UNO!

Dear Em,
I remember many family nights playing UNO together as I was growing up. We played the version of the game where you picked up cards until you had one to play, & sometimes I felt like I had the whole deck in my hand. I remember being so bummed when one of my sisters slammed down a DRAW FOUR card, but feeling so exhilarated when I had one to slam down on top of it. It is such a simple game, but I love the memories I have of my family sitting down to play it together.

Once Daddy & I got married, we bought the game of UNO for our own home, but I can't even remember the last time I played it...until last month.

We brought a bunch of board games up with us on our New Hampshire getaway. We had each chosen a game to bring along, but at the last minute, I grabbed UNO too. We opened up the box & went over the rules with you. It seemed like the perfect game for you at this age. You've had your colors down for a while, & numbers are something that you've been going over a lot at school. Still, I wondered if it would be tough for you to manage a bunch of cards.

It turns out, you are a little UNO shark. In no time, you were shouting out UNO & winning without breaking a sweat. It's a good thing we weren't playing for money, because Daddy & I may have lost a lot that night.

We've brought the UNO box back out a few times since then & even played with Grandma & Papa's set. I can't wait until we get together with my family for the holidays. Taking out the UNO set with my parents & siblings again will be so fun...especially when I'll get to look across the table at you shouting UNO & beaming with excitement.

I love you so,
Mommy

Throwback Thursday: My First Time Abroad

Dear Em,
In between my junior & senior years of high school, I had an incredible experience. I traveled to Lubeck (I can't figure out how to type in an umlaut over the u), Germany for two weeks & stayed with a host family (I actually ended up staying with three different host families...it was a long story). I had studied German in high school, & this was my chance to put theory into practice. The trip cost wasn't cheap, & I will be forever grateful to my grandma for helping to fund my trip. She said it was an opportunity & experience I would always take with me, & she was right.

I planned to post pictures of my trip in this post, but when I looked through my photos I realized I mostly took pictures of my friends on the bus or on a random playground. I can vividly remember going to the sea, walking through a concentration camp, attending school with our trip hosts, eating fresh rolls each morning, & making our way through the streets of Berlin. And yet, I have pictures of none of those things. Sigh.

Even after spending my early years moving & living across the country, my first trip to Germany felt like my first real taste of truly immersing myself in a completely new culture. I think the language barrier was the biggest factor. Two years of German couldn't have prepared me for what I experienced. Sure, my German improved in ways it never could have in a classroom alone, but much of the time I could only understand bits & pieces of what was going on around me. You know, every other word of everyday things like conversations & street signs.

At one point, my American friend & I decided to try to navigate the bus system on our own. When we started to see the German countryside out the window, we knew we had missed our stop. At the last stop on the bus line, the bus driver found two American girls sitting together with tears in our eyes. Luckily, he knew enough English & we knew enough German that he could tell us the bus would be looping back into town. After the longest bus ride ever, eventually we found the correct bus stop.

Still, I fell in love with experiencing new things & seeing people do things in new ways. I learned, in such a densely populated country, how space can be maximized. I listened to music before it came out in the States. I saw the Berlin Wall & imagined what life if a wall separated me from my family & friends across the country. I read the many names of people who had died in the solemn concentration camp we toured. I ate what I would have considered a sandwich for breakfast (fresh rolls with cheese & meats & mustard). I learned that while many Americans seem to believe that when you're in the US you should speak English, most Europeans know more than just their native tongue. Knowing multiple languages helps them remove barriers & opens up new opportunities.

Mostly, I think I learned that I could hold my own in different cultures. I left the trip a little more confident about traveling than when I started. Sure, traveling can sometimes lead to uncomfortable & difficult moments (like getting lost on a bus) when there are culture & language barriers, but I left Germany knowing I could figure it out. Plus, I left Germany knowing that in most of Europe they call bathrooms water closets (WC). I can't tell you how handy that information has been each time I've traveled abroad since.

I think that first trip to Germany is what made me confident enough to take our most recent trip, & that confidence led to many of my favorite moments on our Mediterranean adventure. I've realized that I'm not really a tour group kind of girl. Don't get me wrong, the guides are great. The tour group itself makes me feel like I'm in the middle of herded cattle. Though I didn't speak hardly any Italian, French, Greek, Turkish, or Spanish, I knew that Daddy & I could figure it out if we ventured out on our own. So, on many occasions we left our tour groups behind & found our own adventures. We navigated through street signs in different languages & found people that spoke a little English, & we figured it out. Figuring it out with Daddy was a lot of fun, & I love that he's looking forward to continuing to figure it out with me in the future. There's so many places we hope to see & so many things we hope to do.

And it all started out with a high school trip to Germany.

