iphone diaries

A picture we took for V, who was at work.  It was a Sunday, glorious weather, and we packed our bikes and a picnic for an afternoon outside.  We texted the photo to him with the note, "Wish you were here."

Mia likes to photograph a lot now.  She grabbed my phone to begin the documentation of the butchery we called carving.  Most of these photos are hers.  Nice eye kid! 

 

Morton's

My family had a tradition when I was growing up - when each child turned six, they were whisked to a "fancy" restaurant with just Mom and Dad.  When you are one of four kids, there are so few memories of being alone with your parents.  That particular memory is such a sweet one.  I knew I wanted to uphold that tradition with my own kids. 

We only have two children though, and leaving Luca out felt a bit awkward.  So, we decided to modify the tradition and bring tiny brother along with us.  Mia was thrilled because now she would have another short person at the table. 

Both Nonna and Nana joined us and it was such a fantastic night.  The crew at Morton's spoiled us rotten, decorating a table for Mia, and even printed her name on our special menus.  They served the kids Shirley temple's in glass tumblers and brought them each a chocolate lava cake with a candle for dessert.  The manager and various employees stopped by to squat next to her to ask, "Are you the birthday girl?"  Mia was both mortified and exhilarated. 

We adults drank great wine and sipped after dinner drinks, wondering when the kids would begin to exhaust from having to be so "fancy".  Mary, V's mother, announced that October 17th was her 57th anniversary of landing in this country.  So, we raised our drinks and toasted one another...to the old days and the new years.

Twas a night to remember. 



Mia put on a dress that's been hanging in her closet, a hand me down from her beloved cousin Hadley.  At dinner, Mia leaned over and said, "You know why I chose this dress?  Hadley wore this to my baptism."  Mia loves to look through her photo albums and has memorized so many of the photos, including the one of Hadley bending over her tiny newborn self while wearing this dress. 

Shirley Temples

Mia getting ready to dive in to her dessert with her new baby doll tucked on her lap. 

Luca left his chocolate lava cake vitrually untouched, preferring the ice cream.  Score for me.

Another high five for a successful year to my parenting partner! (Celebratory birthday dinners are just as much for us parents as it is for our children, no?) 

The Pellegrino Theater

Popcorn and soda....

candy....

and a movie! 

For Mia's party, we rented an LCD projector and watched "The Lorax" on the wall in the basement.  These pictures don't do our homemade theater justice.  It was much darker than the images will lead you to believe, with the 'screen' being very vibrant.  It was pretty awesome if I do say so myself.  It felt like being in a real theater, with speakers projecting the sound and the room dark.  With 19 (yes....19!) kids sitting in the room, it began to heat up and smell like a men's locker room according to V.  But, they loved it and actually remained engaged and quiet for an hour and a half.  When you pump children full of treats and soda and then mesmerize them with wall sized animation, they are subdued into an unusual comotose state. 

Even a few little brothers and sisters sat entranced.  

Super easy clean up too.  Everything went into the trash and then a quick vaccum job.  Good as new. 

Mia requested a cookie cake this year.  And a rendition of Happy Birthday "with no cha-cha-chas".  For some reason, this year, that was a special request.  Hey, on your birthday, I believe in making even the smallest wishes come true.  No cha-cha-chas. 

The group shot.  All 19 kids! 

When the movie ended, we went straight outside to run around while we waited for parents to pick up.  I may be getting more easy going in my old age, but I am not easy going enough to have 19 children loose in my house!

It was a great party, something for which I'm still patting myself on the back.  At one point, with the gaggle of kids entertained in the "theater", I sat upstairs with my family and a few adults who stayed, and wondered why it was so quiet.  Who else can say that about a birthday party for a six year old at their house???

Happy Birthday Mia!

 

Dear Mia....

Guess who turned six?



Happy Birthday Mia!

Dear Mia,

I always wonder on the eve of my own birthdays if I'll feel any different the following day, when the calendar indicates that a new year has begun - when the clock shows that I'm officially older.  One year older.

On the eve of your birthday, I thought about you, and how you might feel being six.  I thought about how I will feel saying, 'My daughter is six'. 

You told me the next day, on your actual birthday, that this was a good age, and I agreed.  Six just sounds more capable.  It sounds able to carry a heavy backpack.  It sounds like it can stay up later.  It sounds like it can read and write better.  It sounds like it can run faster on longer legs and ice skate and ski better.  It just sounds older.

Small things are changing, subtle things.  You've lost most of your front baby teeth and you've gotten taller.  Your voice is ever so slightly deeper and your tone is more direct at times.  Your questions have gotten more complex and you are quick to correct me or challenge me if you disagree. 

But these things didn't occur overnight.  Perceptive people have been noticing for awhile.  You've been slowly turning six for the past six months, just as you slowly turned five last year and you'll slowly turn seven next. 

Age is a gradual process, even though we all shriek otherwise when we look in the mirror and see TIME stamped all over our faces.  It doesn't just sneak into your room, on your birthday, and smother the old you, leaving something totally new.  It's a series of things that happen that equal up to being OLDER.  I truly do believe that you reach the new age when you can reflect upon the last year thoughtfully.  That's when there has been some kind of shift internally, like a calendar page turning.  I see that you have turned that page. 

You really are SIX. 

