Ah the times, they are a changin...

The boys were settled in for their hundredth screening of Toy Story 2. As they giggled over Woody, Jesse and Bulls Eye's antics on a record player, Aidan turned to me and asked:

"What does a record player do?"

I think Chris and I were both a little stunned by the question. We realized that beyond his little Toy Story addiction, there was a chance that Aidan would never, in his lifetime, encounter a record player. He is a four year old who regularly requests "his" playlist from my IPOD. But a record player? Ancient, baby, ancient!

And all I could remember was my memory of dancing around my mom's living room as a preschooler, grooving to "Cookie Monster at the Disco" as it spun on the turnstile of an ancient record player. Today, it's Laurie Berkner downloaded from ITunes. The times really are a changin...

Over the summer, Aidan created what he dubbed "no pants day." In his mind, what better way to enjoy the warm summer weather than to shed his pants and show off his dapper Batman underwear. As time went on, "no pants" day became an almost daily request and he even cajoled some friends on playdates to join in the fun. (Thankfully, their parents were quite understanding at picking up their son as he ran around the house in his undies.)

But, alas, now the cool weather is upon us in Buffalo. And I had to regretfully tell Aidan that we must take a break from his "no pants" day. He only agreed after I promised him, really promised him, that we will have warm weather here again - and thus the return of "no pants" day. We may have to come up with a special celebration to mark its return in the Spring.

Got Cake?

I went to Target yesterday because I told myself we needed dog food and toilet paper. And we did. Really. But I knew deep down inside, that we also really needed new rugs for our entry way, new throw rugs for our kitchen and lots n' lots of boots and shoes for the boys. So I got all of that and then some. I also bought halloween candy. And flannel sheets. I seriously have a Target problem.

Part of the problem is my belief during the advanced stages of all of my three pregnancies that I will be completely confined to the house after the birth of my child. Therefore, I must make sure I have purchased, stocked, and tallied every little thing that anyone may need prior to giving birth. This fear is only compounded when we talk about giving birth within weeks of Christmas. I must organize! I must shop! I must stock up!

All this from a woman who managed to still attend and party at Octoberfest in Ellicottville with a five week baby snuggled to her chest in a Bjorn. And travel to Florida (ALONE!) with a newborn and a two year old. But despite a historical evidence to the contrary, I am convinced the birth of my third will REALLY be the defining moment that requires I never leave the home ever, ever again. Even to get to Target. Do you think Target will miss me?

The Surprise Storm of October 2006 and How We All Lived to Tell the Tale...

Where does it snow in October? I'll give you three guesses! I think I may have to start stocking my boys with boots, hats and gloves in August just to be safe for next year. As it was, Brennan and Aidan embraced the new snow Friday morning with glee and romped with their cousins while outfitted in sneakers, sweatpants and barely fitting winter coats. Snow angels, snow balls and even a little snow snack for Brennan - but that was the fun part.

The not so fun part? The fact that our, along with 200,000+ Buffalonians, electricity went out Thursday night - leaving us with no heat or sump pump, no lights, and no ability to woo my children with a (cough, cough) educational DVD so Mommy can recover from the two hours of sleep she had last night. The city and surrounding environs were clobbered by the abundance of wet, heavy snow clinging to the trees. Phoeby has great pictures at her blog that capture the storm's aftermath.

I packed up the kiddies and set up camp as a "basement dweller" (tm Dr. Dylan) at our gracious friends' home of Dylan and Christine. Chris, as the man of the house, held down the fort by emptying our basement of all items, bailing water and transforming himself into the reincarnation of Macgyver by hooking up our sump pump to his car battery to keep the water at bay. He did all this in an unheated home, in the dark, and caught about an hour of sleep here and there. He is a saint. Truly.

The boys loved the sleepover and the opportunity for unlimited play with their pals Ellie and Casey. We had heat, electricity and television - but (and isn't there always a but?) we lost water around 5 pm. Yes, water. Because the generator that distributes the water for our area apparently also lost power and that means NO RUNNING WATER. It was at this point I felt like we were indeed in the midst of surreal situation.

