Best Trip Ever Part 2

Our first morning on the ship, we woke up to views outside our balcony that looked painted on the horizon.   Mountains sliding straight into deep blue water.  Hilltop villages dotted with white washed roofs glistening against a perfectly blue sky.  I couldn't believe we were in Santorini.

We ate our breakfast on the deck overlooking the island.  I almost wanted to pinch myself because all of it just seemed too good to be true.  It was like a dream come to life.

By mutual agreement, our group opted to wait a couple of hours to avoid waiting in line for a tender.  Since Santorini is a smaller port, our ship couldn't actually dock, but we had to go in groups onto smaller boats called tenders to be shuttled into port.  By the time our group finished a leisurely breakfast and met up at 10 am, we hopped onto the tenders without a line in sight.

We arrived in the port to discover we had to get up the mountain to actually get to the villages and towns of Santorini.  There are three ways to get up the cliffs:  take a cable car, ride a donkey or walk.  After considering the length of the line for the cable car (too long), our group divided into two camps - walk and donkey ride.  The donkeys completely and utterly freaked me out, so Chris and I decided to walk.

We set up the steep trail of cobblestone steps with Christine, Dylan and Tony.  The view alongside the trail was crazy beautiful the more we climbed.  (And the amazing view helped to distract us from the piles of donkey poop we had to avoid as we climbed up the stairs.)  Slowly and surely, each of our friends riding donkey's passed us riding up the hill.  About halfway up the climb, I thought I was going to die.  Not only was the climb steep and never ending, but the donkeys had dropped off their passengers and were now running back down the hill full throttle without anyone guiding them.

Not a person, not a soul.  Just a bunch of wild, crazy donkeys running right back down the steep stairs in a giant stampede without any sign of slowing as they charged you.  I was terrified.  As Chris laughed hysterically, I hid behind him and cried as the donkeys swarmed us.  I was convinced we were going to be pushed over the side of the cliff and become the cautionary tale of what happens when parents attempt to vacation without their children.

It was not fun.  I may have begged him to take me home.  Thankfully, my husband is a very kind and patient man.  We finally made it up the trail, sweaty, tired and alive, no thanks to those damn donkeys.

We walked around the town, enjoying the view and went on to find cabs to take us to another village on the other side of the island.  We spent the day walking, shopping and gaping at the views, which were unlike anything I have ever seen.  We had lunch at a restaurant with a view that was beyond spectacular.  It was truly an amazing day.

We celebrated that night by enjoying dinner in the ship's private dining room called Privee.  Our friend Tony had arranged it for us through a friend of his who works for the cruise line.  Guests normally pay up to $1,000 dollars just to reserve this room, but we had it all to ourselves for free!  Free!   As guests in Privee, you are allowed to order off the menu of two of the ship's specialty restaurants, their Italian restaurant and their steakhouse.  Our group fairly gorged themselves sampling a little bit of anything and everything we could.  It was a fantastic meal.

Our next day, we awoke as we pulled into the dock in Turkey.  I don't think any of us knew what to expect for Turkey.  While we knew there were amazing ruins nearby the port, most of us had decided to find a beach and enjoy the sun for a few hours, after shopping in their market.

The market was overwhelming.  The shopkeepers are very aggressive and will follow you to try and get you into their shop.  At first it was funny, but after a while it became annoying.  We made it through the market fairly quickly and set off to walk to the beach.  Our walk was by the water and was really beautiful.  As we walked, we saw a man waist deep in the water standing with his back to us.  He quickly reached into the water and after a moment of moving his arms back and forth, pulled out a large fish.   He held the fish out in front of him, twisted off its head, threw the head back into the water and put the fish into his pocket.  The whole process would start all over again.  We all joked that the guy was the chef from our ship catching tonight's dinner and storing it in his pockets.

After a long walk through Kudaski, the beach turned out to be a bit of a disappointment.  Our group decided to divide and conquer.  Some opted to go to the ruins, Christine, Danielle and I decided to go back to the ship and several of the guys, including Chris, decided to walk the city some more.

