8.....

The fear of running out of fingers to reveal his age has set in for me as my baby turned 8 this month.  I remember feeling this way when I finally started telling his age in years rather than months - after 24 months you kind of sound like a crazy lifetime movie mom saying stuff like, "Sammy is 61 months this Thursday." Eight! He will remember our trip across the country, and equally scary to the finger deal, he will remember me belting out a familiar song or two in the car. I tend to forget he is an actual little person now, certainly capable of realizing when those around him have lost all sense of reality.

My baby and I, August 2003 in the Camden Hills at the exact spot of one of Erik and I's first dates.

Note this picture was taken on a film camera AND I was not yet quite sure how to hold a baby.

Here we are in the same spot 8 years later. Both of us older, he with a bit more hair, and I with a bit more confidence in exactly what I am doing.

Yikes! Three kids really does do you in no matter how young you start.

We spent Cam's birthday checking out the town from which he got his name. I made him take dorky pictures under every sign that bore his name.

Let's just say there are many, many places in Camden with signs that say Camden.

We had a short trip to New York City recently. The 6 hour drive seemed like nothing to these seasoned road warriors. A couple of books on CD, a pad and pen did the trick for the ride down.

We stayed with our friends, soon to be bride and groom, Kristina (whom I call Monti) and Mike in their very cool apartment. I almost couldn't believe the doorman let Erik and I, our kids, and our stuff in.

Mike and Erik took the kids (ALL THREE) to the Museum of Natural History. Everyone had a great time, they brought a stroller, got on subways, the whole deal. It was nothing short of a Navy SEAL operation. Nobody got lost, they all came home in one piece and if I recall it correctly I think they even fed them!

Ready to take a bite out of the Big Apple.

While the men were handing out boxes of raisins, and holding hands across busy streets, Monti and I (along with some of her fabulous family) got to go shopping on Madison Avenue for her wedding dress and she picked one! And I was there, and so another tick goes on the chart of why we moved east.

After we said yes to the dress we ate lunch like real adults at a real restaurant. I wanted to scream,  "yes, bring me extra knives.....no don't move that tall glass of ice water, nobody here to spill it," and when we ordered our beverages nobody asked, "chocolate or white." As you can imagine it was a very exciting day.

Erik and I  felt so young in NY. After putting the kids to bed we ordered in late night Chinese and pizza and watched guilty TV on hip couches free of legos and goldfish crumbs. We will remember this weekend forever.

Taking a walk with someone who knew you when you were in the school band, heard about your first kiss the day of, and helped you through your first heart break is hard to find far from home.  They know who in your family is crazy and why, you don't have re-hash the sad and ugly, or whip out your wedding album to explain the day. The friends who know your story were there for it all. It's a unique blessing in any girl's life and I am thankful to see these girls more often now.

* Disclosure: I love my west coast friends; I can't imagine a better group of people to have spent the last season of our life with. They  welcomed us into their families, learned and became part of our story.  I feel so lucky to have lifelong friends coast to coast!

And when we woke up after our late night, Mike made the kids pancakes. It is seems as if Monti has truly hit the jackpot.

Mike reading AG a bedtime story. He reads the whole thing, no skipping pages or lines....

I wanted to post the pic above because it melts my heart and brings feelings of absolute joy for my friend having found such a great life partner and being here to be a part of it all. But, I am kind of nervous some psycho internet girl might start stalking him.

My ultra light packing, road warrior attitude may have been a bit cocky. Some screaming emerged from all rows of the car headed back to New England and I was wishing there were more than a pad and pen and a couple of lousy CDs. The tension melted away soon after little heads hit their pillows and Erik and I retreated to our not so hip couch complete with board books, random socks, and a couple of lonely puzzle pieces. We traded in the idea of food delivered to our door for some wheat thins and cheese sticks and called it a night thankful for another weekend adventure, good friends and one another.

Vacationland...

One might guess how great our summer has been by taking a quick look into our recycling/transfer station (an entire post dedicated to exactly what a transfer station is may be forthcoming) pile.  Just added this week:  one pair of training wheels. Yes, not only have I successfully potty trained three children, but, two now can ride on a bike without the aid of plastic wobbley wheels. I am not quite sure why, but it's right up there with the walking, talking and learning to read as far as excitement and milestones go. I wouldn't quite put it in the league with sleeping through the night, but make no mistake it's very, very good. Our little boy can ride on his own.  And in the very same week he learned he can totally swim on his own and is rid of his various flotation devices. That makes two classic summer milestones in any little boy's life done in one week, and a lot less crap for us to pack. I think I see a triathlon in his future, we'll give him to the Fall.  Hooray for Eli.

Father and son riding off into the sunset....

AG in the swimming spirit....

Along with the swimmies and training wheels are EMPTY bottles - yes more than one - of sunscreen. UV rays beware, my children have enough block on to protect them through their college spring breaks. I love that sunscreen bottles, sand toys and picnic blankets have replaced fleeces and umbrellas in my trunk. I know, I know, I won't be bashing Seattle skies so much in February, but I am hoping this will fuel me through at least March when I am tired of snow and blustery winds, have baked my 10th loaf of pumpkin bread of the week and write this blog with my hands peeking out from piles of heavy down comforters. Live in the moment.

I just threw a bandaid box in the recycle pile today. Plenty of skinned knees in these parts - and while I am not happy to report the boo- boos, I am happy that the kids have  doubled their outdoor playtime, and trippled their risk taking in doing so, and while I am not a fan of seeing my five year old going head first down a driveway on a skateboard, I am more happy he is doing something he once thought he'd never try.


Thanks to some very generous friends we explored more boat time these past weeks. The novelty effect of being off the land just does not wear off. It's kind of like an iPad.

We have mostly spent beach time at ocean beaches, we tried a lake with the kids for the first time.  It was quiet and serene. I did quite literally feel tension (you know of which ice cream shop to hit on the way home) melting from my shoulders.

My timid Cam swam out to that slide and loved going down!

This past weekend we had friends drive all the way from Brooklyn to spend one night with us to officially welcome us "home,"  despite their very crazy work schedules.  Not only did they make the 7 hour trek after hard work schedules, they did so with a three year old AND an infant. Seriously good friends whom we got to share good food and laughs with.  After so many years away, it was comforting to know we did not miss a beat with one another, and our friendship only sweetened by getting to love each others' children.  All of this can only be enhanced by the fact that the two of them have prescription pads and are medical professionals who answer the phone at all hours to hear about cuts, fevers, bumps, rashes, etc..... Really they couldn't get any better as far as friends go.

A good excuse to bake a cake.

His excitement of being the recipient of this item to lick easily outweighed that of learning to ride his bike and swim combined. For real.

My sweet friend above, enjoying a quiet moment, while her baby naps in the car parked in our driveway beside her. Apparently not a common practice in Brooklyn, and most definately not in front of a giant red barn......perhaps another reason why each Maine license plate says "Vacationland."