Back to School, Back to School

Scenes from Ben's first day of school on Tuesday: Waiting for the bus with shoeless Lucy Haws and her Thomas the Train book.

Lucy got a taste of Ben being gone full-time when he spent the second week in August in Utah with Andy's parents. She really misses him and asks at least ten times every day, "Where Ben?"

She now flies solo in the double stroller. It's such a dream to push that I prefer it over the single for taking walks. I'm sure people see us and wonder if I forgot my other kid at home.

Getting on the bus like an old pro. He rode the bus for kindergarten last year and has the same bus driver, so it was familiar territory. We still walk him to the bus in the morning, but he asked us to not meet him in the afternoon so he can make the 30-second walk home by himself. Independence and stretching boundaries and all that. Personally, I'm thrilled that I don't have to panic about being on the corner when the bus arrives or they won't let him off, like last year. We had many a close call, rushing home from errands.

Ben seems to like his teacher, he says lunch is his favorite party of the day, and one of his favorite friends from last year is in his new class. The teacher gave all the kids the homework of learning to tie their shoes. Ben doesn't own any tie shoes, so I can't decide if we should stick with Velcro as long as possible to avoid the hassle or to just bite the bullet and buy some tie shoes so as not to prolong the inevitable.

I still can't believe Ben's a first grader. As my sister asked me tonight, "Is he getting old or are you?" I'd like to think the former. :)

It's Going Swimmingly

After two sessions of swimming lessons, Ben finally conquered his fear of putting his face in the water and learned to float on his front and back. Hooray!

The first set of lessons was a bust because his teacher just let the kids play the whole time and didn't actually help them float or make them put their faces in the water. I'm not typically a diva mom and understand there are lots of kids to teach, but after three days of this, I finally went to the instructors and asked if they could please focus on helping him float, whether with kickboards, noodles, holding him up, ANYTHING!!! Nothing changed and I was really frustrated by the end of the week. But besides the shocking lack of instruction, much of it also had to do with the power struggle between my desire for Ben to learn to swim and his desire to game the system. If the teachers said to do bobs, he'd wait until they went underwater and then only go in up to his neck. If they said to float on his tummy, he'd just kind of walk forward and fall into the water, never putting his face in. I wanted to strangle him.

Our parks and rec department is very strict about only allowing each child one set of lessons per summer because of high demand. But I took a chance and went in to ask for a second lesson, happy to pay for more. They at first denied my request, but when I explained my dissatisfaction with the first week, they let us in and actually didn't charge us for the second round. This week the teachers were great and he made tons of progress. It didn't hurt that I resorted to bribery on the third day - a set of Pokemon cards if he'd float. He'd conquered the back float on his own when we went to a waterpark the week before, but it was the front float that still bedeviled us. I knew he could do it, he was just choosing not to. Lo and behold, that day he did it! Today he happily swam with his friends at the Y pool, and even though he's still a bit timid, at least I know he won't drown.

Sadly, it took us six years to reach this milestone. Lucy is a major water baby and happily jumps off the side into the pool. My one-year-old niece is already in baby swim classes and my three-year-old niece has been swimming for two years now and is a little fish with her own goggles and swim cap. At least he won't be shown up by them when we see them next week when we get together for a family wedding. I don't know if Ben could bear the humiliation. Sometimes embarassment is also a good motivator.

Were you an early swimmer or are you still not a big fan of the water?

It's Not Business, It's Personal

Ever since I saw these custom address stamps online a few weeks go, I've been dying to get one. I love all the various tools of handwritten correspondence - sumptuous paper, elegant stationery, charming cards - particularly when they're personalized. So when an email alerted me that today was the last day they were on sale, I decided to stop dreaming and splurge on this little piece of everyday luxury. Paying the bills and addressing Christmas cards will never be the same again.

What's a tiny indulgence you've been eyeing or have scooped up lately?

Jersey Boys

Have you seen this show? It's coming here next month and Andy and I would like to see it, but don't know much about it. My little sis Kaylee said it was one of her favorite shows in London, so that's one big thumbs up.

Thankfully this is one Jersey-related production that's guaranteed to be Snooki-free.

Barely Legal

So I'm finally legit. After putting it off for four years, I traded in my Massachusetts driver's license for one from the Buckeye State. I renewed my MA one in 2006 and they're good for five years, but it was going to expire on my birthday next month, so I had to get a new one quick so as to avoid having to take not only the written, but the dreaded driving test as well. To be totally honest, I'm kind of sad about it all. It feels like the end of an era and my connection to Boston. Plus, it was a flattering picture, which rare for ID cards. Guess I'm a true Midwesterner now. Not quite as glamorous as being a East Coaster. But I'll have to follow my sister's advice and make it glamorous. :)

It seems like the third time's the charm for me in completing any bureaucratic transaction. On my first reluctant attempt last year I went to the testing center, only to be told that I had to fill out the requisite paperwork first, but I didn't have time to wait more that day and left empty handed. Then yesterday I stood in line, only to be told I'd need to take the written test first. To add insult to injury, the testing center is closed on Mondays. Aargh! So I brushed up on the driver's manual while riding the bike at the gym, gathered up every possible form of ID and proof of address, and returned this morning to success!