Christine, Danielle and I enjoyed the rest of the afternoon poolside.  It was perfect weather and really relaxing.  After a few hours, Chris came back to the ship to say hello and let us know that he, Tony and PJ had decided they were going to find a turkish bath.  It was a brain child of PJs and the boys were hankering for some adventure. I walked back to the room with Chris before he left and we had this conversation.

"Please remember you have to be back on the ship by 5 pm or it will leave without you guys."  I cautioned him.

"We'll be back in plenty of time."  He told me.

"I know this is PJ's idea, but you have to be careful in Turkey, so you can't be his sidekick right now, okay?  You have to be the adult in this relationship today."

Chris eyes widen, "I don't want to be the adult today.  Tony's coming with us.  Why can't Tony be the adult?"

I roll my eyes at him, "Because Tony doesn't know PJ like you do and how to handle him.  He's not ready to be the adult in that relationship.  Okay?"

Oh dear lord.  

It was two minutes to five and there had been no sign of Chris, Tony or PJ.  Not a peep.  We were just ready to get into panic mode, when the three of them jump in front of us at the pool in matching, skin tight, red Turkey t-shirts.

We were all hooting and hollering at the t-shirts and their goofy grins.  But we laughed even harder when we heard about their traipsing all over Turkey to find a turkish bath, being brought right into a mosque during prayer and finally ending up in the basement of a turkish hotel where they were laid out in a circle on a concrete slab for turkish massages.  It was quite a turkish adventure.

That night we had, arguably, our best meal on the ship at Red Ginger, the ship's Asian restaurant.  The food was unbelievably good.  I had heard before our cruise that Oceania was known for its food and after our first few meals, I can attest it really is that good.   It was as good, if not better, than any restaurant I had ever visited.

After dinner, the girls opted for pajamas and a game night, while the boys headed for the casino.  (Note to self:  I suck at Guesstures.  Awesomely suck.)  Our next day was a day at sea, cruising towards Italy.

Best Trip Ever. Part One.

At one point during our European adventure, Chris looked at me and said intently, "This is the best trip I have ever taken in my life."

And it really was.  It surpassed every expectation I had for our trip.  The ship, the places, the weather, the food and the people, oh our lovely friends, who made us laugh so hard my cheeks hurt from smiling.  It is an amazing gift that we have a big group of friends who know simply how to enjoy each other, to laugh with each other, with not a slice of drama anywhere.

The toughest part was the day we left the boys.  I drove them all to school that morning and Aidan started crying when I hugged him goodbye.  He cried and cried as if his heart was breaking.  I cried and cried because I knew my heart was breaking.  After he went into the school, I cried so hard I couldn't pull away from the curb because the tears were blurring my vision.  It was a tough morning.  I sent a few texts to my sister in law Lynda that basically said, "What the hell was I thinking."  She, ever patient, reminded me that they would take great care of my boys.  And I knew they would.  Deep down, I knew my boys would have a wonderful two weeks being loved up by their aunt and uncle and grandparents, but it's hard to get past the tears to the reason.

I was better once we hit the road to the Toronto airport.  I cheered and laughed with my girlfriends in the car the whole drive up.  It was even MORE better when we checked into the airport and were shown to the first class lounge. (And started making drinks from their free serve yourself bar.  Adult drinks that made us giggle like lunatics who have never been away from home before.)

First class is the way to travel.  Particularly when you have done it free.  (Both our bags were overweight when we checked in.  But the attendant didn't blink an eye and just smiled sweetly and told us to have a good trip.  After we walked away, Chris leaned over to me and whispered, "Everyone is so much nicer to you when you are flying first class."  Heh. Yep.  So true.)

We got on the plane and were greeted with champagne in crystal flutes.  We each had our own little compartment with plenty of leg room, our own television and a seat that folded flat.  Yes, our seats folded completely down without encroaching on anyone else's space.  It was an airplane miracle.  After champagne, they offered us hot towels and a complimentary toiletry kit.  Dinner was like a five course meal paired with wines.  Yes, at this point I could have probably been forced to end our trip here and now and it would have surpassed all my expectations.  I am easy that way.  Free wine!  Free movies!  Good to go.

