"You're doing a great job".

 The bus came to a screeching halt along a very busy road in the middle of rush hour; we had almost blown right by the person who had been waiting there, needing a ride.  The brakes slammed; all of us who were standing did that awkward thing where we kind of swung forward, trying to balance ourselves while also making sure our bags weren't hitting anyone who was sitting.

The person at the bus stop hurried along to get on; it was a young mom.  I mean, young.  Maybe 16 or 17. She got on with a diaper bag on her shoulder, a large folded up stroller in one hand, and a baby in a car seat in the other hand.  She had her money all ready to go, I could see it there in her hand....but the car seat was so bulky it was preventing her from getting her hand close enough to the box to put the money in. The stroller was taking up all of the room in front of her, so there was nowhere to set the carseat down to free up her hand. 

I was back toward the middle of the bus, standing, a line of people in front of me, the bus was jam packed....watching the scene unfold, and hoping in my head that the bus driver would take the cash for her, or offer to help...something.  Instead, the driver looked visibly annoyed.

Just when I thought she was going to burst into tears, and I started trying to figure out how many people I would have to elbow through to get up front, someone in the front got out of their seat.  A kind woman left her stuff in her seat, worked her way to the front of the bus and put the money in for her.  The young girl had relief written all over her face as she shifted her arms to try and figure out where to go.  Thankfully, a man stood up and motioned to her that she could have his seat.  A different woman offered to get her stroller.

The young girl sat down with her tiny baby in the carseat and was looking up at the ceiling of the bus, blinking.  I recognized that move...we've all been there, right?  The times we look up, willing ourselves to not cry, to not let the tears come because you know once they do they're hard to stop.

As she was looking up, the woman who first got up to help her with the money (who was now sitting beside her), patted her on the leg and said "You're doing a great job".

5 words.  That's it.

But those 5 words with the simple gesture of a pat on the leg and a loving look toward the tiny baby caused a huge smile to come over this girl's face.  Just like that.  Her body language transformed, and while I couldn't hear the rest of the conversation, I could tell she was speaking to the woman who'd shown her kindness for the rest of the bus trip. 

 I could feel for this girl....young or not, we've all been there.  Maybe not on the bus...maybe in line at Target, with a kid who has asked 542 times for a candy bar in line, as you're fishing around in your purse for your wallet, feeling yourself grow more and more flustered as the cashier stands there, waiting for you.  Maybe at daycare drop off, when it's you who has the crying kid, the one who is scared to go in, clinging to your legs or even worse, trying to bolt out the door while screaming his head off.

The whole experience on the bus was maybe 3 minutes total, but it really made me think about how I should be more intentional in my interactions with people.  So often, I see others in those situations and sure, I have sympathy for them in my head or think to myself, "Oh, yes...I've been there before!" but rarely do I say anything.

5 words.

You're doing a great job.

I need to start saying it.

To the mom with the crying kid....to the dad struggling at daycare drop off....to the cashier who is still trying to learn her job and can't get the scanner to work.....to Jake when he's trying to read but getting frustrated because he doesn't know all of the words....to Liam when he's trying to build with Legos but can't quite get them to do what he wants them to.

You're doing a great job.  

If I could hug September, I would.

Photo credit: www.dearlillie.blogspot.com

It shouldn't be news to anyone that I adore fall.  It is, by far, my favorite season.  And as long as the weather cooperates, I especially love September.  There's an energy in the air with all of the back to school buzz (especially since I work at the college that's my alma mater--lots of nostalgia this time of year!), football season starts back up, and autumn starts to take shape in September.  Our wedding anniversary is in September, too!

I stopped by Pat Catan's in mid-August and nearly fell over when I came across this aisle, it was like Christmas! (and actually, they had a Christmas aisle, but one thing at a time!)

I showed a reasonable amount of restraint.

Sadly, the forecast for the next few days is HOT.  So I won't be busting out my sweaters and tall boots and running to Starbucks for a PSL anytime soon, but I will continue to look forward to the season.  My mums are ready, too....weather, get with the program!

Happy September!!!

2nd Grade - here he comes!!!

Preschool

Blink

Kindergarten

Blink

1st grade

Blink

2nd Grade

That's how it feels....right, fellow parents? You blink and you've skipped ahead a few years, a few smiles, and a few grades in school.  It's unbelievable. 

