Last days of summer - part 1

{apparently I never hit publish on this last month! ;) }

This was a really good summer.  I think we did pretty well with our goal of living slow and focusing on family time.  I really like these kids. :)

Sister piano lessons

Late afternoon river swimming and rock skipping with Papa, and dinner by Daddy's frisbee game.

Boston Lot with friends, and ran into another group of friends.  

Farm flowers make me happy

One last pool nap :)

A long wait but a fun dinner at Harpoon

Many visits to watch the digger outside the library

Adara's alone-day at the lake with Papa

Back to the lake for Essex County Fair weekend and Papa's birthday.  

 (I think Alden thinks the fair is Papa's birthday; he told me the other day, "You that fishing game at Papa's birthday?  I really love that.")

 Papa's actual birthday - the whole crew in the new boat. (We miss you Nick!!)

First day of school!

The girls had a great 1st day of school today! 

How is this Emily's last year at Mt. Leb?? 

 (Alden starts next week but he wanted in on the pictures:)

Alden & I served coffee with PTO for parents after drop off.  It was fun to meet some new parents and reconnect with some families in our neighborhood who have kids starting at the school. 

 

 On our own again!

First day success!  

They both love their teachers, were happy to be sitting with friends in class.  

I'm so thankful for a happy start to the year!

No more taba!

 Big milestone earlier this month -- this little boy learned to sleep without his taba! 
I'm still feeling a little (ok maybe a lot) nostalgic about this.

We've known for awhile we needed to do it, and one day recently Alden said (for the first time ever) that he might be ready to try sleeping without it. He changed his mind at bedtime, but the next night we providentially had dinner with friends who were getting ready to have their 4.5 year old say goodbye to her pacifier.  I grilled my friend on her strategy, and realized that the upcoming week was the perfect time - no big events, before we left for vacation, and well before the new school year started. 

A couple days later, Alden and I sat on the beach at Storrs Pond after the CRC baptism/picnic day and talked about it.  

He decided he was ready, so I called Alasdair at home and told him to hide all the tabas. We stopped on the way home to pick out a new stuffed animal to sleep with and a prize to wake up to the next day.  That night was really rough, lots of tears and anger, demanding it back, but he fell asleep and slept all night.  The next morning he woke up sobbing for it, which broke my heart.  Since we'd decided almost on a whim to try sleeping without it, I felt really sad that he'd never had his "last" night with his taba, and like maybe we'd pushed him into it.  But having made it through the first night I didn't want to go back.

During the day he did ask for it a few times, but he continued to say he wanted to be brave, to be a big boy, and keep learning to sleep without it.  At bedtime that night, he was a wreck again, so we sat in my room and talked about all the reasons it was time to stop using it.  That had little effect, so I went back to bribery, and let him choose a prizes for each day that week that he went to sleep without taba and later without crying.   We got my computer and ordered his requested Ky Loren (sp?) costume and light saber.  He also wanted to have donuts with Ethan, so brought munchkins the pool one day.  It seemed to really help him each night to have something to 'earn' the next day.  I also let him fall asleep listening to an audio book, which seemed to help keep him distracted.  After a couple nights without it, he stopped asking for it at all during the day (a big change!) and didn't ask much at night either.

When we first got to the lake, he asked hopefully if we'd brought any tabas....but that was a week ago and I think the last time he's asked.  I still feel a little sad about this last vestige of babyhood 😢, but I know we needed to let it go, and I'm proud of my big boy! 

Lake Week 2018

I love this place and love seeing my kids grow up here.  Some photo highlights...

Emily went up a couple days early with Mimi & Papa, and was invited fishing with David & Kat! She loved it, and caught her first bass.


 Emily hopped on a paddle board and the next thing I knew she was way out at the edge of the bay.  She's getting brave!  Mimi took Adara out to join her.


#1 theme of the week: tubing!!  The girls were so adventurous, loved flying across the wake and bouncing in the waves. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. :) 

Right before that picture was taken, we had to stop the tube ride because a large buck was swimming across the mouth of Hunter Bay!

Continuing the theme of our slow summer, letting the kids set the pace.










Some mommy Emi time by the water on a perfect sunny south wind morning. 


She loves playing on "her" rock.


Paddle boarding with my boy.


{Not pictured - a few hours spent rescuing a flipped sail boat and towing them to the boat launch.}

Date night at the Yacht Club

#2 theme of the week: new dock & new friends at Rock Harbor.  The long awaited new dock was installed early this week, with room for 3 boats to tie up.  This along with a new social vibe in the neighborhood led to much more time spent with the Flynn and Sullivan clans.  All the teenagers were really friendly and so nice to our kids.  Alden made fast friends with Hunter Flynn.

The Sullivan's hosted the "1st annual" Rock Harbor Lawn Olympics - such a fun way to spend time together!  We met some other new Westport friends, including a family who lives in Hanover and has kids our age.  Small world!