He's On A Roll

I have a lot to write about.  And I will write about all of it, as soon as I have a moment to compose my thoughts.  But while my thoughts are being composed...my son has been on a roll with his hysterical comments.

Last night at bedtime, he sang me a silly little song.  When he was done I said, "That was a great song, Zach!"  He said, "Thanks!  I learned it from my brain!"

This morning, as he snuggled with me in bed before it was quite time to get up, he asked me how our bodies are able to hold up our heads.  I said that we had strong bones, muscles and tendons in our necks that did most of the work.  "And lungs!" he said, pointing to his cheeks.  I said, "Well, your lungs are down here, those are your cheeks!"  "No."  He argued, "We also have lungs up here.  They are called cheek lungs!"

Over the weekend, while discussing the prospect of putting an offer on a new house, Ahren said to Zach, "How would you like to live in that house?"  He pouted and said he did not want to.  When Ahren asked him why he said, "Because I like the toys we have in this house!"

2013 Boston Marathon

The date of this post is April 15th to keep the timeline on my blog correct.  But I am actually sitting here typing this over one month later, on May 24th.  This is mostly because after the events that occurred on the day of the marathon I just didn't know what to say.  I'm still not sure I know what to say.  However I don't want to ignore it, or pretend it didn't happen because it is now a very big part of our history, and I was there.

I have had a connection to the BAA Boston Marathon since I was born.  You have surely been told the story that my dad ran his first marathon a mere ten days after I was born.  He promised my mom he only wanted to do it once.  That was the biggest lie he's ever told.  A few months later he ran his first Boston Marathon.  I was about five months old at the time, and for every year of my life for the next 35 year, my dad would be back in Boston triumphantly crossing the finish line.  Two of those years I joined him on the course and I felt so grateful to him for giving me that gift.  I got myself there, but he was the one who made me want to get there, and he trained with me every step of the way.

To say our family has a connection to the marathon would be an understatement.  My mom has been the captain of the Human Chains for over twenty years.  Every single Patriot's Day morning she delivers a crew of volunteers to the starting line in Hopkinton and keeps everything in line with her firm and friendly attitude.  Two years ago my dad decided to end his 35 year streak, and this year Dave McGillvray asked him to shadow him at the start of the race.  No one just gets to do that.  My dad was incredibly honored (and maybe a little terrified) to be asked.  This is how he felt about his assignment on that day.

April 15th was a perfect day.  Way too early in the morning I was excitedly riding the volunteer bus into Boston.  Sitting next to me was my cousin Jennifer who was about to experience her first Boston Marathon, and up front was my mom, of course, happily giving her volunteers their instructions for the day.  The weather was perfect, the air was crisp, everyone was happy, and there was no reason in the world to believe that it would not be the best marathon day ever.

At the starting line I met my friend Christina who was running her first marathon for Children's Hospital.  She was so excited, and I was thrilled for her that she was getting such a perfect marathon day.  I couldn't wait for her to experience all that the Boston Marathon had to offer.  Amazing experiences that you never forget.

The start, as always, went off without a hitch.  We watched while the most inspirational athletes flew past us, an amazing journey that they had worked hard for just ahead.  Behind them thousands and thousands of men and women with a million different stories and reasons for being there ran by, some crying as they crossed the start because just getting to the starting line of the Boston Marathon is a journey of it's own.  It was fun.  We laughed at the costumes, cheered for the charities, screamed out our friends' names as they ran by.  And as quickly as it started, it was over.  And Hopkinton was quiet again.  As we stood up from the curb, ready to do our clean up, we turned to see a bomb squad standing behind us with their bomb sniffing dogs.  My friend Dave asked me if I felt safe knowing they were there the whole time.  It had never occurred to me to not feel safe.  I smiled at the crew, adored their dogs, and made my way down the street to clean up.

After clean up the volunteers took the bus to Boston.  Almost every year that I have volunteered at Boston, I have taken the T out to the course to run some of our club members in.  But this year no one needed me, and I was playing tour guide to Jennifer, so we stayed downtown and hung out with the crew.  We had a beer in a restaurant and sat around chatting for awhile before it was time to head to the family meeting area to guide our runners back to the bus.  My friend Marcie and her two sons Vann (4) and Gino (3) were with us, and Marcie suggested we make our way to Boylston to watch the finish for awhile.  I was game, and I thought Jennifer would like it, so we asked our friend George how to best get over there.  It was only a couple of blocks away, but barriers and TONS of people made getting around very hard.  George told us the way, but then said to us, "Don't go.  You won't be able to see anything, and it will be so crowded."  I might have argued, but for some reason we all just said, "Okay." and went off in search of a coffee.

The crowd in the family meeting area was immense and it took us a long time to walk about one block away to a Starbucks.  With coffee in hand we made our way back to our friends .  Back at our spot we greeted some of our faster members as they came looking for a guide back to the bus.  They had run amazing times and were all so thrilled (and freezing!). It was a happy afternoon. 