I'm happy to report that the 2nd grade year has started out on a positive note, with Jake being excited to head back (after some initial first day jitters) and reporting back on day one that 2nd grade is awesome and his teacher is fun.  Glowing review from a 7 year old!!

One thing that happened earlier this summer that was kind of a weird punch in the gut to me was the day that Jake declared he needed a "big kid" backpack, and did not want to get anything with characters on it.  He wanted either a Nike backpack, or one from Pappy's store (Columbia)  After showing him the pictures of what was available at Columbia, he picked out what he declared to be the coolest backpack around :)  I don't know why, but this really got to me!!  He was happy with his decision though, and proudly rocked that backpack yesterday.  The good news is, it should hold up better than the cheap character backpacks, which usually fall apart by March.

The only person who was unhappy about the first day of school was Liam....he won't start kindergarten until next year, and the boy left behind this year shed some tears in the morning about not going on the bus with his big bro.  Exhibit A of this disappointment can be found on his face in all of the following pictures:

 

He perked up a little bit right before we headed out to the bus stop....

 

 

A few silly pics, and we were off to the bus stop!! 

 

Any nerves that were still lingering seemed to leave once we got to the stop; Jake reunited with all of his usual stop buddies and everyone was comparing teachers and wondering what they would do that day when they got there :)  He was so excited when the bus started to come down the hill that we had to call him back over to us to get a hug goodbye! 

 

He skipped off the bus after school and was happy to tell me all about his day and show me everything that was sent home with him. What else is there to do other than celebrate with ice cream after that kind of day??

Happy back to school, everyone!!!

Summer Bucket List/Goals/Hopes

image courtesy of  iloveitallwithmonikawright.com

Ahhh.....summer.  We aren't quite in that season yet, but it's close enough that I'm starting to think about how to make the most of it.  I'm sure everyone feels like this, but sometimes it's frustrating that summer gets filled up with so many obligations and chores that we run short on time for the fun stuff.  I thought maybe writing it all out would be helpful this year.  Here we go!!

1.  Go to Kennywood.  

This is non-negotiable.  It's shameful that my kids are 'burghers and have never been to this classic park!  The rides, the food, the atmosphere (the, um...people watching.  Ahem.) it's all so great and I have no idea why we haven't made this a priority yet.  We went to Idlewild for the first time 2 years ago and they absolutely loved it, so I feel like they're definitely ready to "graduate" to Kennywood.  It should be slightly easier this year, too...while Liam still needs a nap most of the time, he's a bit more flexible having to go without it....which means that we could potentially stay at the park into the evening, which is my absolute favorite time to be there.

2.  Finish the treehouse.

It's coming along quite nicely, and I'm sure Brian will be working on it when he can over the upcoming weekend.  The kids are so excited to use it, and I'm so excited to see the look on their faces when it's finally complete.  They're really hoping for a sleepover out there in the summer, so we'll see how that goes!

3.  Enjoy our space with friends more.

This isn't exactly something to work towards, but I'd just love to have people over more often.  Nothing formal, even if it's just last minute, ordering pizza and letting the kids run around.  Again, with Liam being more flexible with his sleep schedule (lately he's actually been doing that crazy thing where, if we let him stay up later, he actually sleeps in later the next day....BLISS!!!) it makes it easier to do things in the evening. Up until recently, if we let him stay up later, he would somehow manage to wake up even earlier than usual the next morning--I'm talking like 5am!  Needless to say, he was a bear the next morning, so it was not fun to let him stay up late!  Do you know that my kids have never caught lightning bugs?  That must be remedied. Nothing says summer like good friends having some drinks and enjoying the night on the patio!!  (it would also give me an excuse to try some of the delicious looking drink recipes I've been pinning lately!)

4.  Summer Reading

This goes for both me and the kiddos.  Our local library has a summer reading program, so I definitely want to get both of the kids signed up for that. I'll be the first to admit that last year we didn't do a great job of making sure he was consistently reading over the summer, so I want to do better this year.  Maybe he'll want to read in his treehouse once that's done? :)  Here are some books on my summer wish list (I'm a sucker for anything that relates to the beach May-August):

5.  Go to a drive in movie

This one may be ambitious, considering the fact that I have trouble staying awake through one movie in my own house, but we'll see.  There are a few cute kids movies coming out over the next few months, so maybe we can make a night of it and try to see at least one under the stars!  The Minions and Inside Out are definitely on our must-see list:

6.  Pirates Game
 I still haven't figured out if Liam is ready to sit through a full game yet (I'm not, but I guess I could suck it up for the sake of the family), so if not all of us, then Brian and Jake will definitely go to at least a game or two over the summer.  They always have such a great time there!