It also took me three times to be able to vote in the May election because of a confusion in voting locations and the poll workers not accepting my forms of ID. But I digress...

For your viewing pleasure: A smorgasboard of some older ID cards. I won't be offended if you laugh. Talk about a walk down memory lane.

Note that the AZ license doesn't expire until 2045. They make them good until your 65th birthday, which I think is to cater to the state's large population of, shall we say, more "mature" citizens. I do love the idea of not having to renew every 3-5 years and think more states should adopt the practice. A double edged sword that would reduce paperworks and lines at the BMW but concurrently reduce precious state revenues. Se la vie.

My first passport, issued at age 18 prior to my first international trip. A treasured possession.

My one regret about today is that I forgot to ask them if they would let me keep my old license to add to my collection. Think they've thrown it away yet?

P.S. Thanks Rach H for helping blur out my address so as to avoid creepy stalkers.

Summer Road Trip

At the beginning of June I made a bucket list of all of the things we (meaning I) wanted to do this summer so we wouldn't look back and wonder where the time went, wishing we would have done more fun activities. One of the things on our list was to take a road trip, so over the 4th of July weekend we packed up the car and headed off to Nauvoo, IL for a little history adventure.

On our way there we stayed overnight in Indianapolis with some very gracious friends who let us crash in their lovely new home not long after the movers delivered all of their belongings following a move from Seattle. Literally, the movers were finishing setting up the beds when we drove up. I promise, we didn't know that would be the case when we made the arrangements. Ben had a blast playing with their three sons and the boys spent much of the time talking Legos and huddling over an iPad as they took turns playing games. Thank you again Caroline and Lincoln!

For those unfamiliar with Mormon history, Nauvoo was one of the original sites where Mormon pioneers settled in the mid-1800s. It's now a living history site where you can learn about how people lived in that time period, as well as about the people and events during Nauvoo's early days. In the top picture, Ben and Lucy are in front of the rebuilt Nauvoo Temple, which is situated in a stunning location on a bluff overlooking the mighty Mississippi River. Growing up near the Columbia River and guiding on the Snake River, one of my favorite parts of the trip was driving along the Mississippi. Truly spectacular.

Lucy sporting the latest pioneer fashion. They say the prairie look is making a comeback.

This picture makes me smile thinking of Andy's sister Charlotte, who donned a bonnet in honor of her pioneer ancestors as she and Betsy drove across Nebraska on a cross-country road trip a few years ago.

The boys trying their hand at pre-Angry Birds forms of entertainment

Ben discovered a new favorite form of recreation: climbing trees. This happens to be on a random patch of grass next to a truck stop McDonald's somewhere in the middle of Indiana. Other highlights of the trip were passing four trains as we drove and all the wildlife we spotted: A fox, a deer, ducks, geese, and the snapping turtle that Lucy almost stepped on because it was buried in the mud.

Visiting Carthage Jail

More old-timey games

Lucy bouncing around the room during a presentation about how bricks are made. Like a true nearly-two-year-old, she didn't sit too well for any of our subsequent visits to the blacksmith shop, barrel maker, or bakery. Thankfully it's all fairly kid friendly. Ben loved coming home with a horseshoe and a ring made out of a nail.

Party at the hotel pool. We arrived on a classic Midwest summer day (97 degrees and nearly 100% humidity) and needed a break from the stifling weather.

Doing a little mutton busting.

Maybe we can start training her to be a future Rodeo Queen. Kidding. I'm not going all Toddlers and Tiaras, but I do love a good rodeo and wish we could find one here in Ohio. The closest things we've got are the monster truck rally and demolition derby at this week's Franklin County Fair. On second thought, maybe those need to be added to the list.

What fun adventures have you had this summer? What would you still like to do before school starts again?

The Final Countdown

One more day until the movie event of the year: The final installment of the Harry Potter series. For HP lovers, it's a bittersweet end, even though we all know that the books are infinitely better than their cinematic counterparts.

I wish I was wearing this shirt to the theater.

We'll go Saturday night since having kids who wake up at the crack of dawn throws a serious wrench into the excitement of midnight premieres and all our prospective babysitters will probably be out on Friday night watching the movie themselves.

There's one part of the movie I'm particularly curious about: The scene where Harry is walking into the forest to meet Voldemort and he realizes what's inside the Golden Snitch Dumbledore left him. He puts the Snitch to his lips and finds the Resurrection Stone, whereupon his family and friends appear and stay with him as he bravely goes to meet his fate. The phrase, "I open at the close" never fails to give me chills and I bawl like a baby every time I read that scene. We'll see if the Hollywood version is as moving.

Will you be seeing the movie and when? Midnight showing, opening weekend, after the initial hype has blown over, or not at all?

Do you have a favorite scene or character from the books?

It's so fun to have something like this to look forward to. Next big movie we're anticipating: The Help