I love you so,
Mommy

Throwback Thursday: Rocky Beaches

Dear Em,
A few weeks ago, when we had our fantastic girls day at Watch Hill, I watched you climb along the rocky coast. I was struck by how much you climbing around the rocks at Watch Hill reminded me of a picture from my childhood...& I found it.

I was younger than you...probably two or three. From one beachbum to another, I look forward to many, many more days on the coast with you.

I love you so,

Mommy

Throwback Thursday: Feeding Deer

Dear Em,
To me, the warmer spring weather is perfect zoo weather. I'm looking forward to so many zoo trips with you this year. I found this oldie but goodie photo of me feeding a deer, & it reminded me of the fun we had when we went to Southwicks Zoo.

Little Me:

Little You:

I think my mom was the better photographer. Ha!

I love you so,

Mommy

Throwback Thursday: Birthday Me

Dear Em,
This is little birthday me. It's possible we had just moved, & I didn't have bunches of little friends, but my mom always found a way to make our celebrations special...complete with balloons & a dog in a party hat. Ha!

I love you so,

Mommy

Throwback Thursday: Easter Bunny Photos

Dear Em,
Is it just me or did Easter Bunnies from when I was growing up look a little creepy? This bunny is truly the stuff nightmares are made of. He looks a little more likely to hide in the bushes & rob our house than to leave sweet Easter surprises. How did I willingly sit on his lap & smile? How was I not running away & crying in terror?!

This Easter Bunny that Daddy & Aunt Andrea are sitting with looks a little less terrifying, but something about the eyes make him look a little...drunk? Clearly someone spiked his peeps. I hope he had a designated driver to take him around for all of his Easter activities. But, seriously, isn't Daddy so stinkin' cute in his overalls?

Thank goodness for the Easter Bunny at Roger Williams Zoo. No need for horrifying nightmares or breathalyzer tests. He's just your average, friendly, neighborhood Easter Bunny.

So, when you're in your teens & you think that I'm probably the worst mom in the whole entire universe, just remember who kept you away from the creepy, possibly drunk Easter Bunnies.

I love you so,

Mommy

Snowmageddon 2015

Dear Em,
I don't like the cold. I prefer to be warm & cozy. As much as I love warm Rhode Island summers, the frigidly cold winters can be tough for me to take. There is a bright spot to my winter blues, however, & that is snow. We hadn't gotten much snow this year. We had the occasional dusting that either melted or turned into sleet before you even got home from school. But then there was Snowmageddon 2015.

It was our first real snow of the year, & it was a blizzard. We were so excited, that we went outside to play in the snow just after it had begun to fall. The snow had just started to cover the ground, but it was enough for us. We sledded down the driveway, & you made tons of snow angels (your very favorite thing to do).

When we returned inside our warm house, your cheeks were rosy. Daddy made us hot cocoa heaped with marshmallows. You happily drank yours all up before telling Grandma & Papa all about the fun on the phone. "Mommy did the playing & Daddy did the picture taking," you told them as you smiled ear to ear.

It was supposed to snow heavily all the next day. You couldn't wait to play in the snow. Unfortunately, Daddy & I still had to work from home. I tried to give you activities to do while we got our work done. You did some facetiming.

You played Say Yes to the Dress. It got a little scary for a moment, but you finally found a dress you could say yes to.

You worked on puzzles.

We finally all went outside to play. There was over two feet of snow on the ground. There was so much snow, it was hard to walk around. After less than an hour of sledding & snow angel making & just trying to walk around the yard, we were all exhausted. We headed inside with rosy cheeks to drink more hot cocoa.

The next day, school was canceled again. You were starting to get frustrated with Daddy & I having to work on a snow day while you were cooped up inside. Believe me, it is challenging for all of us when Daddy & I have to work from home while you're home. You were cranky. We decided to skip playing in the snow & snuggled while watching a movie instead.

Saturday was the first day off for all of us, & we were all ready to spend some serious quality time with the snow. It was one of the coldest days of the year. The wind hurt as it whipped across our faces, but we were determined to have family fun anyway. We headed to my old middle school. Next to it stands my favorite snow hill from my childhood. Your best friend joined us for the freezing fun. We brought snow tubes & a big orange tabbogan that my siblings & had sledded on when we were growing up.

The next hour was absolutely freezing & so much fun.

The hill was steep. Crawling was the easiest way for you to make your way up.

We all flew down the hill, & you loved every moment of it.

We returned to the car to warm up with some hot cocoa.

As I type this, it is snowing...again. I've been on the phone for hours trying to rearrange travel plans, & Daddy is not looking forward to digging out our driveway...again. Still, you woke up this morning, threw open the curtains, & squealed in happiness at the sight of the freshly falling snow. It helped me to remember my own childhood wonder of the freezing & slippery stuff. Thank goodness for you & the smiles that snow brings to your face.

