lot of other kids your age. So of course you choose to pretend to be IN the world of Minecraft at recess time.

Despite your big feet, big brain, and big opinions, you are still our baby. You still give us the best snuggles. And despite pretending to be embarrassed when you see me in the hallway at your school, you still let me give you a hug and I know you are secretly happy I am there. You're a good kid, Niko, and we love you more than we ever thought we could possibly love a screaming little baby. Happy Birthday, buddy! It's going to be a great year!

All our love,
Mommy, Daddy, and Maya

More Fall Fun!

We have had one of the prettiest falls this year! While the weather has suddenly gotten quite a bit colder and some trees are already shedding their leaves, there are still plenty that have not. Lots of color everywhere! I love it!

Anyway, after I last posted, the kids had a soccer game. Both of them have improved so much this season, in terms of their playing skills! They are fun to watch! And Niko, as one of the older kids on the team, gets a LOT of play time. I love it!

Later that same weekend, we went to AppleFest up at the local ski resort. We've gone every year since moving here, so it's a tradition. And now, Gus' company actually pays for our admission and food, and hosts a private tent inside where we can eat and hang out. It became their annual family event (suggested by Gus!). So that worked out well! My parents joined us for a bit, too, though it was VERY cold. Right around freezing, and much colder (painfully so) at the top of the ski lift. But it was pretty! I didn't take a ton of pictures because my fingers were frozen, but here are a few.

(see the white spots on my hair? More on that in a minute...) The best part of AppleFest this year was this contraption, though. I could have stood there and watched them launch pumpkins all day long, ha! So, after lunch, we were huddling in the tent to try and warm up when I happened to look outside and see SNOW. What?? At the same time, my phone buzzed with a text message from my parents (who had left) saying that it was snowing on them. It came and went the rest of the afternoon. But this video was taken from my car when we got back home. Interestingly enough, I was driving over to my parents' house to drop something off. By the time I got to the center of our town (less than a mile away) it was sunny with bright blue skies. Go figure! That brings us to this weekend! It's only Saturday, but we have had a longer weekend than usual. On Thursday, the kids had an early release day at school so that the teachers could do their monthly professional development. Gus and I picked them up at lunchtime, and we headed to Great Wolf Lodge to celebrate Niko's birthday in style! We have a deal with the kids where they only get friend birthday parties every other year. On the alternating years, they can have some kind of special experience (Maya went to the American Girl doll store this year). Niko was dead set on Great Wolf Lodge. But it was SO expensive that I had pretty much written it off as a possibility. Until I got an email about a 48-hour flash sale and heavily discounted rates on certain days of the week. Everything fell into place, and we booked it! They did miss school one day (Friday), but I had talked to their teachers about it ahead of time and everything was squared away.

We got to the lodge at around 2pm, after a stop for lunch along the way. Side note: we totally went the wrong way. It took us about 45 minutes to get there, and only about 20-25 minutes to get home (via the beautiful back roads). OOPS! It's much closer than we realized, and we shouldn't have taken the freeway! The kids were instantly in love with our fancy hotel room, which had a separate little "Wolf Den" for them, complete with bunk beds and their own TV. They would have just stayed their the entire time, I think, haha!

We did, however, get ourselves changed into our swimsuits, and had a blast exploring the two water parks for a few hours. Gus and I went down the waterslides, but could not convince either kid to join us. But they were fine with that. We floated around the lazy river, shot hoops, and played in the wave pool. They didn't have any desire to go on the slides, and that was fine.

After we got back to the room and changed, we decided to go out and explore the hotel. On our way back to the room, we picked up a pepperoni pizza that was (surprisingly) reasonably priced.

After dinner, the kids changed into Halloween costumes. Not the real ones they will actually be wearing this year, but ones that fit easily into the suitcase. :) Great Wolf Lodge celebrates Halloween every single night during the month of October, and so the kids got to go Trick-or-Treating in the hotel.

