One Year

1st Day of First Grade 2012

Last Day of First Grade 2013

Schools Out!!

Im leaving in a few minutes to pick Ella and Drew up from their last day of 1st grade! Really, why does it all go by so fast? This will most likely have been there last year together in the same class. I hope the summer never ends - I won't be able to handle next years back to school!

So in the meantime, a summer bucket list::

* Mini Golf
* Ice cream Truck
* Beach, Beach, Beach
* Bonfires
* Smores
* Fire works
* NJ Boardwalk
* Bike Rides
* Ice Cream...and lots of it!
* Fair
* Pool Parties
* Night Swimming
* Pirate Adventure in Boston
* Boston Harbor Islands
* Uncle Marks Boat
* Fishing
* Tie Dye

What am I missing?

Happy Birthday!

 These pictures pretty much say it all - Happy Birthday to the best Daddy, hero, and husband anyone could ask for! You are the best! xoxo

Ride, Sally, Ride!

 "Mom, I want to ride in a bike ride to help kids with cancer!'
"Me too!"
"Can I do it?"

There is no way to say no to that! They raised a little bit of money, they organized bike helmets and water cups and polished up their bikes. But my favorite part was the conversations that happened in the days leading up to the bike ride. We talked about what Cancer is and the people we know and love who are affected. We talked about how lucky we are that we are healthy. And we talked about how what we do can make a difference for someone else. As Drew said, "It must be so sad to see your brother be sick, I wouldn't want anyone's brother to be sick."

Sometimes I shy away from talking to the kids about the "bad" stuff in the world. I want to preserve their innocence and hope for as long as possible. And Ill still do that. But, I want to plant the seeds early that we have something to give. We will always have something to give - even if it is simply to ride our bikes in a park in honor of someone else.

Balancing

 It is quite possible that I bit off more than I can chew this week. Ever happened to you? Last night at 2 AM my eyes were squinty trying to finish a class project. And my mind was racing because what I really should be doing is studying for my licensing exam next week. Or completing the on-line course work is pressuring me about. Or making lists about the other things I happily volunteered to do, right now!

And so, I woke up grumpy. And rightly so, don't you agree? And then because children know how to time such things, my middle guy went back to bed sick, sick, sick. Just as I was beginning to panic about it all, I stopped. And laughed at myself. Because I love this. I love this busy, time crunched, doing it all balancing act. This is what I want to be doing with my life. Exactly.

No more complaining for me today.

And a heartfelt apology to my family for being a little testy this morning- extra kisses for everyone tonight!

Camping - Dargan Style

 This is a Yurt. Yes, I know - I had no idea either! My brother and his family spoke of camping in one years ago and it sounded like fun. This past winter I was looking into affordable vacation options and while investigating cabins, I stumbled upon the Yurts. Im quite certain I told Mike nothing about this as I checked "book this site" on the park's website. I was confident it would work out...sort of!

 And so it was that about 5 months later we found ourselves driving through rain to reach the Yurt. The kids were beyond excited. We jumped out of the car, ran to the Yurt and 15 min later we all looked at each other with a collective, "now what?" There was no sign of the rain letting up. Hiking, fishing and going for ice cream were quickly crossed off of the list.

We went to the movies. On our first family camping trip. Im not kidding. 

If my friends who introduced me to back country camping in Montana are reading this...I think they just "tsk, tsked" me. As we emerged from the dark, dry and warm theater we all jumped for joy at the dry skies. We rushed back to the campsite and managed to roast a few hot dogs on the fire before the rain started in again. We were cozy enough in the yurt. We had a rocking dance party, ate non-roasted marshmallows, and brushed our teeth with bottled water. We snuggled into our sleeping bags and listened to the thunderstorms all night.

We awoke on Mother's Day to more pouring rain. We hopped in the car, swung through the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru and we were home in time for breakfast.

The kids can't wait to "camp" again. That's a success in my book.