June 2014

 7.  Water Stairs on the North Shore 
Again, another very Pittsburgh thing that my kids haven't experienced. The water steps are part of the North Shore Riverfront Park, the area near Heinz Field and PNC Park. They loved the fountain at Point Park when the giant ducky was here a few years ago, so I'd love to head back there again, too.

Water Steps - North Shore Riverfront Park

Point State Park - October 2013

8.  Go to the Blue Slide Park
Again, another Pittsburgh thing we've not yet done!  The Blue Slide Park is part of Frick Park (which we've been to before, we just never managed to hit up this particular part of it); most of the playground is just your standard playground equipment, but then...there's this:

image courtesy of playpittsburgh.com

image courtesy of playpittsburgh.com

It doesn't look like much and it requires a piece of cardboard, but everyone who has taken their kids there has raved about it. All images above courtesy of playpittsburgh.com and a full review of the Blue Slide Park (and MANY other Pittsburgh parks and playgrounds!) can be found here: http://playpittsburgh.com/playgrounds/#.VVYCGvCVEYU


What am I missing?  What's on your summer bucket list?

Handpicked Love

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy (day late) Mother's Day!  We had a really nice weekend that started on Friday with some celebrations at both schools.  Here are the boys on their way to school that morning, all dressed up and ready for the occasion!  Jake even volunteered to wear nice clothes...I nearly passed out, this from the boy who argues about wanting to wear sweatpants to church.

 

I may be biased, but I think they are both devastatingly handsome.

First stop was Jake's school, where they had made us some adorable crafts and a book...the book was awesome, and I can't imagine how much time went into it (from both Jake and his teacher!):

Placemat for our meal at the mother's day celebration

decorated gift bag

 

 

 

 

It's hard to read, but the picture is of Jake at our table and he's saying "yay, strawberries!" :)

Fun fact: I haven't been on a bike in probably 15 years.

 

translation: Let's me play her phone. 

 

 

 

 

After we had a chance to look at the gifts, the kids got up and recited a few songs and poems...it was the sweetest thing ever, it made me tear up!!  I tried to control it in an effort to not embarrass Jake.

Video:

We also did a little quiz; Jake's teacher had asked them questions about their mom earlier in the week...we had to try and guess what they said without looking at their answers:

The questions aren't on there, but as you can see we got a few matches :)  My personal favorite is question number 8; the question was "what does your mom do all day while you're at school?"  Jake knows that I work, so I thought this one was going to be a sure thing to get right....Jake's answer was "thinks about me".  Just about the cutest (and most amusing) parts of my day that day.

Next stop, Liam's preschool!  We were greeted in the classroom with a little song for the mamas:

After that, they had different stations...games, crafts, books, and cupcakes!

 

 

 

 

And he was proud to give me the gift they made in class:

On Sunday, the boys gave me the best gift of all by sleeping in until 7:45!  This is something occurs, um, let's see here...NEVER.  So, thanks boys!! :)

I received some cute cards, pretty flowers, delicious Reeses Cups, and this shirt that sums my life up perfectly:

The boys and I headed down to my parents' house mid-morning (Brian stayed behind for a good reason...post about that to follow!)

My mom got me this beautiful "daughter" Alex & Ani bracelet to add to my collection:

It was HOT, but we did get the boys outside to test out the new lacrosse sticks that GG had forgotten to give to them for Easter :)

 

 

After that, it was time for the highlight of the day....taking the boys to Sarris for ice cream for the very first time!!  If you're from the Pittsburgh area, you know that Sarris is kind of an iconic thing around here.  They have an adorable old-fashioned ice cream parlor (and chocolate factory, too!) and I was excited to introduce the boys.  I think they enjoyed it :)

I'm pretty sure Liam is sizing up Jake's portion and trying to figure out if he can mooch any! Look at those eyes!

 

 

 

This one has to be my absolute favorite picture of the whole weekend....I asked both boys to give GG a kiss on the cheek, and instead Liam said, "How about Jake gives her a kiss on the cheek and I'll be the shark in the picture?"

Doesn't every picture need a shark?? :)

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms, moms-to-be, and hopeful moms out there.  And a huge thank you to both of the moms in our life, whose endless love and support are more appreciated than we can ever put into words...thank you, GG and Nana!!!