On Saturday, Chris found a generator by outrunning two hundred desperate shoppers at our local Sears. (All that marathon training really did come in handy, didn't it?) My Macgyver got our sump pump all hooked up and pumping and joined us as a basement dweller. We also got running water back. We all celebrated by having dinner out with the kiddies at the illustrious gourmet bistro that is Wegmans.

Sunday? Yep - still no power. We decided to give our friends' a little break and moved in to my grandparents' home. They were the only ones in my extended family with heat and water. This meant a warm home full of cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents.... a very full home indeed. (My grandfather commented that "this is a true test as to how our family really does get along.") But strangely enough - it was fun. My aunt cooked a big dinner. The kids played and had a great time. Aidan and Brennan loved having even more time with their cousins. The adults laughed and chatted while watching the Bills go down in flames. Family is a truly wonderful thing.

And on Sunday afternoon, my own personal Macgyver rigged our heat to our generator, which meant that we could move back home. Home. We had one light, a fridge and heat, but we were home.

Monday afternoon? WE GOT THE POWER! I was never so happy as I loaded that dishwasher and pressed the start button.

Unfortunately, after Monday and even today, there are still people here without power. Still. It is disconcerting to realize how dependent we are on comforts we take for granted every day.

Everyone in Buffalo looks a bit shell shocked and so tired, so very tired. I think we need a group vacation as a city to recover from the ordeal. Oh - and the snow? Gone. Let's hope it stays away until at least November. Although my boys are wishing otherwise...

Open House!

We had open house at the boys' school last night. Chris and I split duties and he put Brennan to bed while Aidan took me on a tour of his preschool classroom.

As part of Aidan's tour, I got to read his "journal". (Yes, my four year old journals as part of his daily school routine. Scary, isn't it?) We visited the classroom hamster "Lola". And I learned that Aidan's favorite foods consist entirely of cheetos, cheese crackers and cookies. (This in a sea of children who claimed to just love yogurt, milk and fruit! Sigh. Why is it always my child? Why?) We also got to read the special books prepared by Aidan's classmates in which Aidan's contribution consisted of:

Things I Like to Do With My Family: Aidan: "I like to play on my swingset with my family."

Things I Would Like to Do With My Friends: Aidan: "I would like to go in a spaceship into outer space with my friends Liam and Nicole. And My Mommy and Daddy."

Things I See in the Mirror: Aidan: "Two brown eyes."

We stopped by Brennan's classroom to say hello to his teacher "Miss Judy." Miss Judy told us that Brennan has become quite the class nurturer. Anytime any of the other children in the class cry or get upset, Brennan runs to find their blankie or special stuffed animal to calm then down.

On our way out of the open house, Aidan managed to leave with two chocolate chip cookies. My little junk food junkie. I have to start pushing that yogurt and fruit!

Chris and I took the boys to a playground over the weekend to romp around in the beautiful weather. While most 21 month old children are content to ride in the baby swing with a lazy, easy glide, Brennan had to have the "big boy" swing right next to his brother. Chris compensated by pushing Brennan gently to ensure that he didn't get too high. Brennan was not, to say the least, pleased by the gentle swing maneuvers.

"No, No, No!" he yelled emphatically, kicking his legs in frustration.

"Brennan, do you want to get off the swing?" asked Chris, confused.

"No. Daddy. Up, Up, UPPPPPP!" Brennan yelled with force.

He kept on yelling "up" until the swing was flying back and forth in wild abandon and it looked like his toes could touch the leaves on a nearby treetop. Only then, did he stop and just grin with pure joy. He even let loose a few giggles too.

We are so going to have our hands full with this child.

It Seemed Like a Hallmark Mommy Moment...

Aidan and I were sharing some cuddle mommy time before bed last night when he started to pepper me with questions about the new baby. He even talked to the baby as he patted my belly to say hello.

"How big will the baby get Mommy?" he asked, as he whispered words to my belly.

"A little bigger", I replied.

"And will your belly get bigger too?" He asked.

"My belly will get bigger. Each time the baby grows, my belly will get a little bigger."