I love you so,

Mommy

Sharing Christmas Classics

Dear Em,
The holidays can be so busy. Who am I kidding? Any time of year can be busy for us (with me being the constant over extender of the family), but the holidays bring it to a whole new level. Typically, I start to feel a little burnt out with all the holiday festivities we squeeze in. This year has felt a little different so far. I think that's because we've made time for Christmas movies. Last week we snuggled together each night, just the three of us, to watch & relax to & enjoy Christmas movies.

We have a small collection of holiday movies, but in November I also set our DVR to record a ton of others (we've also been able to use On Demand for some I have missed). Since you watch non-cartoon movies now, it's really allowed Daddy & I enjoy the Christmas favorites we haven't seen in quite a while. Except these viewings are a little bit sweeter, because we're also watching you watch them for the first time. To see your eyes light up- to see you get excited & yell "I believe, Santa. I believe!" Sigh. It's one of the most precious holiday moments that I'm so unbelievably grateful to share with you.

Trying to fit in a 2-3 hour movie is pretty impossible on a week night, but many of the programs are one hour specials. Most of the claymation movies are an hour long, & I have been surprised by how many claymation movies there are. Daddy & I love sharing them with you, because we feel like we're sharing pieces of our own childhood with yours. For longer holiday specials, sometimes we just watch the first half of a movie & save the rest for the next day. This is how we've begun to enjoy some of my holiday favorites for the first time: Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, & Home Alone (I've been told that a Christmas movie can't be called a classic until it is 25 years old, which makes Home Alone one year away from classic status).

I know it's just TV. I know I'm supposed to be about less TV time for you. The things is, we spend so much of this season doing things. We are constantly running around. We bake & make crafts & decorate & go to events. We fill ourselves up with so many busy things, that sometimes I feel too busy to enjoy them. Sitting down together, snuggling in, & sharing these Christmas classics at the end of the day is exactly what we need. And it's starting to become on of my favorite things about this season.

I love you so,
Mommy

TBT: Ledyard Girls

Dear Em,
These are some of the ladies I went to elementary school, middle school, & high school with. I played on playgrounds with these girls. I was in band with these girls. I shared classes with these girls. I passed notes with these girls. I stayed up all night at sleepovers with theses girls. I cheered with these girls.

1994 (I think)

As a Navy Brat, Ledyard, Connecticut was the town I lived in for the longest growing up. We moved after my sophomore year of high school, & I lost touch with a lot of my girlfriends. One of the best things about facebook was I was able to reconnect with a lot of my old friends. 

Amazingly, some of us still didn't live very far from Ledyard. Four years ago, we planned to reconnect in person. Some of us had littles of our own, & we thought it would be a blast to get everyone together. We originally planned an outdoor meeting place. With a hurricane on it's way, we changed our plans around & met at one of our houses for a couple hours. Catching up was the best. I truly enjoyed learning about what these ladies had been up to through the years while our littles played together on the floor.

2011

We enjoyed our mini reunion so much, we planned to get together a year later. This time we met at Buttonwood Farm. It was the perfect spot to let four littles run around while their Mommies caught up. Watching all of you littles play together made my heart so incredibly happy. I felt like we were building a new generation of Ledyard friends. You were two & so teeny, but you wanted to climb all over the hay bales in the worst way. Little T was your hero. Watching him pull you up the stack of hay made my heart melt. While you all played I enjoyed every second of catching up with my old friends.

2012

The next year we returned to Buttonwood Farm. You looked forward to playing with your little friends. You were bigger this time, & you & T worked together to pull some of the smaller kids up the haystacks. The adults let the littles lead us through the corn maze. You each took a turn being the leader. We both enjoyed the fun & adorable morning spent catching up with friends.

2013

We met at Buttonwoods again this past weekend. This year's group was our biggest group yet. We had 7 kids & 7 adults! I have to say, it was a little bit hectic corralling all you kids to the same activity. There were corn pits & duck races & corn mazes & hay stacks & cow trains & tractor rides & cows to feed. There was so much fun to be had, & the littles ran in a million directions. You had a major meltdown in the corn maze (corn mazes rarely go very well for us). It was almost impossible to get a group picture of the 7 littles. We did squeeze in a group shot of everyone. The nice man who took a group picture of all of us even said, "not everyone was smiling, but everyone is in the picture."

This was as good as it gets for the littles group shot.

2014

I really look forward to & enjoy our Fall tradition. It's amazing how our group keeps growing & growing. I love getting to catch up with the girls I grew up with, & I love that you enjoy catching up with their littles.

I love you so,

Mommy