After we changed out of our costumes, we went in search of Niko's free birthday ice cream. We got that (plus a scoop for Maya) and then explored the arcade. Niko was desperate to try to win a Minecraft toy. Despite knowing how these machines work and that they are completely rigged, he begged us for the chance to try. And, it was his birthday trip, so we let him (and no, he didn't win. Neither did Maya.).

And then it was time for bed. They watched tv from their bunk beds for a little bit, then hit the hay.

The next morning, after a quick breakfast in our room, we were back to the water parks! I didn't stay in as long as they did because I haven't been feeling well. So I actually got some photos! Before I got out of the water, though, I managed to convince Maya to go down a waterslide with me. She seemed to like it, but changed her story after the fact. Niko still wanted nothing to do with them. And that's okay.

I even got a few videos while I waited. The first was from the room with the wave pool: And then I took this from our table (in the other room) while we waited for our lunch. That giant bucket is the reason Maya wouldn't go on this play structure at all. I'm not sure I blame her! After a quick lunch, we headed home. We mostly just relaxed for a few hours, since we had a busy evening ahead of us. The kids had another soccer game. The weather was sunny and clear, but COLD. I was frozen all the way through by the end of this one! Niko, however, was in top form. His ball handling skills are amazing!

From the game, we ran home and changed out of soccer gear and into Halloween costumes (still not their real costumes). Then we went to the Cub Scout pack meeting/Halloween party. Niko received another belt loop (that's him dressed as a football player), and Maya had a great time. Half of the Tiger Cubs this year are little boys from her first grade class, including her good buddy, Brendan. So she had plenty of friends to talk to. :)

And that brings us to today! After a glorious night's sleep, we spent the morning cleaning. And I baked a cake for a little boy who turns 8 tomorrow:

He is currently out on a hike with the scouts, and they are making foil packet dinners tonight. The plan for tomorrow is to go out to breakfast, open presents, and carve pumpkins. My parents will come over later in the afternoon, and we will make pizza and have cake for dessert. I'm thinking that the birthday boy will have had a pretty great long weekend! :)

Glorious Fall!

It's been almost a month since my last post, so this one is going to be epic-- brace yourself! I just have to start with this quote, which I've seen a bunch of times on Facebook recently. Because it is so, so TRUE!

I think October has become one of my absolute favorite months. It's when the leaves really put on a show. And this year, it's been amazing! Our fall foliage was delayed because of the lack of rainfall we had this spring/summer, so it's just now getting close to peak. And the weather has been, for the most part, very clear and mild. Perfect fall weather! As I type this, the kids are at school and I am sitting by the window, looking at the colorful trees dotting the road and the bright blue sky. It is GORGEOUS out there! And we have been keeping busy, enjoying all the fun fall activities that all New Englanders seem to partake in! :)

Backing up... A few weeks ago, we went to "Oaktoberfest"-- a fun celebration in my parents' new town. The turnout was less than expected due to the VERY chilly/wet weather (it has since warmed up, haha). But we had a great time! Their new house is right in the center of town, so we parked there and then walked on down to enjoy the festivities. We started out by going on a hayride-- pretty much the FASTEST hayride any of us had ever been on (both kids thought it was "AWESOME!" haha).

Then the kids bounced in a bounce house for a few minutes, before learning that it was time for the magic show. They seemed a little hesitant to go over and check it out, but soon they were laughing hysterically. It was pretty entertaining! And a photographer for a local paper was there, which is how the back of Maya's head ended up on the front page of the next issue. The magician was kind enough to pose with everyone and let them pet Lulu the bunny after the show:

After the show, the kids played carnival-style games and won a bunch of cheapie prizes-- the kind they LOVE but I would love to throw away? Yes, those prizes. And at a certain point, we were all freezing our rears off, so we walked back to the house to defrost for an hour or so before the Great Ball Roll. Yes, a ball roll. It's apparently a fundraiser for the library? But it's just like how it sounds. Every ball has a number, and you buy your numbers ahead of time. If your ball makes it down the hill first, you win a prize. Sadly, we didn't win anything.