After a layover in Paris (and free chocolate croissants and expresso in the first class lounge.  Hello no suffering vacation!), we arrived in Athens.  This was the moment that I realized that Chris had never been anywhere in his life where he did not speak or read the language.  While we attempted to figure out transportation to the hotel, he looked completely overwhelmed.  I have been with my husband for over half of our lives and I have never, ever seen him like this.  He will deny it to the day he dies, but being faced with all the signs in Greek freaked him out.

We made it to the hotel and immediately connected with our friends who had arrived before us to head to the Plaka district in Athens.  We walked around the cobblestone streets until we found an outdoor cafe that looked both busy and promising.  A few giant Greek beers later, accompanied by the best gyro of my life and I was even happier than I thought possible.  (Hello french fries wrapped up in my pita.  I love you and your friend baked feta, bubbling with feta-y goodness.)

After dinner, our friend PJ was determined to track down a golf cart tour he had sworn he had seen carrying people around to show the historical sites.  We didn't believe him, but walked and walked through street after street trying to track down the golf carts, until unbelievably a girl jumped out of the shadows and yelled, "You look for the cart tour?"

We all smiled and nodded yes.  She smiled back and said, "Four euro each!"  So, like good tourists everywhere, we all dug in our pockets and gave her four euros, even though there was still no sign of the infamous golf cart.  After she was paid, she disappeared back into the shadows and told us to walk up two streets and take a right to find the golf cart.

It was at this point that I turned to Chris and asked if he thought we had just been taken.  It was like we were every cautionary tale come to life.  Give us Greek beer and feta and we will open our wallets to anyone who asks!  Americans are great that way.

But sure enough, we rounded the corner and there were the carts.  We jumped onto the tour and enjoyed the tour of Athens from the relative ease of a golf cart, right up until the driver took us out onto a main drive with taxis and cars and buses (oh my!).  Imagine being a passenger on a golf cart on a busy and crazy street of NYC because that was sort of what it was like, except instead of being scared like any normal person would be, we just laughed like loons.

After the golf cart adventure, it was time to head back to the hotel.  (At this point, we had been awake for like 28 hours or something crazy.  I was starting to see double.)  Our group paired off to grab taxis back to the hotel.  PJ, Danielle, Chris and I offered to grab a cab together.    Immediately upon entering our cab, PJ started chatting it up with our driver.  The driver loved it and after a few jokes back and forth, he turned up the music on his radio until it blared with some greek dance tune.  We all bopped in time to the music laughing and yelling through the open windows.  The driver loved this even more.  Before we could blink, he slammed on the brakes in the middle of the street, put the cab in park, jumped out of the cab and started dancing in the street.

I was laughing so hard I swore I came fairly close to having an accident in the backseat of that cab.  We all yelled and cheered our driver on, watching him dance back and forth next to the cab.

Greek people are fun.

We slept like the dead that night, but woke excited to get to our ship.  After a morning of breakfast and enjoying the view of the Acropolis from the hotel's rooftop pool, we hopped on a bus for the ride to the ship, the beautiful Marina.

Check in was much easier than I had thought it would be.  From stories I had read on cruise ships, I had heard it would be hours of lines and hours of waiting around.  Instead, we walked up, waited all of three minutes in line, checked in easily and were offered bottles of water by the ship's staff.   I quickly realized that a smaller ship on a luxury cruise line is a much better way to travel than the mega-ships on commercial lines.

Marina is beautiful.  She is like an elegant, five star hotel.  I often forgot we were on a ship instead of at a resort.  We started our visit having lunch at her poolside grill - Waves, which serves burgers and chicken on the grill and has an ice cream stand (best smoothies ever.).   The girls enjoyed the rest of the day lounging by the pool in double-wide, cushioned loungers that were akin to the most comfortable couch ever.  Every so often, a waiter would interrupt us to ask if they could fetch us a drink.  (And the no suffering lifestyle continues.)

While we soaked up the sun, the guys were off to explore the ship.  This was the first sign to me that traveling with a group of couples is such a great balance.   I could sit and read for hours upon hours (oh my kindle, you are my soul mate), enjoying the sun and conversation with friends.  If Chris sits for more than ten minutes, he looks like he is going to jump out of his skin.  I loved that I could enjoy what I like to do, but he had buddies to go play with too.  All good and everyone is happy.

