First day of School

T'was the Night before school and all through the house - EVERYONE was stirring and even sewing a shirt!!  Love this labor of love - although it didn't complete he made a TREMENDOUS effort and may never pick up a sewing needle again.  My folks helped to iron Shane's shirt (no we don't do this often) and I had bracelets for the 2 boys.

Here we go!  All Smiles - 

What?!?!  He is home again??  I will distantly remember how much harder it was THIS DAY - to parent JUST DREW.  He totally didn't get it and wanted to be entertained.

Back to school - back to great things everyone!  I honestly love how excited these kiddos our - it might be a nervous excitement - love Shane's smile.

Look at our sweet bus stop - it grew one

Love love love that face - as they roll out on the bus, 

I know they will figure it out, Shane wasn't sure if he could find his classroom, but he found our neighbor Helen who is in the same class.

My prayer as the bus rolled away was for the kindness of others.  Everyone is nervous excited.  But everyone works through that differently.  I hope they all choose to lift each other up instead of looking for fault.

Who can see the kindness in this guy?!?!  Can anyone guess who it is??

Well, its splash of course - 

Its Farrah McCullough - she is the school mascot and hands down the coolest mom I know - 

during her stay with me one thing continues to resonate - 

we are moms and have decided to make being a mom the center of our lives. So easily we can volunteer, host other groups take other positions - but as long as our positions allow us to keep our mom focus - its on.  Here she is living that to the fullest.

Happy First day of School all those smiling faces - 

Final Summer day -

Monday and Tuesday to enjoy and Wednesday it all begins.  Monday I was so thankful to have Johan and Mia for the day - both her parents are teachers and had to go back to work.  Her kiddos are WONDERFUL.  I know every kid is different and since I don't have the girl to compare to - I am convinced they all do stuff like this....  Yes, Mia - great job! (and she was quiet while she did it too - AMAZING!)

Here we are laying on the grass planing to go to Mills Pond at 3 on Tuesday - guess what else hit Mills Pond at 3 on Tuesday - Thunder - one of my mom friends was literally stomping her own feet wanting to be let in....

Ah Summer - I guess we really have lived you to the fullest.

What? Its Over?

WE all knew it was coming - and I guess after 12 days you are kind of ready.  Its Sunday and School for us will start on Wednesday - so a few days of just us is probably needed.  The kids woke up knowing life was about to change for a bit and I was wishing they just lived closer and we didn't have to be in a constant state of soaking it all in - I just wanted it to be a constant state.  

Farrah loaded everyone up - the dogs were truly wonderful and the boys LOVED them.  If only Pauli got along with them too.

Love seeing Nick just watch them leave.  So sweet and what a truly treasured time with the most wonderful family friends.  We love you all Farrah, Macy, Tate, Brian, Belle and Stormy - We hope we made you feel at home as you truly are a part of our family.

Farrah - your strength and mission focus is something I truly admire and although I know this time isn't easy - you have done so much for your kids, yourself and your husband.  

Saturday - Split it up

Saturday - our last full day as a blended family.  Ah man!  For some reason we kept this rhythm up!  Something about having 2 moms around that makes it all possible.

As I am writing day 12, I am kind of wondering why the heck I opted to record each and every day separate.  In one of the many deep conversations I got to have with Farrah was why the heck to we keep this blog?  WE spend time getting photos, putting them together, bringing them to life - so that our lives can live on in a different form.  Maybe we can touch others lives, maybe when we are gone, our children can see our lives differently - its a history of us.  And with Farrah here - I just feel as it that history is more alive and worthy of more notes.  

So on we go - Chris and I headed on a quick bike ride.  I remembered to stop as this house reminded Farrah of the house she grew up in - just a few years ago as she was originally from Massachusetts.  Side door and all.  Its a beautiful classic home along 44 here  - love that it brought back memories for her!  Now I will think of her gazing out the window at it each time I drive by.

We had a brief stint at a yard sale where we grabbed a bike, 2 sets of skis and a bunch of games - side bar.  DEAL!  

I barely made it back in time to hand off Macy, Nick and Drew to Chris for his tee time (he was cursing letting me go by the tag sale...for my ability to be SO easily distracted!!  Working on this)

Now lets divide up

  2 kids to BMX bike racing

3 kids Golfing!

loved how the kids paired up here.  It was cool for Chris to get the dynamic with Macy, Nick and Drew

Chris loaded with tons of snacks said the kids did great.  Nick's attention span last the longest, but that was to be expected.

Still posing for photos!!

While in a track far far away - our boys started to feel their tires - They were tentative at first (THANKFULLY) and than started to really enjoy the jumps and bumps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJaBrg7O5bk

Next up - all the Lobster fest signs in our neighborhood made this lobster roll a necessity.  It was paired with Lobster bisque - could we resist?  Nope - diet and sensible eating will resume when we are separated!

Serious Yum!

next up  - the peach festival.  Can you tell Farrah and I didn't pack nearly as many snacks as Chris did.

Shane got to feel like the big man on campus with Tate and having a soda!!

Peach shortcake - yes please!

AS if we needed one more event in the day - we ended the night with a babysitter and the WILLY NELSON concert.  (yes 5 kiddos, 2 babysitters actually - I mean, we aren't totally crazy!)