After the ball roll (and a pit stop to buy hot chocolates), we walked back to the house and had a nice, warm dinner. Then Gus and I left, and the kids got to sleep over in "their" room (they've been begging to sleep over at Grandma and Grandpa's house, but their room wasn't ready yet. So they were VERY excited!). Before that, though, they walked down to the town bonfire and listened to a local band play. Maya and Grandma had a great time dancing up until one of the singers complimented them... and then Maya wanted to go home, haha! Everyone slept well and they are already talking about when their next sleepover is going to be!

Then, last weekend, we were super busy. On Sunday, we hiked Mt. Monadnock with the Cub Scouts. I thought it was going to be a fairly easy hike. But we got to the state park in New Hampshire at 9am, and made it to the summit right around noon. And we made it back down to the parking lot just before 4pm. It was a LONG day. With a lot of actual climbing (not hiking) over some very big rocks. With children. And we took a wrong turn, adding a few extra miles (though they were probably "easier" miles than we originally planned). I was so, SO sore for days afterward. I am actually STILL a little sore, ha!

The next day, we had planned to go to the pumpkin patch. I won't lie, I was in a horrible mood! I had been in so much pain from the hike that I hadn't slept well. So I was sore and tired. And then the hayride wasn't free (it was last year!). And the Niko insisted on this pumpkin that cost almost $12 (rip off!). And then my parents bought us ice cream, but the kids made a giant mess... it wasn't my best day. But the pumpkin patch was pretty. And they are happy with their pumpkin, so that's good.

In other news... I have been kept busy with subbing, and I am LOVING it! All the parts I loved about teaching, with none of the long-term responsibility. I walk out the door at the end of the day, put on my "Mom" hat, and that is that! Plus the flexible schedule is great (today I didn't work, so I went grocery shopping and cleaned-- now we're all set for a good weekend!). Most days, I know the night before that I am going to be subbing. But it doesn't really matter-- I've gotten in the habit of getting everything ready the night before, no matter what. And when it's time to go, the kids and I hop in the car and head over to the school. They stay with me wherever I am until 8:45, when they can go to their classrooms (if I am nearby and they see me, their teachers will often grab them earlier and get them to help pass out papers, etc. in their own classrooms, which is nice). And after school, they meet me on the bench in the hallway by the office. It is the most perfect arrangement-- I am literally only working when they are at school, but I am also still there if they need me. I see them both in the hallways all the time. Yesterday, I even managed to sneak across the hall into Maya's classroom to comb her hair right before her class went to take their school pictures. It's great! I adore the staff there so much, and it was a very easy transition for me to go from parent to teacher (though it was a little weird at first, eating in their teacher lunchroom!). And I already knew a ton of kids at the school, but now I know the vast majority of them. I feel like a rock star when I walk through the halls!! So it's been a great experience. Now I have another hat to add to my collection: parent, PTO board member, School Improvement Committee member, and substitute teacher. I know this school inside and out, haha! :)

Anyway, like I said, today I didn't work. After I did my chores, I decided to drive around town and admire the foliage. Yes, these pictures are all from in our town! Most of them were taken near the farms about a mile back behind our house. It's so pretty!! I can't imagine being anywhere BUT New England for the fall. OH WAIT, another quote! I saw this one earlier and it seemed very fitting:

It's true! The bursts of color remind me so much of the spring, when suddenly you see flowers blooming and leaves unfurling before your eyes. But this time, it's the trees! And they are SPECTACULAR this year! Plus the nice weather makes it even easier to enjoy them. Here are just a few pictures from my mini-leaf-peeping trip around town this morning-- the first is our house, where the leaves are finally getting started!

Anyway... between soccer, scouts, school, work, and everything else, I am leaving a TON of things out. The past month has been absolutely packed! But now I am decently caught up, which is good because we still have a few very busy weeks ahead! So stay tuned-- hopefully I will post sooner next time! :)