I finally managed to pull myself away from the sun and my lovely lounger to see our room with Chris.  It was beyond anything I had hoped for during our planning.  It reminded me of a plush hotel room, with room enough for a bed, a couch, a desk and bedside tables.  We had our own private balcony that was simply paradise.

After getting settled, we all had to attend a mandatory emergency drill (muster!), complete with life jackets.  It was a bit surreal to see all the guests stomping down the stairs into the ballroom with their life jackets around their necks.

The drill was thankfully short and sweet.  We went back to our cabins to change for the sailing and dinner.  The ship has several specialty restaurants and tonight we were set to dine at their Italian restaurant Toscana.  We enjoyed a few moments up on deck, watching the sun set before we ate and ate and well, ate an incredible meal.  My favorite part of the whole meal was the olive oil menu.  Yes, a menu just for the olive oil.  And it was two pages long.  Well, that and the wine.  Always the wine.

The ship rocked us to sleep that night while we sailed for our first stop, Santorini.   We were officially on our way!

Manners

When the club we belong to announced they were hosting an etiquette luncheon for boys and their mommies, I may have been the first mom to call and sign us up.  I love the idea of boys who appreciate manners and understand that a true man is also a gentleman.  It is a value Chris and I both hope and work towards imparting on our boys.  Open doors, say please and thank you, and show respect for your friends and family.

The boys were excited to have a chance to get dressed up for the occasion.  I may have had the cutest dates I have ever seen. (Yes, a bit biased.  But still, does the cuteness not kill you?  I could eat them all whole.)



The lunch was terrific.  The host talked a lot about how girls and woman should always be treated as being special by boys.   One of the ways boys can treat girls (and their mommas and grandmas) special is by showing manners, like holding open doors, pulling out chairs or showing them affection.  The boys learned how to shake hands, how to pull out a lady's chair and order from a menu.  They had them practice each one in front of the group attending the lunch.

My favorite part had to be the boys learning how to pull out my chair.  Each boy did it with a flourish, but Griffin may have stolen the show.  He pulled out my chair, helped me push it back in, then stopped to give me a kiss on the cheek before sitting himself back down at the table.

Yes I cried.  Okay?  I cried at the etiquette lunch.

I also cried when after the lunch, Griffin raced ahead of me to get to the car first.

"Wait Momma, Wait!"  He yelled.

I stopped by my car door and looked at him.  He smiled a handsome grin, opened the door for me and gestured for me to get into the car.  Once I was seated, he gently shut the door behind me.

Oh, what a love.

We practiced the manners just a few days later when we went back to the club for dinner to attend a meet the summer sports coaches family night.  I was impressed when each boy remembered to put their napkin on their lap the moment they sat down and all wanted to pull out my chair for me.

I could get used to this manners thing.

Sunday Morning Snuggle

Chris is normally the first adult in the house awake on a weekend morning.  He wrangles the boys downstairs and starts a mean weekend breakfast which we call call "Daddy's Diner."  (And the breakfast inevitably always involves bacon.  A whole lot of bacon.)

This morning, I was actually up before Chris.  (And this is a rare occurrence indeed.)  My early morning wake up may have been attributed to my going to bed the night before at 8:30 pm.  (Yes, we party it up in our house, okay?  We live like rock stars.)  But two hours of tennis earlier in the day starting at the ripe hour of 7 am, had left me begging for bed by 8 pm.

I got up this morning, quietly tip toed out of our bedroom to let Chris sleep and went in search of the boys.  I got hugs from Brennan and Griffin, both playing in their rooms, but Aidan was still in bed, looking very sleepy.  I went over to Aidan's bed to give him a kiss, when he looked at me with heavy eyes and said, "Will you lay with me Mom?"

My answer to this question, particularly for my nine, almost ten year old boy, must always be yes.  I have to say yes because I know all too very soon, this question will not get asked anymore.  And the lack of that question, of his needing his mom for an early morning snuggle, will break my heart.

I nodded my head and smiled at him, eating up his sleepy grin.  I curled up next to him in bed and he tucked his head up next to mine, so close that I could inhale him and kiss his forehead, again and again, while I rubbed his back.

"I love you Mommy."  He whispered into my neck.

"I love you too Aidan."