Then we heard a loud boom.  It made everyone stop.  I looked at Marcie and said, "What was that??"  Before she could answer we heard another one.  "What was THAT??" I asked.  We looked around for answers, but we were standing among tall buildings and could not see anything more than a block away.  We considered some possibilities - a plane (hope not!), some staging falling down, a gas explosion - but no one had answers and nothing else seemed to be happening.  More runners were coming in, still looking for a guide to the bus.  Feeling uneasy, Marcie and I jumped at the chance to bring our friend Lisa along to the bus.  While we walked I was trying to figure out, through text and internet on my phone, what the heck happened.  "Here we are at the Boston Marathon.  There are live cameras everywhere.  If something happened it would be on the news immediately." I thought.  But texts home to Ahren who had the news on provided me with no information.  Nothing was on the news. 

As we approached the bus an unkempt looking man came running down the street yelling, "There were two bombs at the finish line!!"  I looked at Marcie who's eyes grew wide and I calmly said, "Consider the source."  Moments later, ten minutes after the "boom", my dad, who had gone home with my mom after the start, called and asked me if I was ok.  "Yes", I said, "But there were two really loud explosions and we have no idea what they were."  I could barely comprehend his words when he told me that our friend Bob had called him from the finish line to tell him that, in fact, two bombs had gone off.  I told him that we were with the bus, and that we would gather our runners as quickly as possible and head out.  We hung up.

As soon as I reached the door of the bus, the driver met me to tell me to get on the bus immediately because we were heading out.  I spent the next twenty minutes insisting that we were not leaving until our bus was full, and I knew where my uncle was.  Uncle Jay had been next to me when we heard the explosions, but he did not come back to the bus.  I wasn't worried about whether he was ok, but I knew he would run in to help, and I really hoped he would just come back to the bus.  When the bus was full, and I saw him out the window I agreed to let the driver go.  As we pulled away, I watched him head back to the finish area.  I was not surprised.

For the next couple of hours my phone would not stop.  People texting me to see if I was ok, or to see if I knew where other people were.  We did not have the list of runners and volunteers on our bus, so for the entire bus ride people were calling out that they had heard from one person or another, and we would try to relay that information to the bus that remained in Boston.  The first bus left Boston at 3:30.  The second bus, with Uncle Jay, stayed until after 5pm making sure they had every last runner from the club on the bus.  It was a brave and heroic effort.  I was really glad to give Uncle Jay this hug later that evening.

In the hours and days after the events we learned so much.  I learned that all of my friends and family were ok - an amazing blessing.  I learned of their horrific stories of being stopped less than a mile from the finish and trying to figure out how to get home, not knowing whether their family was ok, bearing witness to the unimaginable scene on the sidelines as they ran by the bombs exploding.  I can't even comprehend it all.  It's as though this happened in some alternate universe.  For over a week I couldn't even smile.  I cheered when they captured the terrorists who tried to steal our day, but only stole the lives of too many people, including a boy just Lexi's age.  But there is no joy there.  There is just a hole.  I am sad, and I am angry, and then I am just really, really sad again.  It was too close, and too hard, and I don't think I will ever be the same again.

However, days go by.  Those who were injured begin to heal.  Those who were killed were buried and mourned.  And Boston, and the entire world joined together in such an inspirational way that it made me prouder that I have ever been to be from this beautiful city. 

Two days after Boston over 20,000 people from around the globe pulled on their running shoes, and their blue and gold and ran for Boston.  MVS was there.

And then the following Saturday, on a morning that was already better because we were able to wake up knowing the terrorists had been caught, I received a text from my dad asking if we would like to stand on the field at Fenway for a pre-game ceremony honoring all who were involved that day.  It was an exciting, yet extremely emotional day.

 

 Almost six weeks later I still don't really know what to say about it all.  I have no inspirational thoughts.  I am inspired by a nation that stands behind Boston while we say, "We will not let the terrorists take this day of celebration of health and history away from us."  I am proud to stand among the city of Boston, and I will be more proud than ever to stand on the starting line again next year.  I will not let the events of 2013 change my family's future with this event.  It's in my blood.

Thomson Arts and Academic Night

Tonight was Lexi's Arts and Academic Night at school.  This is one of my favorite school events because it gives us all the chance to see what she's been doing in school throughout the year.  Grammy made the long drive up to North Andover for the opportunity, and we were so happy to have her with us.

We were first given the opportunity to explore her classroom and take a look at the different art and writing she's been working on.  I am always very proud of Lexi's work.  It is clear she puts a lot of thought into her projects, and she has clearly caught on to working a bit quicker in class in order to get her projects done in time...something she struggled with in Kindergarten.

After awhile of exploring the class, the guests we asked to move to the gym so that the first graders could sing their songs for us.  Lexi had been practicing these songs for months, and was very excited to sing them for all of us.  We quickly rushed off to the gym to find the best seats possible.  Within a few moments the first graders began filing onto the staging for their performance.  I stood up in surprise when I didn't see Lexi walk in, and immediately saw her teacher, Mrs. Radulski, motioning for me to come quickly.  In a panic I ran to her to discover that Lexi's nose had begun bleeding just as they were about to walk out of the classroom.  I ran to her in an attempt to help stop it in time for her to make the show, but she was very upset, and the crying made the nosebleed very difficult to control.  We both sat and cried together while we heard the cheers from the gym telling us that we had missed the show.  Lexi was crushed.  I was crushed.  Grammy and Daddy and Zach were crushed.  Well, Zach didn't really notice, but the rest of us did and it was a bummer.  Even Mrs. Radulski felt terribly about it.  It was a disappointment for sure, but an early and hard lesson for Lexi that not everything always goes as we plan.

