It’s Fall!

I look at this picture and I want to weep. Weep sounds dramatic right? But I think it is the right word. Crying is too hard- this is not a heartbreaking moment where is cry is appropriate. No, I weep. Weepy in a heart grows mushy, eyes mist over, must look away at something else but I can’t. I am weepy.

Alec is just so big and so little right now. That’s what I see when I look at this picture. His hands still have a little roundness to them, the cheeks might too and the hair is a mess. But he his smiling with those eyes – the I’m big kid in kindergarten eyes, wearing his big kid sneakers that tie (although he still can’t yet tie them himself). I look at this picture and I can see the contradictions between little and big.

That’s apparently the thing about parenting I can’t quite get over. Every stage gets better and harder in different ways. To freeze him now means I might miss out so many neat things I haven’t seen from him yet but freezing at this time or age? I still get my sweet little boy who still loves his mommy while there is still some love left. 

And so I grow weepy looking at this picture until he chases the cat, spills his milk all over the table, throws his toys off the couch pretending they are missiles, talks back and throws a temper tantrum because he reeaallllly wanted ice cream (said is the most whining voice EVER).

The weeping is gone and I look forward to the next stage. 

But it is still a cute picture.

Cars and more cars

We took a little day trip to New Hampshire on Sunday. We had originally planned it as a weekend excursion-driving through the White Mountains- visiting the The Flume and some caves but we were all pretty wiped from the the first full week of school- I am not use to working 5 days a week- even if it is mother’s hours so we dropped that idea and just decided to do a day trip on Sunday. 

This freed up Saturday which allowed the boys to go to a car show after soccer. The boys {Erik, his dad and Alec} love car shows. Me? Meh. Not really my thang.

Saturday night we went into Portland for dinner. Ahhh…remember the days we Erik and I would get out of work and meet each other or friends in-town for drinks and dinner? It was second nature- akin to breathing. Now…I am blogging about it because it seems like a big deal. And it was just bar food.

And Sunday…we drove back roads to Loudon – New Hampshire Speedway so Erik could do the ride along that his sisters had given him as a 40th birthday present. The back roads were filled with pretty scenery. We did not allow Alec to watch a movie on the way there and forced him to socialized with us. He thought it was painful. ;)It really wasn’t clear where to go and it was a little discerning when you had to drive under the track into the pit area. Cars zooming over your head. Erik then signed his life away and got suited up.  In a testament to living in one place too long, and even though it was a few hours away from home, I actually ran into someone I use to work with at the bank. It was a happy reunion as we had spent several years working very closely together. We chit-chatted and caught up while waiting for the fun to happen.

 

Alec and I were pretty happy it was the M&M car because it’s chocolate and we always cheer for chocolate. I think Alec was pretty nervous because he was pretty silent during most of it. He knew Erik was going to go very fast and I think it was just too scary. Erik did 2 laps and then they came back- they had to change a tire and then he got to go back out for more. I think they went 140-150MPH.

And then it was done.

I think someone enjoyed themselves…don’t you?

 

We stopped here on out way home.

Alec ate no meat. There was pig on the sign afterall.

Most notably while we were there – Alec got his hand slammed in the car door. And I mean slammed. The entire door shut –ON HIS FINGERS. You should have heard the scream. I thought for sure we were on our way to the hospital. Lucky for us- a little ice and a movie on the way home and it was all better.  Phew!

Soccer

It’s fall and with fall comes rec soccer for Alec. He is so happy to have our next door neighbor on his team and he recognizes another boy who is in his Kindergarten class on his team (there are 12 Kindergartens in Saco so the chances are kind of slim of this happening).

Here are last week’s pictures. Alec insists on pulling his socks over his knees to make them  ‘knee guards’. He is #23.

 

And yesterday..nicer day and nicer camera:

 

 

 

 

Look at the face on the little guy in green. I don’t remember any crying so I hope that is just his ‘running’ face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Logan in action. Logan’s 6th birthday is in November…he’s a bit taller than his Kindergarten peers. The boy allegedly in Alec’s class- Brady –is right behind Logan.

 

 

 

 

Alec seems a little more interested in soccer this season. He is not an aggressive player – I think it is a lack of confidence. I don’t think he likes the free-for-all nature of this. Possibly as he gets older and has a position and knows what his ’job’ is he might enjoy soccer a little more. That’s just the nature of his personality.

1st day of school tradition?

The afternoon of the 1st day of school, I picked up Alec and we drove to meet Carrie, Mya, and Faye for some 1st day of school/Mya birthday ice cream playtime. Originally it was just to meet for ice cream but the sugar wound them up and then they needed an outlet! Off to the playground we went.

 

Think they will still let Carrie and I take them for ice cream on their 1st day of school when they are seniors?

Kindergarten

Want to know more about it?

Yeah, me too.