It was the best ten minutes of my weekend.

Breakdancer!

When I picked Griffin up from school yesterday, his teacher greeted me with a huge smile.

"So, Griffin was telling me all about your breakdancing today!"  She exclaims.

"My what?"  I ask, confused.

"Your breakdancing!  He said it's your favorite thing to do around the house and you do it every chance you get."

Yes, that's me.  The breakdancing mom.  My five year old has quite an imagination.

Cutting Hair

Chris got up incredibly early with the boys Saturday morning to beat the rush to his barber's shop. And when I say "his" barber, I really mean "his." Chris has known this barber since he was a boy. He even calls him to let him know he is coming in with the boys and always gets an inevitable invitation to arrive before opening so they do not have to wait.

But this meant that before I had even crawled out of bed at the ripe hour of 7:45 am, the garage door was closing as Chris backed out of the driveway.

I went downstairs to a quiet house and a pot of coffee just waiting for me to drink it.

Blissful.

The boys returned a few hours later, all fresh faced and hair-cutted up. The hair cuts somehow made Aidan look older (like a young man!) and Griffin younger (my sweet baby boy.) And Brennan, well, Brennan went from California surfer boy to a prep school young 'un. As I am partial to Brennan's long locks, I expressed some slight displeasure over the short do.

Chris laughed it off and told me he liked it. Brennan agreed and said, "The first thing I noticed is that I can see Mommy!"

Hmm, well, I guess his bangs had gotten a little long.

But they will grow again. Oh, they will grow.

Family Band

Instead of a wii band family, the boys have set up shop as rockers in our living room. Aidan plays bass. Brennan rocks the drums. Griffin is our guitar player.

Our rock stars in training.

Easter!

"Mom, can we wake you up super early tomorrow?" Brennan asks me seriously with pleading big brown eyes.

"What? No!" I reply, ever the mean mommy, who oh so desperately loves her sleep.

"Come on, Momma. How about like 6:30?"

"No."

"6:35?"

"No."

"6:40?"

Yes, you get the picture. The boys were very excited for the arrival of the Easter bunny and their baskets of goodies. Aidan mentioned only a million and one times that oh, he so hoped that the Easter Bunny knew about Skylanders. (And if he hasn't, I am sure Aidan could entertain him with a few hundred tales about Skylanders, skylanders videos and skylanders characters. We may be living in Skylander hell.)

The boys made it until the ripe hour of 7:01 am until their giggling and running around upstairs even got the dog barking in excitement. Downstairs, we all went to seek and find the baskets. In addition to the baskets, Chris and I hid a few eggs of candy and also in a stroke of genius (if I do say so myself), we hid clues in a scavenger egg hunt.

The scavenger hunt was a huge hit. The boys were racing around the house to follow the clues that led them anywhere and everywhere we could think of hiding an egg. A sample:

"Dino roar! Dino sneeze! Will you pass me a tissue please?" (Clue leading to dinosaur tissue box in boys bathroom.)

"I get hot as I tumble! (Clue leading to dryer.)

"Where can you play hockey on air?" (Air hockey table in basement.)

and my personal favorite:

"Have you ever seen Brennan's underwear drawer?" (leading to, yes you guessed it: Brennan's underwear drawer. Don't judge me. It was late when we were writing these things.)

The clues led the boys to (drum roll) Skylanders! Let video game madness ensue.

After several hours of video games and easter basket goodness, we were off to brunch with Chris's family. I must say, I adore Chris's family like they are my own. They are exceedingly good to us and we are blessed to have them in our lives. I love them dearly. And they can put on a feast. In fact, their thanksgiving dinner is the best I have ever had. But, and I say this with love, brunch is not their thing. Nope. Not their thing.

This year's brunch buffet consisted of the following (in this order): sliced pineapple, cold macaroni salad, cold sliced ham, hard boiled eggs cut in half, orange jello mold, and three types of sausage.

For a brunch-lover like me, it's sort of sad. Oh so sad. No french toast stuffed with apples and cinnamon. No belgian waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. No egg casseroles full of veggie goodness. No potato casserole with buttery toppings. And no coffee cakes. Not a blueberry crumble to be had.

