Posts tagged memories
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!
I scream, you scream…
May 27th
“Run, run, run as fast as you can
Here comes the music of the Ice Cream Man.
Hurry, hurry, hurry he’s coming down the street
I have some money for an ice cream treat!”
Brinley came home from school one day a few weeks ago singing this little tune over and over and over again. At first I thought maybe she had made it up but it turns out that she learned it at school. Very fitting since it happened to be about a bazillion degrees that day.
I have some really fond childhood memories involving the ice cream truck. We had one in our neighborhood that stopped on the corner every single day when the weather was above 70-ish degrees. I remember hearing the tinkly music and running inside with my brother and neighborhood kids to beg my mom, or any other grown up, for some money for the ice cream truck. I consider myself very lucky because more often than not my parents happily handed over their pocket change so that we could get a treat.
There is an ice cream truck in our new neighborhood. We heard that unmistakable music ringing in the air the first week we 
moved in. I wasn’t sure Brinley would know what the music was or what it was coming from because we’d only experienced the ice cream truck a few times and it had been over a year since she last saw one. Well, to my surprise she knew exactly what it was and started jumping up and down yelling, “ice cream man, ice cream man!” All of my childhood memories came back to me and Scott ran inside to get some money. What was shocking was that those screwballs that used to cost us 50 cents were now two dollars!! A simple popsicle is $1.50 and an ice cream sandwich is $2.00. Yikes! Of course we got her an ice cream, a Dora face with gumball eyes.
The bad part – the ice cream truck strolls through the neighborhood around 4:30pm. About an hour or so before dinner time. Oh and the fact that if we let her get ice cream even a few times a week Scott is going to have to get another job so that we can afford it! We definitely don’t indulge her daily even though she asks. She understands that it’s a special treat which is good. But the smile on her face when she hears that tinkly music coming through the neighborhood really brings me back.
Holding back the tears.
May 20th
Today my little girl graduated from her first year of preschool. I don’t know where the time has gone but somehow over the past three and half years she has transformed from a little, helpless, squishy infant into a beautiful, intelligent, sweet little girl. Everyday when I look at her, I am amazed at the little person that she is. She is truly the light of my life and I can’t imagine a life without her in it.
When Brinley started school back in September she was a totally different child. She was extremely shy and cried every morning when I dropped her off at school. It broke my heart to see her like that but I knew that eventually she’d come around and love school… So what if it took almost four months. Now, eight months later, she is so sad that school is over. She tells me everyday that she doesn’t want to have a summer vacation because she loves school. I just keep reminding her that she’ll enjoy the break and she’ll be going back in September.
Back to today… For weeks Brinley and her little class of seven other kids have been preparing for their end of the year musical program and graduation. She’s been singing all sorts of songs at home that she has learned in school and I was very curious to see how this would all play out live on stage at school. The day finally arrived and she got dressed up in a cute little dress. She was so excited this morning to perform for us at school and to take part in the finale. I dropped her off at the usual 9am and ran home to finish getting myself and Nora ready. I knew that I’d need to get there a little earlier than 10am to be sure to get a seat. But when I pulled into the school parking lot at 9:35am and there was not a single spot in sight, I was a little taken aback. I finally found a place to park and headed inside. When I got inside the gymnasium I was once again surprised to see that nearly every single seat had already been taken or reserved. From talking with another mom, I learned that some parents had gotten to the school as early as 8am to reserved their seats. (At least I’ll know better for next year!) Anyway, I managed to find a seat for Nora and I but Scott would have to stand when he arrived.
The show started and Brinely’s class was the second to preform. She walked perfectly into the gym with her classmates and lined up on the stage all ready to sing. She saw us and smiled and the look on her face was of such joy. It truly melted my heart. Then they began to sing and my once quite little girl was up there as proud as can be belting out the words to every single song. It made me so proud and I began to feel my throat get tight and my eyes well up with tears. And trust me I am NOT a sappy person. I held back the tears but it was an emotional moment to say the least. Brinley recieved her diploma and walked down from the stage with the rest of her class. The entire performance (for her class) lasted maybe 8 minutes but those were 8 minutes that I’ll never forget.
Seeing your children grow up and change and be so proud of themselves is amazing. And knowing that your love, support and guidance has brought them to that place is a very overwhelming feeling. I am so proud of my little girl and though I’d like her to stay little forever, I am so excited to watch her continue to grow and prosper. I have no doubt that she will achieve great things in life.
Now, can someone pass me the tissues? ::sob, sob::
Looking Back a Year
May 3rd
We celebrated Nora’s First Birthday on Saturday. It’s hard to believe that she is a year old already. It truly is unreal how quickly the time passes. Nora has filled our lives with so much joy. She is such a character and watching her grow and change every day is just awesome. Looking back at some of her very first pictures as a newborn, I am amazed at all of the changes she has gone through.
Right after she was born, Nora gave us quite a scare in the hospital. Scott and I were just about to (attempt to) settle down for the night when he looked in her little glass crib and noticed that she was very red. She seemed to be struggling to breathe and eventually coughed up quite a bit of mucous. We paged the nurses and within seconds a group of them came rushing in to see what was the matter. They ended up taking Nora to the nursery to check her out a bit deeper. She appeared to be fine and the chalked the mucous up to her being birthed so fast (5 minutes, 3 pushes) and not having a chance to get a good squeeze on her way through. Well, within a few minutes she had another repeat episode. This time it landed her a spot in the NICU. Luckily for us, I gave birth in a hospital fully equipped with a NICU and Nora didn’t have to be transferred to another hospital.
To make a really long, emotional roller coaster of a story, short, Nora spent 9 nights in the NICU as a result of having an immature breathing pattern and being unable to keep her oxygen saturation stable. Of course we were nervous, scared, heartbroken, you name it, about having to have her there, but we realized how much worse it could have been. It was so hard seeing some of the other babies that were in the NICU and knowing that Nora would be fine but just needed a little more time to mature.
The most difficult parts of having Nora in the NICU were traveling to and from the hospital on a daily basis, maintaining exclusive breast milk feeding, and trying to take care of two children that were in two different places. Somehow I succeeded at doing it but not without the help of an extremely amazing husband and truly supportive family members and friends. You see, our house was 45 minutes away from the hospital (without traffic). Once I was discharge and went home, I would wake up every morning, spend a few hours with Brinley and then drive in to be with Nora. While I was in the hospital with her, I would nurse her, hold her, take pictures of her, watch her sleep, and cry. I kept my sanity by going on walks around the city while she napped and by being blessed with some of the most amazing nurses ever! I’d spend from 11am until 11pm daily at the hospital. I’d nurse her while I was there and then when I went home, I set an alarm clock for every 2 hours so that I could pump and bring the milk to the nurses who would use it to feed her when I wasn’t there. I am extremely proud of the fact that during her 10 day stay in the NICU she was fed breast milk exclusively!
It’s so crazy how fast the past year has gone. Nora has been such a joy. Her smile can light up a room and her hugs just make me melt. She’s walking and “talking” and trying really hard to keep up with all of the things that her big sister is doing. I can’t imagine my life without her and I am truly blessed to have TWO such wonderful, beautiful, amazing daughters in my life!
Happy Birthday, Nora Jade!