I picked Alec up after school on his first day. (It was a organized chaos and, well, from what I hear, that’s about as good as its going to get.) I was so excited to hear all the fun details. 

When asked how his day was - “it was good” was the response I  got.

Anything else you care to share?

Nope.

I got nada out of him.

Nothing.

No details.

Did I say nothing?

ERhhhhh……

It’s going to be a long year.

Several days later and this is what I heave learned:

Mrs. Arnold is nice. There may or may not be 2 Elijah’s in his class. There are definitely 2 Caydens.  The gym/lunch room is smelly. And when people flush the toilet- it is very loud (it is in their room). There was also a comment about Mrs. Arnold moving his seat but no other details were given.

Here is what I do know…

This excitement/stress from his first week had worn him out.  :)

Vegan/Vegetarian

I have posted several times and some of you have heard me talk endlessly about Alec and his bacon dilemma. He loves pigs and wants to keep them alive but bacon (to him) just tastes SO GOOD. He can never decide if he should eat it or not and if he does I seriously think he feels guilty sometimes. (This does not come from us – Erik is a happy meat eater and I am a decent meat eater).

Alec started another conversation about eating animals over dinner a few nights ago.

Alec wanted to know what chicken is.

Yes, for all of you who say is he so bright and I give you the stink eye like come on, really? This is why. Seriously?

What is chicken?

So, Erik and I respond that chicken is a chicken (we were about to eat grilled chicken thighs).

Alec informs us that of this moment we are never (after today’s meal) ever to buy chicken again. Or pork or bacon or ham.

And then (and it will not translate well but was so priceless)

And what is steak?

Silence from us.

Erik finally says “Cow”.

Under his breath Alec mutters heart broken and painstakingly “oh shoot –it’s cow. I love steak”.

Dilemma again.

He loves a good steak.

And the meat eating went out the window…

And then he asks if cows pee milk. (Ummm…that’s a gross thought as he is raising a glass of it to his mouth.)

No.

Do cows have to die to give us their milk?

No.

Phew.

Then .. and the one that seems to trump all…..”Do cows want to give us their milk?”

Erik and I stare across the table at each other.

Is he seriously asking us this?

We both were thinking “probably not but let’s lie and and tell him yes”

Yes – we say in unison.

And he knows we might be lying.

Erik and I never agree on anything and certainly never say anything in unison.

He looks at us and confirms “but no cows died right?”

Nope.

And he drinks his milk.

Phew!

(We could serve him Almond milk but he hates it- he calls it ‘nut milk’)

I served him Macaroni and Cheese last night. As I served him the plate I told him that no animals died in the making of this meal.

His response?

“Good- that’s the way it should be. Plant based meals.”

And here we go……

1st Day of Kindergarten

Prologue:

Step up day was last Friday for Alec and it consisted of dropping your child off for 2 hours. This was thrilling to me. 2 hours free and I didn’t have to go to work.YES!  I ran a few errands and then I S.L.O.W.L.Y shopped at Target…and I didn’t even feel guilty. That was so relaxing.

But let me back up even more. When Alec’s teacher sent her letter home to introduce herself I didn’t get the warm and fuzzies from it and not only that –there were typo’s in it.*sigh* (no need to remind me there are plenty of them in the blog but hey-I’m not teaching anyone). On open house night Alec was suppose to locate his name on a table of name tags. His wasn’t there. *sigh*. I was trying to keep an open mind.

Back to step up day. Alec and I walk into the gym and it is mass confusion everywhere except with Mrs. Arnold. She is standing there with her students all sitting in a row..nice and orderly. We walk up and she says “Hi Alec”. No prompting needed. Nice. Then she tells Alec to have a seat in the row and “mom- we are all set so you can say good bye and you are free”. Ummm…..I think I love this teacher. There was so much drama happening in the gym and parents loitering and just excess. It was just too much for any of the children handle. I am so glad that she was in control of her group that it made it easier. Maybe just for us but after a few years of dropping Alec at daycare..new rooms..new teachers…even a new school….I get what works for us. And this works.

I picked him and asked him how it went. HOT was the answer. That was about it. And so, with that, we went to Portland to meet Erik for lunch. And where else but one of my favorite places… Flatbreads. We sat outside and the weather was simply amazing.

Alec was on cloud nine from such fantastic 2 hours. This lasted for a few hours and then it switched to ‘I am never going to school anymore’. Sweet. With that attitude we decided not to talk about school at all over the weekend. Monday morning rolled around and he decided he would go again’ oh yeah…I forgot..but I will go’.  Good. Cause that’s the plan.

And there he goes….

And yes I got teary eyed…and pretty much cried. After the bus left. Not because he is growing up. No, he is ready for this step. I was just so darn nervous for him. And trying to trust that this big ‘ol bus will get him where he needs to be and in the right hands. I was just so thankful that he had our neighbors to ride the bus with and start this journey.

Lets hope that day 2 goes just as smoothly.