Cape Cod Memories

The in Progress family finally took a vacation and it was a terrific week. We're probably the only family in Connecticut that hasn't packed it all in at some point and headed to Cape Cod, so we bit the bullet and rented a house in Chatham and it was well worth it!

It's really so great to take time off, spend time with the whole family together and undistracted and enjoy the things that make life awesome. We spent the entire week doing things we rarely take the time to do, including:
-going to the beach every day
-digging for sandcrabs
-riding bikes (6.5 miles in one ride for this out-of-shape dad!)
-twirling sparklers on a night other than the 4th of July
-toasting marshmallows on the gas stove to make S'mores on a rainy night
-playing board games (Blokus), card games (Phase 10) and lawn games (badminton)
-playing mini golf and real golf

Layered in with some things we often enjoy, like:
-good wine
-grilling
-shopping
-reading (I devoured and recommend "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

Some highlights of the trip:

Packing the car and bikes!


Wave bathers!


Building! (of course, we're a LEGO family)


My personal favorite way to relax: the beach nap with wet child wrapped in a towel and snuggling.


Gas stove S'mores


And just had to share the sisterly love (check those faces) after one week of togetherness!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Last night we took the girls to their first baseball game -- a Minor League team not far from here. My older daughter's school had a special family night, and we got 4 tickets behind home plate for $20 -- cheaper than a trip to McDonald's or to the movies.

A couple of things I noticed last night that made me go hmmm:

My baby is a big girl now.
Skylar's best friend's family ended up in our row right next to us, and she got to sit next to her and she had a blast. She kept spying other friends, pointing and waving. I watched her singing and dancing, whispering secrets and hugging her little friends from school. She'll always be my baby girl, but my how she is changing.

Little sisters sometimes get a raw deal.
A four year-old's idea of a good time isn't sitting in one seat for several hours. My youngest was, you guessed it, b-o-r-e-d and so over the ballgame in such a short amount of time. But I think she endured for our sake, because she could tell we were having a good time, and for that, I love her even more. What's more, she DESPERATELY wanted her big sister and her friends to accept her into their little circle of fun, and she kept getting turned away. One of the friends actually did include her in a group hug at one point, and you could tell Fiona was overjoyed. We had a little chat about it on the way home, and explained that her sister loves her, but sometimes she needs to have her own time, too.

Rituals are some of the most powerful things in the world.
Perhaps one of the best and most memorable things you can do for a child is provide family rituals, or instill a sense of tradition. Last night, stepping into that park, I was moved. I remembered all of the times I went to a game with my dad or with my cousins. I made a beeline for the counter to order a hot dog, a bag of peanuts and a beer. We got the girls cotton candy and M&Ms and I did it without even thinking. Skylar and I sat side by side shelling peanuts and it almost moved me to tears. In 30 years, will she take her kids to the game and grab a bag of peanuts and think of me?

Will I have a legacy?
My daughter's principal, Mr. Nolan, is retiring this year. He is an amazing man. He knows every single child's name, without hesitation, who goes to his school. Last year, when my girl started kndergarten half days, I remember we went in for a special open house night just two weeks into school, and as we were heading down the hallway, he waved and smiled from ear to ear and said "Hey, Skylar! How are you?" and shook her hand. I was amazed. There was a tribute party for Mr. Nolan at school the other day, and my daughter came home, clearly upset, and she buried her head in the pillow, sobbing heavily, and she said she was sad beause she was going to miss Mr. Nolan. I was fascinated. Last night, when Mr. Noland arrived, four sections of a baseball park erupted in claps, squeals and children, reaching their hands out, waving, pointing and purely overcome with joy at the sight of Mr. Nolan. And he beamed, and smiled and waved, and shook as many hands as he could. I was left wondering: who cares when I walk into a room? Do I need to work harder to find the kind of joy that comes, from, for example, hundreds of children getting excited just to see me? Or is it easier than I think?

Funny how you go to see a game and end up seeing so much more.

It Finally Snowed!

We had our first significant snowfall in Connecticut last night. Imagine -- it's February 3 in New England, and we got 4 inches of snow -- the ONLY snow accumulation we have had all season.

Now, I'm from Maryland, but consider myself enough of a New Englander to understand that waiting until Feb 3 for snow is enough to make a good Yankee downright grouchy. Hopping mad, even. We have leather skin -- immune to the elements. We wear a fleece in 20 degree weather. Big parkas are for West Coast wimps and Manhattanite skiiers in Vermont. New Englanders will tell you, if it's winter, the colder the better, and please to have lots of snow.

So this 4 inches is probably all we'll get this year. So Mom in Progress and I gladly bundled up the girlies and headed out for a good winter's romp. There is nothing more life affirming than the peaceful calm after a fresh snow -- the cold burning your cheeks and nostrils, the firy breath in your chest, the sun bouncing light off everything around you.

But even better is the chance to be a kid again: making snow angels, throwing snowballs, eating a fist full of snow, flying downhill on a slippery saucer, and nearly missing the trees at the bottom of the hill.

We had a great time, were chilled to the bone, then retreated inside, snuggled up under blankets next to the fire and had hot chocolate.

For anyone not living in snowy climates, think of some way to let yourself be a kid again and then rush your family to do it. You'll be glad that you did.