He gazed at my belly thoughtfully for a moment or two and then asked with the innocence of a preschooler: "And why does your bottom keep getting bigger too?"

OUCH! I just wish I could have told him that I was about to give birth to a second baby straight out of my big, growing butt, but that just wasn't something I wanted repeated to his preschool teacher this week.

HOCKEY IS FUN...even without the ability to consume beer! Chris and I went to the home opener of the Sabres last night. It was an unbelievably exciting game, a real nail biter that went into overtime and a shoot out to determine the winner. At the end of it all, Sabres prevailed and the fans went crazy. Quite the night.

On a sidenote, one of the things I love about Buffalo is while it is a city, it often feels like a small town where you can run into people you know, knew or are even related to, in the unlikeliest places. Last night, amid 20,000 people, almost every third person we saw, Chris and I knew - some of whom we haven't seen for over eight years. It creates an atmosphere of the familiar and well, of being home.

AND YET ANOTHER MILESTONE...

Aidan, my big boy preschooler, is going on a field trip. A field trip! His preschool class is traveling to a country farm to pick pumpkins, drink cider and indulge in hay rides. He gets to ride a bus to the farm - something he has never done before.

His teacher asked me to sign the permission slip when I picked him up from school yesterday. As I read the slip, tears clouded my eyes. Yes, I cried over my son's first official school field trip. I even cried a bit for my first permission slip signature. And I cried because the thought of Aidan riding a school bus reminded me that kindergarten is only a year away.

The teacher assured me that other moms had also shed a tear or two over the permission slip, but I have a sneaking suspicion that she may have just been trying to make feel better.

LONGEST DAY EVAH!

I am 32 weeks pregnant and I am tired, so very tired. I don't sleep at night, I just merely nap in between frequent bathroom trips and hip/leg spasms. This whole not sleeping thing, combined with the hormonal wonders of pregnancy, has led to even more tearful moments than usual.

And this morning saw me weeping as I drove around downtown Buffalo desperately looking for a parking spot, any old place to put my car, so I could get to work. My normal parking ramp was full. And my lovely friends who attend the parking garage who usually sneak me in anyway - waved me off - when I gave them my desperate drive by. And did I mention that it was a torrential downpour? And I had no umbrella?

I finally found a spot across the street from my parking ramp in a gravel lot that requires you pay the meter five dollars. In singles or quarters. And all I had was my fresh from the ATM twenty dollar bill. So, there I am, in the downpour, with rain and tears streaking down my face, stopping Canadian tourists asking them for change for a twenty. Sigh. It was not one of my best moments.

But then! My parking attendant hero saved me! He did! He did! The unbelievably nice parking lot attendant from my daily ramp RAN ACROSS THE STREET IN THE DOWNPOUR to tell me that I could park in their lot. He told me that he hadn't recognized me, and of course I could park there! It was easily one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.

And then off to work. Wet, tearful and tired, but off to work. Work that required I stay an extra two hours to be trained on our newfangled email system called Microsoft Outlook. Yes, two hours people! On outlook. Really. I can not even begin to describe the sad humor that was the outlook training.

When I finally made it home from my twelve hour day, both boys were already fed, bathed and fast asleep courtesy of my husband, uber daddy. But to my delight when I tiptoed into Aidan's room to do my last bedtime check, he sleepily and delightedly called out "Mommy!" and pulled me close for a tight hug. And that was enough to wipe away the rest of my day and allowed me to go to bed for my nighttime nap with a smile.

When Aidan was two, I took a picture of him strolling by himself along a path lined with trees just showing the first autumn colors. It is one of my most favorite pictures of Aidan, even though it only shows him from behind. But to see his confident stride on legs with melting baby chubb, surrounded by trees bursting with fall colors captures so much - a memory, a perfect day, and Aidan as he left babyhood fully behind as a full fledged toddler.

Today, I took a picture at the same park with both my boys. Aidan is now four and Brennan almost two. It was the same path, same season, almost two years to the day of the first picture. It reminded me that life truly does go so fast. They grow before your eyes and sometimes we forget to stop and just watch in awe. They held hands as they walked the park path - and soon, there will be a third set of hands for all of us to hold.