Sad. It hurts me anew every year. But Chris is happy as can be with his sausage options. So there you go.

Our next meal on Easter was at my mom's house with Travis and Lynda. My mom did a full out egg hunt extravaganza this year. Each boy had color coded eggs, each of which contained codes that led to specific wrapped gifts.

And there were a whole lot of eggs which meant, yes a whole lot of gifts.

After perusing his easter haul, Griffin looked a me and said, "Easter is almost like Christmas."

Almost.

As if the egg hunt wasn't enough, it was followed by the piece de la resistance: a cotton candy machine for dessert.

Because Easter isn't Easter until you have eaten your weight in sugar. The boys were over the moon making cotton candy and eating it as fast as the sugar was spun. It was a huge hit.

But the best moment of the entire Easter, at least for me, was Brennan's response to the butter lamb gracing our table at brunch.

"Remember everyone, that lamb is butter. It isn't chocolate. Even though it looks like white chocolate, it isn't. Last year, I bit his head off and boy did that taste awful."

Easter 2012.

No Florida

This is the first year in each of my boys' lives that they will not spend their spring break at the beach (or as we like to call it in our family "Nana's beach") in Florida.

No Florida. No beach. No sand or surf. Just Buffalo in April.

Yes, no Florida for the kids and all because the parents will go to Europe without the kids instead.

We are a mean mom and dad, aren't we? In a mere three weeks, Chris and I are off with a few friends on a Mediterranean cruise. It was an idea discussed for years and the fact that it will soon be a reality, is almost overwhelming. Chris has never been to Europe and still barely has any idea as to where we are going. I am chomping at the bit to see the beaches of Santorini, the ruins in Athens and stroll the coastline of the Amalfi coast. It is all too much.

We are celebrating on this trip. We are celebrating my turning 40 this year and even more importantly, we are celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary. So much to celebrate and appreciate and truly so much to see. And to do it all with great friends is a blessing.

So, no Florida this year. But, I think the boys will forgive us, just this once.

Library Run

I asked Griffin if we could stop off at the library before we hit Wegmans for our weekly grocery shopping.

"Sure," he said, "I was hoping to find a few books by David Shannon. I really like his stuff."

And sure enough, we were at the library for all of five minutes before he ran over to me with excitement, waving a book in the air.

"I found one! It's a David Shannon!"

I can not get enough of this child.

48 Hours of Stolen Girl Time

For 48 hours, we talked each other's ears off, laughed 'til we cried, laughed 'til we cried again (and again..), ate chocolate, drank much wine (and some beer too) and visited a swoon worthy spa.

It was perfection.

TV Power

As soon as Aidan was able, he taught himself to use the tv remote. This gave him the power, over his brothers of course, of selecting what shows they were all going to watch. Aidan liked this power. He liked it a lot.

Interestingly, Brennan was never interested in learning how to use the tv or the remotes. He just didn't have any interest. He was perfectly content to have others do it for him when he needed a show put on or the wii set up. I tried to teach him a few times, but he quickly reverted to asking for help.

Until Griffin. Griffin decided he was done asking others to turn on a show. He patiently asked Aidan to show him how he did it. And then before my eyes, my five year old taught himself how to recognize and read the names of his favorite shows so he could be a dvr expert. (This meant the boys were stuck watching a whole lot of Supah Ninjas because Griffy loves his Super Ninjas.)

Once Brennan realized Griffin knew how to use the dvr (and that they had watched the same episode of Supah Ninjas about ten times), he knew he had to step up his game. So, slowly, he also exerted some control over the remote.

But now, Griffin has had a taste of his power of the tv and he has become quite the tv dictator. He rushes to the tv in the morning to grab the remote and ensure that he has final say over what will be watched and when. I often find him wandering the house with the remote in his hand. Once he asked me to keep an eye on it, while he hid it under a pillow so he could go to the bathroom.

It's a tv stand-off. And the five year old is winning. My little power hungry guy.

Puppy Love

Chris and I are convinced that Chewy thinks Brennan is a puppy, just like him. He just seems to treat Brennan a little differently than the other boys. He has also tried to sneak into his bed once or twice for a nice snooze. But of course, if Brennan had his way, Chewy would be a permanent fixture in his bed.

