First Day of School

First day of preschool (3 afternoons a week)



...and yes he cried as I left.

So I did what any mother would do - went back in and held him, talked to him, soothed him, and desperately wanted to say "tell me if you don't want to stay and we can leave" - - but I didn't. I felt horrible - why in our society is it okay to leave a 4 year old at school.  Thank God I was unable to take that lottery program.  Funny thing is, I said to the "principal" - this is the quietest Matteo will ever be - and with a class of 11 boys and 3 girls you know I hit the nail on the head.

Chloe May had the right idea this afternoon with a 2.5 hour nap - catching up from our end of summer Hurrah.

Sleepover

One might think my late hours yesterday allowed  me time to sleep in - however that one might not know I have two little ones :-)  So yes, I was up 6:44 AM like I am every day - only today was Matteo.  Daddy on the other hand, oh well he slept well past 9:30 AM ;-)  Men.

Despite the rainy conditions today Matteo is always asking to go into Poppi's woods and that is just what he did today.  Together Daddy, Matteo & Poppi hiked 2 miles to a lake (encountering caves along the way) - and then on the way back Matteo needed to be carried towards the end.  No doubt his delight at this venture is what kept him going for so long.

Exploring and discovering the caves.

Daddy, Matteo & Poppi made it all the way to the lake -

Mommy wasn't there, I went back up and spent another 45 minutes with my friend.  So you know - yes Matteo almost fell in the lake :-)   Oh Daddy.

And we were delighted to share another meal with Jules' parents, brother and Granny - and finally despite the heavy rain decided to head home as Daddy had to get to work with a project due tomorrow (a fact we only realized about 1 PM).  So 8:45 PM we packed up our crew and headed home - only to be met with closed highways due to flooding.  Poor Daddy (good thing he got that extra sleep) - it took us an extra hour to get home - making our trip 3 hours - and worth every minute of it.  Did Daddy get to work - well yes, after a 4 hour nap. 

Looking forward to more exploration in Nanny & Poppi's woods in the coming months and hopefully getting back to see Granny before she returns to FL.

Granny

Today we ventured to our old stomping grounds as Matteo & Chloe May's great grandmother was in town from FL and this would be only Matteo's second time meeting her (Chloe May has never). There was a party for Granny at a local restaurant up there, so we shined our shoes and buckled up for the long ride.

I took the below photo of Matteo in the car - if you notice his right eye has a small shiner below the brow. Seems as though when Matteo was jumping into the pool yesterday he knocked heads with an adult - which resulted in Matteo's first shiner. Now you have to realize Matteo starts school in two days with small bumps on his body (that are about 85% gone, a shiner and a split knee (healing) - yes i"m worried! haha).

There's our Granny.

This Grandmother has 9 children, 16 or so grandchildren, and 12 great grandchildren - amazing all from the love of one couple.

I love this photo of Jules and his brother.

At the end of the party (only 5ish) - I was then fortunate to go and have some drinks with my girlfriend who lives close by. I have known my Dear since 6th grade and it's always a treat to visit.  We then ventured over to Uncle Rocco's house which he has been renovating for 3-4 years and it is coming out beauitfully.  Finally we returned to Jules' parent's house and when the clock struck 2 AM and we were still up talking decided to stay the night.

What a Labor Day to remember.

Labor Day BBQ

What an appropriate way to unofficially end Summer 2011 - a bbq at our friends Elissa & Ally's house.

Despite the chilly evening temps and the bit of rain we've had, the water was like bath water.

Fun was had by everyone - even Mommy went into the deep end and touched the bottom of the 10 foot pool with my hand.  I had numerous tea parties with our friend Serena and watched as Matteo went under water in the deep end - just an exciting time.

THis is sure to be the summer that I remember as Matteo learning to swim.  And while I really enjoyed the swim lessons at the beach, I cannot say enough about children learning from each other and imitating their friends.  Certainly Matteo has learned so much from watching our group of friends swim and learned so much from those long lazy days at the beach playing with the older boys and imitating them - this summer has has just been a grand old time for our Family.




I thank God daily for the gift of life and for my Family.

Bronx Zoo

Keeping up with our pace this week to squeeze every last minute out of summer - we packed our sandwiches, water and snacks and headed to the Bronx Zoo with our friends.

When we first arrived we decided - though a bit costly - to join and become a member - hoping to make the most use of the pass these next 12 months by visiting other attractions included with the membership.

The kids enjoyed the carousel two times - and were wanting more, but we decided to keep moving.

I don't remember what the below reptile is called, but I do remember thinking he has the life :-)  Look at how comfortable he looks.

We again were treated to a 4-D movie, where we were again treated to bubbles, confeti snow, being splashed and vibrating seats all while in a movie theatre.

In the butterfly house Matteo of course was more than delighted when experienced holding a butterfly. 

Countless birds, repitles, some giraffes, lions, deer, and even a treat here and there - and in the 6 1/2 hours that we were there, we only saw half the park!  Guess our season pass will certainly be put to good use :-)

And needless to say a wonderful time was had by all!

Repeat biking & pooling

Feeling as though I am stuck in the movie Ground Hogs day where the day repeats over and over - this week is repeating over and over.  Today we were again invited for a bike ride at the park and a dip in our friend's pool.

First let me preface by saying that Matteo is walking better today and is able to do the bike riding and swimming - - otherwise I certainly would not have even entertained the idea.

Always Matteo loves biking with his friends - who wouldn't.  And the pool goes without saying is beyond wonderful - seeing Matteo swim like a fish is breathtaking.  He has come so far in the 3 short months he has been swimming.

Remembering today the day of my surgery what helped get me though was thinking "there are only 24 hours in a day and today is no exception."  Well today I was wishing there were 30+ hours  - - thus allowing us to savor even more summer fun.  But alas, only 24 hours...... and we soaked up the best summer fun all day long.

A quiet day

Matteo woke up today unable to walk.  I wasn't overly concerned as I knew Matteo did an incredible amount of bike riding yesterday, keeping up with the older boys and never stopping.  Also he did great swimming and also running at our friend Marisa's house - so I thought we were due for a quiet day.  I took Matteo to get his back to school hair cut (carrying him the whole time) - and then we relaxed at home, enjoyed a package Grandma sent and just were quiet.  As the day wore on I encouraged Matteo to weight-bare on his leg, which he did with a considerable limp at first and then better and better.  By the end of the day Matteo was walking, but slowly.  Thanks for the concern - but Daddy just feels as though it is a pulled muscle.  And as far as his knee goes - Daddy said it's looking much better :-)  though he still feels as though Matteo should have got gotten stitches.  Personally, I feel as though scars on our body make us who we are and build character :-)  Perhaps you have a scar with a funny story attached or you'll never forget the day you received your injury - no matter how many years pass.  Funny in the middle of Chloe May's birthday party I was speaking with a dentist's son who confirmed the amount of people who get braces really don't need them, purely cosmetic. I didn't want Matteo to get stitches and be semi-traumatized for the point of keeping his body perfect.   I have a few scars on myself that I like - one where I fell down the stairs at home, one where a pedal went into my leg and another on my arm.  Most recently I have one that I think will turn into a scar on my knee where I made the foolish choice to run while holding Chloe May in the woods.  That last scar is a forever gentle reminder to me not to be overly impetuous - but I'm worried that when winter comes and I"m wearing pants I'll cover it up and forget it!!!!! :-)  And truth be told, I usually like being impetuous.