WE hit plan B for dinner and sat outside the concert on the media just enjoying each other, the beautiful night and yes, a little Willy Nelson

Friday - the day of coordination

There was a point in this day where Farrah and I literally looked at each other and laughed out of true crazy coordination.  But somehow, we connected with everyone and everything and made a wonderful day out of it.  I LOVED LOVED LOVED having a partner in crime it what was a NORMAL day.

Nick and Tate were headed to Noahs for a water gun fight.

Macy, Shane, Drew were going glow mini  - put (close till 2 - recalculate)

We went to the McD's play place to have lunch as it was raining and we could meet Stacie and Jason with my mom, Riley, Maddy, and Jackson.  Along with my neighbor Patty and her kiddos Cam, James, Helen and Billy.  

Still with me.

We met jen at Barnes and Noble to grab Noah, Tate and Nick to NOW go golfing

during which my sister called me to say the skies had parted and it was a beautiful day - so where do we want to have dinner with everyone??  Hmm - decided - at my folks!  No onto more coodination

Go home, grab suits and pack up Iris.

Wait - photo shoot with Iris.

My sister is a science teacher and as a result as some pretty cool pets that need homes over the summer.  We were SO fortunate to have Iris the Bearded Gecko over the summer.  She was the perfect guest.  A little food (nothing alive) a little water and a heat lamp - DONE.  Nick took her out quite a bit.  She scampered up his walls, read next to him.  At one time he put a stuffed lizard in her cage to see if she would make friends.  So cute.

Seriously, this was the cutest photo shoot ever.

Love this photo of Tate

O.k., enough photos, time to link up with Noah's mom to drop him off and grab Pizzas for 14 - !  Wow!

3 Adults, 5 Kids, 1 bearded Gecko, 2 Pizzas - WE ARE A CLOWN CAR!  and 

I LOVE MINI VANS

it was the perfect pool afternoon/evening.  I scared a quick photo of these cuties - born 3 days apart.  One in Massachusetts and one in Germany.  

Shane will one day be part of our labor force and he constantly rocks the best plumbers crack ever.

Here they are - both about to be 1st graders!

I got to get in the photo too.

One more coordination step - we were dropping Farrah off with 5 kids and heading to the soccer coaches meeting.  Since Farrah is a ROCK star  - we went on to have beers in downtown Collinsville!

Friday - DONE DONE and DONE!

Thursday - something simple

Thursday we were really starting to get into the routine of sister life living.  

Farrah is so great at planning, tasking and STAYING on task.  Its one of the things I truly admire her for and wish I was better at.  

I find my life is so distracting with all the 'life' we can become invoveld it.  I loved her presence and helping me focus.  That being said, she took some kiddos and went grocery shopping while I dove into the kids closets making them sschool ready in hopes of having the right sized clothes in all of them. Phew - 

But first - here is an example of life with my sister wife - fixing some pants we bought at Just Kids!

and Lunch  - ala Farrah!

now onto the Treat for the day - Go Kart racing!!

I got to go twice since the only requirement was to be 8!!  Drew and Shane got to ride with momma

Farrah and Macy teamed up (and beat us all)

It was a simple little track and we were the only ones on it all together.  Nick and Tate loved operating the pedals and being in charge.  

here is the race car driver himself.

And the other one.

The attendant did a great job of capturing it all for us.  Video too.

Can you see the racing?!?!

As I look over these photos and know how much fun we simple had - I do have to offer up a PSA - my family friend from growing up Rachel Kluba was go karting with her family less than one week later.

  She was wearing a scarf - (it is in Michigan and chilly that afternoon). 

 Her scarf got caught and wrapped around her wheel crushing her neck and airway.  By the time she was able to stop, she removed the scarf and instantly passed out.  A bystander offered to do chest compressions on her while they waited for the ambulance and today as I am writing this is 5 days later and she is still in a coma.  They do not know what kind of brain injury she may have, how her trachea is healing and no idea how or if she will recover.  

It is a HUGE reminder to me and everyone that this simple fun can go wrong all to easily and you can never stop being vigilant.  

Look, they didn't even require us to wear helmets.  

Not that Helmets would have saved Rachel from her horrendous accident.  

We can't expect everyone to think of or mandate these things.  

We need to be responsible and aware at all times.  

It is no one else's responsibility.

I feel so thankful and fortunate that this was a FUN and simple Go - Kart race.  

Prayers to Rachel and her family.

Later that night, Farrah and I hosted a simple Bunco night with the neighborhood ladies.  She wanted to meet and know the folks that truly are apart of my daily life.  Thanking her for the simple and wonderful evening that may or may not have involved too much wine.

Wednesday - Stratton Forest and Ice cream -

As I look back on the fun days while Farrah was here - this was one of my favorites.  I often forget how cool Stratton Brook is and how much the kiddos love it.  Its a State park in Simsbury.  In high school its the cross country track (not the water obviously, but there are many trails around it and along it)  But the little pond is super cute and the beach area is the perfect amount of shade.  

It was also a perfect amount of water for Drew to get back in the swing of using his arm without the sling.

Arm working in action

Here is our view - the kids loved it and didn't bug us a bit - Farrah packed a lunch for us all and we really just got to enjoy it.

They had a little nature center that they kids went through after and even a water fountain - that word as the perfect stand for a group photo.

gotta capture the pack mules first.

Here we all are - 

Of course we were SO close to the local creamery - we HAD to stop - remember healthy eating starts later...Meanwhile, raspberry chocolate chip sounds pretty darn awesome!

Heck we were going to Pump tonight!  (Farrah was so excited she could hardly stand it!)