Oh, the puppy love.

Summer Sleep

My boys sleep like the dead in the summer because if the weather is warm, they are here, there and everywhere jumping, running, biking and swimming. During the winter months, I forget about this sleep. This utter exhaustion that overtakes my boys until they are almost begging to go to bed. (Almost, but not quite.) While the sunday snowboarding brings them close to this brand of tired, nothing quite does it like a warm day spent gallivanting under the sun.

We had a summer weekend this weekend. Summer in March. The weather was delectable. Perfectly blue skies with warm sun and birds chirping. The temps were in the 70s in a month when we are fortunate to hit the high 40s without snow flurries. March is normally my least favorite month of the year because it means a month of a little snow, a little rain and chilliness, but this March may go on record as the best ever.

The boys were out to play by 8 am. Basketball, biking, games of soccer in the front yard. There were visits to playgrounds, minnow catching in a neighbor's creek, and long walks with the dog. By the time 5 pm came around, they were all collapsed on the couch with heavy lidded eyes. After dinner was over, they were yawning and looking as if they might take a nap at the table. Each boy was fast asleep, without complaint by 7:30 pm.

Chris and I followed shortly by 9. I guess summer sleep isn't just for the kids. It wipes out the parents too.

Overheard

It was a morning of running around to get a few chores done so we could skip outside and enjoy our summer-like spring. I asked the boys to throw down all the sheets and pillowcases so I could start the wash.

(Yes, instead of laundry chutes (which we have in our house) or laundry baskets (also have about ten of those), I prefer the old school method of gathering and throwing down the open two-story staircase. It works for me. And as an added bonus, it completely freaks the dog out, every single time.)

I hear the boys rustling and hustling upstairs to complete their task as I clean the kitchen. Then I hear Griffin say to Aidan, "This one must be mommy's pillow because it smells just like her."

Aidan is quiet for a second, but I can make out a loud sniffing sound and then he says, "It does smell just like Mommy."

Oh my loves. Too sweet.

Rock Star!

My cousin Nicole stopped over today and asked if she could take the boys for a bike ride around the neighborhood. (Because, yes, it is 70 and sunny in March in Buffalo!) The boys were thrilled. Aidan and Brennan hopped on their bikes and Griffin opted to ride his scooter. Nikki roller bladed next to them.

After Nikki returned them home, I got a text from her a few minutes later.

"It's a good day when you are rollerblading with sunglasses on and your five year old cousin tells you that you look like a rock star."

I think that is the compliment of the highest order from our Griffin. And she is a rock star, you know. Especially to us.

Our Leprechaun

The boys' school has a student presentation night in which projects are displayed for parents to peruse as we all eat ice cream. This year, Brennan's teacher stepped it up a notch with a live performance by the class of a few Irish songs.

The class was all dressed up in green festive gear and looked unbearably cute.

I may be biased, but I think we have the cutest leprechaun of all.

Happy 41!

Spring Fever

Spring sprung yesterday in Whoville. We had sun and blue skies in a month that usually bounces from snowfall to rain. It was unexpected and boosted all of our moods. The boys could barely restrain themselves from jumping out the door to ride bikes, swing, hunt for rocks and play basketball. They stayed outside almost the entirety of the day, just soaking up every last bit of the first signs of spring. (They also insisted on wearing shorts and t-shirts from the moment a smidgen of warm weather was suggested. I think the high today was 55. Not quite shorts weather in any place in the world except Buffalo.)

Today, spring repeated its miracle. After getting Aidan and Brennan off to school, Griffin, Chewy and I took off for a walk around the neighborhood. It was a perfect, quiet walk enjoying the warmth of sunshine on our faces. I felt such sweet joy in our walk as I watched Griffin ride circles on his scooter around me and Chewy. The gift of an unexpected spring day.

It better not snow next week. That's all I'm saying.

Practice Makes Perfect

I was giving Griffin bedtime kisses, when he grabbed my face with his hands, held me closely and looked me in the eye. "Mommy, I do not want you to kiss me. I am going to kiss you now. I need to start practicing for the day I get married and start kissing."

With that, he pursed his lips, closed his eyes and gave me a big ol' smooch.

Sweetness.