Despite missing the concert, the evening was still wonderful for all of us.  We really enjoy having the opportunity to see what Lexi is working on at school.  She is having a wonderful year with a fantastic teacher and great friends. First grade will definitely be one to look back on with fond memories.

Things That Make You Go "Hummmm"

Zach: Do you know why he's called a hum back whale?

Dad: Why's that?

Zach: Because he lays on his back and hums, like this, "huuuummmmmm".

Easter Joy!

After the long and seemingly never ending winter that we have had, an early Easter seemed almost destined to be cold and even snowy.  But what a pleasant surprise the Easter Bunny brought this year - a gorgeous 60 degree day full of sunshine.  It was a perfect day to host 20 family members for our annual Easter Dinner.

Of course, our day began with a visit from the Easter Bunny, who not only left baskets full of fun for the kids, but also a scavenger hunt throughout the house to find their eggs full of treats.  Lexi and Zachary had a blast darting all over the house trying to solve the mysterious clues. Lexi had even created her own bunny costume for the occasion..

Lexi and Zach checking out their baskets.

Treats!  Yum!

What fun!

Finding eggs on their scavenger hunt.

They even found some in the fridge!

 When the hunt was over it was time to get ready for our guests.  This year we had a full twenty, and everyone brought something fantastic to share.  We ate and drank very well all day.  Of course, the five cousins were thrilled to be together, in their matching outfits, and they had a blast doing a second egg hunt in the yard.

Beautiful girls

What a crew!

Gigi and Poppy with all of their grandchildren.

The hunt is on - again!

Lexi spots a yellow one!

Zachary samples the contents

Zach found the golden egg!!

The prettiest basket carriers I've ever seen.

My favorite Easter treats.

Our little family

The cousins had a blast!

Uncle Jay with Kat, Erin and Tim, and Meg and Dave

Things got a little wild at the kids table.

15 Adults fit around our table quite nicely.

This was before things got wild at the adult table. 

I thought they were exhausted after a long day.  I was wrong.  They were pretending to have MRIs...obviously.

As always, it was a wonderful day spent with our family.  I feel so blessed to be so close to so much of my family, and that we are all able to come together on Easter to share a meal, and a million laughs.

A Love Triangle

For the first time this year, I have begun hearing Lexi talking about boys in an "I like him, he likes me" kind of way.  I recall being in second grade when I had my first "boyfriend", so it's not a huge shock, and kind of cute.  However, this week blew me away!

As we were getting ready for her swimming lesson, Lexi was telling me that she had lunch with her friend Michael.  Michael sits at the peanut free table, so she does not usually eat with him.  I was curious what caused that to happen, so I asked.  She told me that some of the girls came running over to her at recess and said that Michael just "finally" admitted that he loved her.  My brazen little girl marched herself right over to him and said, "Do you love me?"  His response?  He ran away.  Typical boy.  That didn't stop Lexi.  She found him again and "had a talk with him" and he finally admitted that he did like her, but he didn't love her.  (Phew!) So I said, "Then he asked you to join him for lunch?"  And she said, "No, I asked him."  Welcome to modern day first grade dating!!  Lexi likes Michael, but she also likes Aidan, so while she's flattered by Michael's feelings, she's certainly not gushy about it. 

Later in the evening she told me that while she was having lunch with Michael, she looked over and saw her friend Brigid crying.  She said that Brigid really likes Michael, and she was probably sad that she was eating with him.  I suggested that she is too young to let boys get in the way of friendships with her girlfriends, and that maybe she should discuss it with Brigid the next day.

So, yesterday after school I asked her if she had a chance to talk to Brigid.  She said, "Yup!  Everything is ok."  I said that was good and asked her how the discussion went.  She said, "Well, I said to her, 'You know how you were upset that I was eating lunch with Michael yesterday?  Well how about if we take turns eating with him?'  She said, 'ok' and it was over."  And so, Brigid had the lunch date yesterday, and tomorrow (today is a half day) will be Lexi's turn again.  Michael must be feeling very good right about now.  Nothing like having two girls fighting over you in first grade!

Taking A Tone

On Tuesday morning Lexi was struggling to find an outfit that she was happy with.  I had made a few suggestions that were NOT acceptable, and she was getting more and more upset.  Finally I just jumped in the shower and left her to solve it on her own.  Awhile later she came into the bathroom holding an orange shirt and a bright pink skirt.  She said, "Mom, does this match?"  I looked at it and said, "Yes, Lexi, it looks fine."  Then she groaned and said, "MoooooooM!!"  "What??" I asked.  She said, "I can tell by your tone that you don't really think it matches, but that you're just saying that it does because you don't want to argue with me."  Hmmm...I guess I need to work on my acting skills.  Having a teenager...er...seven year old in the house is tricky business.