Archive for July, 2010
Life’s a beach…
Jul 6th
Saturday was our five year wedding anniversary. Since it falls on a holiday weekend we decided not to celebrate this big milestone on it’s actual day but wait and do it the following weekend (this weekend). With that said, we traveled down to visit Scott’s side of the family for the day. His brother lives right on the beach and always has a big gathering on July 3rd. So we packed up the girls early that morning with beach gear galore and drove a little over an hour. To our HUGE surprise there was no traffic! We got there in record time, grabbed some food for the kids and headed to the beach. It was PACKED beyond belief. I can’t say I’m surprised but the tides were not cooperating with the 90 plus degree weather and everyone was jam packed in about 10 feet of space between the water and the sea wall. And the tide kept rising meaning we had to push back our chairs and bags about every 5 minutes. The girls had a blast though and even though I despise ocean beach sand, it was completely worth it. The water was even warm enough un-numbing enough that you could go in and actually enjoy it. Brinley made sand castles with her cousins and swam in the ocean with her daddy. Nora ran around non stop the entire day, ate everything in site and tried out everyone’s beach chair. She attempted to go in the water many times but every time a wave came toward her she’s run for the sand. It was too cute.
After we were all drained from the sun and ran out of cold drinks and food, we headed back to my brother-in-law’s house for a BBQ. Burgers, sausages, steak tips, chicken, pasta salad, fruit salad, coleslaw, cookies, brownies, margaritas, beer… you name it, it was consumed! The kids all played in the yard while the adults talked and ate. Around 9pm we all paraded back down to the beach for the most amazing fireworks display ever. You’d never have known that lighting off fireworks was illegal in Massachusetts after seeing the show that was put on by the locals. Probably some of the best fireworks that I’ve ever seen. We kept the kids up waaaaaaaaay late but they were amazing. Nora stayed awake for the show and Brinley fell asleep in daddy’s arms under the fireworks.
At about 10:30pm we trudged back to the house and packed the girls up in the car. Nora was still awake so I managed to get her into her PJs. Brinley was already passed out so we just plopped her in the car. They both slept for the entire ride home and then we transferred them to their beds. Scott and I followed suit and passed out just as our heads hit the pillows. We never originally planned to stay for the fireworks but the girls were being so good and having so much fun that we just went with it. I’m so glad that we did.
Five years ago tomorrow…
Jul 2nd
I don’t blog on the weekends but I can’t let tomorrow go by without acknowledging a VERY special occasion. You see, five years ago tomorrow, I married my best friend. I know that sounds cliche and everyone says it, but it really is true. It’s almost annoying how well Scott and I get along. People are always telling us that we have such a great relationship, and we do. I won’t deny that. We make a great team and we compliment each other so well. He’s a big talker, and I’m a great listener. He’s cautious, I’m a risk taker. He’s a softie (in parenting terms), I’m firm. He has great ideas and visions, I help him follow through. He’s a neat freak, I’m, well, I’m not 
It’s crazy to think that we were married five years ago. In a lot of ways five years seems like such a long time. So much can happen and it has. We’ve brought two amazing daughters into the world, bought a house, become landloards, got new jobs, and made big life decisions. Our lives have changed immensely. But in the same respect, five years really isn’t that long. I remember planning my wedding and everything that went into it. I remember folding programs, making favors, and booking hair and make up trials. I remember trying on wedding dresses and ordering flowers. And I remember the extremely overwhelming emotions that flooded my body on that day five years ago.
I am so happy with how our life together is turning out. I can honestly say that I don’t think that there is anyone in the entire world who is more perfect for me than Scott is. Happy Anniversary Sweetie! I love you!
Too little or too much?
Jul 1st
Brinley is at the age where she is old enough to sign up for team sports and other activities. We’ve dabbled in dance class which she absolutely loves and she plays soccer and T-ball in the yard all the time. Most sports and activities start up in the fall when school is back in session but registration for these things is going on NOW. There’s no doubt that she’ll take ballet in the fall, but is that enough? Should she also play a sport? If so, which one? Do I let her choose or do I sign her up for the one(s) that I think she’ll like and do well at?
I don’t want to overdo it with scheduling activities for her because she’s still so young and I want her to have plenty of time to be a kid and play with her toys and enjoy the freedom of choosing what to do and when. But I also don’t want her to miss out on anything or to be late in starting certain sports or activities when other kids may already be doing them. I’m looking for that perfect happy medium but I’m just not sure what it is. And it’s probably different for every kid/family and that’s what makes it so difficult to decide.
It seems I’m always hearing about parents who over schedule their children with activities. They’re in swimming, gymnastics, dance, soccer, T-ball, piano lessons AND Girl Scouts on top of going to school. To me that just seems like too much. It doesn’t leave any room for spur of the moment plans during the week or time for visits to friends and family or even time to just play at home. And can the kid really get good at all of those things at once? I agree that it’s good to expose your kids to many different activities so that they know what is available to them, but how many of those things should they participate in at once?
Brinley will go to school three days a week in the fall. We’ll sign her up for ballet which will be 45 minutes per week and I’ve decided to sign her up for soccer. When I initially asked her about soccer she was very excited, but each time that I bring it up with her, she changes her mind. I’m not going to un-register her, we’ll just see what happens in the fall. Maybe she’ll love it, maybe she won’t. When soccer season is over, we’ll look for another activity to replace it and maybe add something else. I just don’t want to be a slave to my four year old’s (I can’t believe she’s almost 4!) schedule and have to be driving around everywhere all the time. I also think it’s unfair to Nora (younger siblings) to be carted around all day to their older siblings’ activities.
What’s your take on all of this? Is it better for the kids to do more and keep busy or just stick with two or three things and have some freedom? What is your happy medium? What activities has your four year old loved?