You are so many beautiful things now, at this age.  You are empathetic, always striving to understand the plight of other people.  You are a thinker, questioning so much that at times I have to say, guiltily, "No more questions tonight Mia."  You are principled, doing what you say and saying what you do.  But not always, which makes you flexible too.  Carefree.  You are smart and loyal, a risk-taker too.  All of these wonderful things will ebb and flow through the years.  You'll tap into certain attributes when you need them and maybe abandon some temporarily along the way as you find your older self.   We'll love you all the same, year after year. 


So carry on small girl, doing what you do best, learning, growing, experiencing, AGING.  You show us older gals that it can be done gracefully. 

We love you more than I can express Mia.  Happiest of Birthdays to you. 

Much Love,
Mom

School Photos

Fall means colder weather.  More soup.  Back to work and school.  And, of course, school photos. 

 

Presenting...Mia and Luca.  They sent home all three shots with Luca, like some kind of catalog model.  Since when are you given a choice with school photos?  The deal used to be that you hand over your sweaty wad of cash only to recieve a photo with a goofy smile and wayward hair. Things have changed. 

You like the hot pink background on Mia's shot?  Why yes, we paid extra for that.  Mia said she just had to be flanked in all pink so I packed along an extra couple of bucks to make all her photographic dreams come true.  Tis the small things I've always said. 

Naturally, like any mother, I'm awe struck that these two courageous and beautiful beings are a part of V and me.  Goofy smiles and all. 

iphone diaries

The last soccer game.  37 degrees.  The Sharks ate the competition, with Luca's help of course. 

Tiny Buddies at the farm on the preschool field trip.  Side note: Luca is holding the medal Nana gave to him because he didn't receive a medal at the final soccer game.  You see, he was never on the roster for the soccer team.  Which we all thought he understood.  Clearly, he did not.  When the medals were passed out, the look of sheer hurt on his face was almost unbearable, and the earth shattering sob that followed was pretty heartbreaking too.  This tiny boy, who lovingly attended EVERY game and practice, and even helped the team to their final vitory, was denied entrance to their exclusive five year old club.  Nana to the rescue.  One quick phone call to her to see if she had a medal on hand solved the problem.  Needless to say, he hasn't taken his "soccer medal" off since. 

Another field trip shot. 

A haircut

Luca has always sported a boyish do, a floppy tangle of fine blonde strands that hangs over his ears and inches toward his eyes.  I brought him to my stylist a few months ago and she trimmed him and made him look adorable.  But long haircuts grow out quickly and I knew we needed to get another cut.  We woke up this morning and I began to chase him around with a wet comb, begging him to please let me just brush the big tangle out of the back.  He told me he wanted to get his hair cut "like Daddy" and at "Daddy's shop".  So, away we went. 

Behold.   A bold new haircut.  Luca meets the faux hawk. 

Music pumped through the joint and men sat all around us. Big men.  Tall men.  Clippers were humming and the backs of necks were slathered in thick cream.  Luca was in heaven.  This boy wants to be a man.  Much to my heart's dismay. 

Pre-cut

All that lovely blonde down.  Even Luca looked shocked to see it go.

Being styled

He walked out with a swagger, and a lollipop.  Watch out world. 

Yard Work

Field Trip

I accompanied Luca and his class on their fall field trip to a pumpkin patch.  I am a mother of two and an educator, specializing in primary literacy (K-2) so I know a thing or two about children, both professionally and personally.  I know temper tantrums and runny noses.  I know soiled pants and carpet from misjudged bathroom needs.  I know tiny bodies stuck in winter coats with broken zippers and too big snow boots that clomp around school yards and back yards.  But three year olds?  Lots of them?  I can say with conviction that I think I was outnumbered. 

 

Several of us moms joined our little preschoolers for day out at a farm.  We climbed on the bus with the kids and hung on to the seat backs in front of us as we jostled around a back road heading North.  The kids were quiet, for the most part, staring out the window, commenting on things as they passed. 

 

When we arrived, the kids were in heaven.  We adults shivered and stuffed our hands into our pockets, numbly looking for kleenex to tend to the stray drippy nose.  They ran through a hay maze, pet some goats and a big lama, chose pumpkins and made a scarecrow. 

 

The kids had partners and held on to each other throughout the morning, like tiny rare animals being shuttled off into the ark.  They would let go of one another to tend to discovery but then would grab hold again, seeking comfort in the known.  Luca's partner would say, "Hey Buddy.  Don't forget to hold my hand."  Luca would dutifully loop his fingers through his friend's.

 

I tried to be helpful to the teachers, escorting little ones to the port-o-potty and then cajoling (bribing) some to actually use the quasi looking toilet.  I opened lunches for a few and rubbed a few backs when they would just collapse from the sheer weight of being three.  I photographed a lot.  I snapped so many shots, from every angle, of all of the kids.  I just kept thinking how interesting it was to be a part of my boy's day. How special it was.

 

We jiggled along the same road heading home and the bus fell silent.  I could see tiny feet splaying outward in the seats ahead of me, the sure sign of sleeping kids.  I heard a few snores.  I felt queasy from the motion of the bus but felt so totally content that I was Luca's that morning. I cherish my alone time with each child for so many reasons.  A day on a farm with Luca  is a good day indeed.   

 

 



Luca and his partner

Preschool Class of 2012