Grade 4

Hey 4th grader!

I know today was your first day of school. I'm a little weepy because I can't believe you're old enough to be in the fourth grade. I think I'll get over it because we have at least nine more years before you go off to college and leave us!

I'm sitting here with Chewy enjoying the slow morning in Boston and hoping you like your teacher (and that he or she adores you -- how could anyone not?) I hope you've been practicing your multiplication tables, learning about the U.S. Presidents, and writing in your journal in your free time.

Here's what I wish for you for your fourth grade year:

1. A great attitude
2. The desire to do well in school and the work ethic to make sure you do
3. Many friends
4. Teachers who get you excited about learning
5. A good amount of homework that challenges you but doesn't drive you or mommy up the walls
6. Amazing field trips
7. The cutest picture day picture
8. The ability to voice your frustrations without letting it get the best of you
9. Kindness, service, and honesty both in and out the classroom (and most especially with Al)
10. Focus. Your brain is super active! Try your best to focus on the lesson so you can learn as best as you can!
11. Hugs! Everyday, hugs.

I figured I'd give you ten wishes for ten years but I got a little carried away. I know I speak for everyone when I say we're super proud of you and can't wait to hear about all the cool things you'll learn this year.
I'm giving you an air hug right now.

Amo,

Titi

(hey...do me a favor and write in your blog about how your first day of school went! I'd love to read about it!)

Saying Goodbye

Friday morning my sister woke up before 7 am and consequently everyone else had to wake up too. But that's a good thing because it means we made the most of our time.

A few pics before we left for Winthrop.

 We're both sporting our Harvard T's!

 What a great nephew! I'm so lucky!

These two look just alike.


First stop was Winthrop Beach which I absolutely love. It's close, it's not too much of an attraction because there's no "boardwalk" like at Revere Beach and I love the little pockets and coves there. We had breakfast at a tiny breakfast place there. Bacon, egg, and cheese on bagels and we all had coffee drinks, even Jay because they had extra of the frozen mocha drink and I said he could have a little taste. He loved it! He's been asking for coffee since NY when his aunt let him try some.

 There were hundreds of hermit crabs. We got there at the peak of low tide so we couldn't even walk to the water without stepping on them.

 Jay was holding a hermit crab here and refused to look at the camera. So we both said, "JAY! Look at the camera." Guess we didn't tell him to smile though.

 Jay letting his mommy rest on his shoulder. Ain't he the sweetest?

 My partner in crime -- we even have our own dap greeting.

Me and my sister -- all smiles because I don't know yet that I've been towed.

It's almost over...

Jay's mom flew up Thursday night and the two of them returned to North Carolina Friday afternoon. Six weeks have since passed since I went to pick him up in New York. Feels like he's been here much longer and it also feels like we didn't have enough time.

Wednesday we went to Castle Island for one last Boston funsie. My GPS couldn't find Castle Island and I only knew that it is located in South Boston. So I drove around and finally found it after about 25 minutes of cruising around the city.  We stopped by the ice cream shop there and got a couple of soft serve cones. I picked vanilla (my favorite) and he picked chocolate (his favorite --along with strawberry). The amount of ice cream they gave us was honestly downright ignorant. I scooped two thirds of each cone onto the ground (no trashcans) and Jay held a mini memorial service for his dessert. I don't think he knew I was going to discard so much but even after all of that, neither one of us finished eating what remained.

Castle Island is beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that Jams and I are going there after we rescue her car from the tow lot and have breakfast. Fort Independence is on the island (or what used to be an island) and it's a pretty cool location. Other than the fort, there's a playground, and the flight path of landing airplanes at Logan Airport. The backdrop of the city across the harbor provides the most magnificent view and depending on when you get there, how far you go out, and how keen your eyesight is, you could find lots of crabs.

 The sky was so blue and the sun was so bright that I had to take a picture. Magnificent, isn't it?

 We found baby crabs! Or baby something. It certainly looked like a baby hermit crab but with a completely different shell. Maybe they outgrow these shells and find much uglier rock looking shells for adulthood.

I wasn't really going to drop that crab down his pants. I just wanted to hear him scream!

 Jay learned how to skip rocks and is really excited about going home to skip with his dad, uncle, and cousins. I'm hoping he teaches Al, too.

 Staked his claim at the fort. Now the property of Jay and Titi. Not that I mind. It might be cool to live in a fort. Not so cool to have tourists playing in our backyard though.

He looks ridiculously grown up here.

I miss him so much already. I can't wait to see everyone again in November.

Thursday morning we drove out to Rockport, MA. A really good friend of mine who lives in VA has a family vacation home there and we went up for the day. We arrived just before noon and didn't leave until 830 pm (not at all in enough time to pick my sister up from the airport but she didn't have to wait too long.)

We went for lunch in the downtown area -- ate the freshest crab ever. The kids played on the beach for almost three hours and Jay's little Southern blood managed to stay in the freezing ocean for most of that time. I was absolutely shocked! But it was great. My friend and I were able to catch up because we hadn't talked in a really long time but it was so easy to jump back in into the swing of things. Then we went home, showered and walked back into town for a quick dinner and ice cream. No pics. :(

Rockport is beautiful. I'm absolutely going back again THIS summer. There's no way that little piece of wonder can be only 35 miles away from Boston and I miss out. I love quaint towns with charming shops and really friendly people. It's expensive to live there I'm sure -- but it absolutely reminded me of Bar Harbor. Especially the ice cream!

And I was starting to think it would never break 100 degrees in Boston

We were supposed to go to the zoo but it was over 105 degrees one day. So instead, we played in the spray bed at the park and painted watercolors!

This one is mine. I love it. I'm a little disturbed that the only image I truly captured is Chewy. But to give myself a little credit, I don't walk around with an image of myself in my head all day. I do, however, see Chewy because he's literally always in my face. I think Jay's photo looks a little like him. His face isn't quite so round and it's a tad bit longer IRL. That figure on the left though? Not at all any resemblance to me. A little sad that I couldn't capture my own likeness.

Jay's rainbow. Really nice. I love the use of almost all the colors. I especially like what's going on around the rainbow tornado. Like is it also raining blue and red? :)

Jay moved on from his first watercolor [not yet pictured] to the one above and finished with this number. Meanwhile, I was still working on my one and only. I love the purple here. And I'm drawn to the deep red in the center. Maybe someone has a natural talent.

Not really sure what was going on here. Maybe that's the ocean. Who knows. But he wrote our names (in watercolor) on the picture so it might represent friendship.