Feels Like Home

I think having kids naturally leads us to be philosophical about life and what it means. I can certainly remember times in my life, particularly when I was a teenager, feeling like life was meaningless and longing for a purpose for whatever “suffering” (real or perceived) I felt. Since having Marino, and especially since he’s been at an age where he is interested in learning about the world, I feel like I understand more of life’s meaning. Experiencing life with your child, seeing the world through their eyes, is a beautiful thing. I find it particularly meaningful to experience things with Marino that are similar to things that I experienced as a child. Things that once seemed meaningless now have purpose. Elements of life that I’ve taken for granted I now see with new eyes. I believe that the purpose of life is taking whatever small section of the world you occupy and making it better for the next generation – either your own children or other’s.

All of this melodrama is to say that I really enjoyed this trip “home” (I grew up in Poughkeepsie and lived there until I graduated high school) with Marino. Sonia, Catalina, my mom and I met at the Children’s Museum last Saturday. After we played, we took a walk by the Hudson River with the kids. This view makes me feel all warm inside…it feels like home to me. I can remember seeing this view during so many different moments in my life – most as a careless teenager. But experiencing this feeling with my son, I felt a simple purpose – to enjoy this moment with my child, my best friend, her beautiful daughter and my mother.

It was heartening to find this place better than I remember it. This area, formerly known as The Flats, was once filled with just concrete and trouble. It is now a family friendly, beautiful place. Down the street, a previously abandonded and dilapidated railroad bridge has been transformed to a state park known as the Walkway Over the Hudson. Its existence has helped to revitalize a struggling city into a destination point. People from all around the state and beyond come with their families to walk over the bridge and experience the view. Poughkeepsie’s “parents” have found purpose in a previously ignored bridge and it has left their corner of the world a better place for their children, grandchildren and future generations. I hope this view always feels like home for them as well.

5 on Friday

As always, here are 5 special reasons I am loving my boy this week:

5. Sharon told me that last week at daycare, Marino and his BFF, Delaney, were discussing how they are friends and then compared themselves to Bert and Ernie. Then they had a debate over who would be Bert (they both wanted to be Bert).

4. My dad has this picture hanging in his living room. Marino kept pointing to it and saying "That's a scary bird."

3. Marino's Allegra is now sold over the counter. For kicks, I decided to let him take it out of the little cup instead of using an oral syringe. He immediately drank the whole thing and now says "I drink that cup?" when he sees me pour it. It must taste good!

2. Marino is very generous with his affirmations. Last night, he asked to watch Thomas. "What about race cars [Roary]?" I asked. "That's right. Great job, Mommy. Let's watch race cars!" he said.

1. When Marino pretends to be sleeping (which happens numerous times every day, believe it or not), he says "hooonkshuuuuu" like cartoon characters say when they sleep. It always makes me laugh.

Mommy and Mino's Big Abenture - Part 2

On Saturday of our big adventure, Marino and I met up with my friend Jill and her two boys, James and Parker, for lunch. Jill and I have known each other for six years, when we planned our destination weddings at the same time, but this was our first time meeting in person. We have a lot in common and she and her boys are awesome. As soon as we walked in, Marino was in heaven - James and Parker had a table full of Chuggington trains to play with!

James

(and some of his trains - don't ask me their names, but Jill, Marino and James know all of them)
Marino enjoying the trains

Parker loves them, too!

We went to Julie's Restaurant in Poughkeepsie. The food was okay, the service was AMAZING! It's a family-run place and they were really awesome with the kids and seemed genuinely amused by them and happy to have them there. It was great to feel welcome at a restaurant with my child!

After a nap, we headed to the Mid-Hudson Children's Museum where we met up with my mom, Sonia and Catalina (Siena was home sick with her Papi). We had a great time there, as always. Its really the perfect size place for Marino and Cat's age...there's a couple hours worth of fun, but it's small enough you can see the whole place in a visit.

Here's Marino checking out some BIG bubbles with Gramma.

Cat and Marino in the pirate ship.

Seeing some of the fish of the Hudson River.

The water table, which explains the flow of streams into the Hudson.

"Argh, ladies" says Marino.

Loving the BIG train table.

Dusting off some fossils.

Marino and Cat driving the train "together".

Cat the Builder.

Please Pray

for my brother Brendan. He is currently undergoing a very difficult surgery to remove squamous cell cancer of the tongue. During the surgery, the oncologist found the cancer has spread to his lymph nodes, which means he will now need chemotherapy. He is only 39 years old and had none of the risk factors - he was not a smoker/drinker. Please keep him in your prayers - he will have a long recovery ahead.

Mommy and Mino's Big Abenture - Part 1

Marino and I went on a road trip Thursday through Sunday of last week. I had been telling Marino that we were going on an adventure, which he took to calling "abenture". He was very excited about it, although he kept expecting Diego to show up for the adventure.

Our first stop was in Long Island, to visit my friend Kim and her daughter, Charlotte, who is now 11 months old.

What a cutie!

Marino was hysterical with Kim's dogs. One was small, which he immediately loved and kept saying things like "little dog wants to sit with me" "I want to hold little dog".

The bigger dog (lab) totally scared him for the first 30 minutes, and then he decided he loved her, too. At one point he was in the kitchen petting them both at the same time, saying "It's okay guys, it's okay."

We had dinner at this amazing restaurant in Oakdale, NY called Mama's. Of course, New York has amazing Italian food, but this place also has amazing gluten-free Italian food, including gluten-free pasta, bread, pizza and cannolis. I had the Ziti Montanara and it was unbelievably delicious!!

My friend Cheryl and her son Calibur came to dinner with us, too. Marino and Calibur got along great - they bonded over a love of dinosaurs and pretending to fall on the ground. It was pretty adorable. The boys are only 4 months apart.

Calibur really loves his dinosaurs!

Kim's dog Siena became Marino's number 1 fan when he started sneaking her table food! Doesn't he look guilty?

It was rainy in the morning, so we took the kids to Chuck E Cheese. Marino had never been before. Interestingly, he thought all the "rides" were scary, except this horse ride. He kept saying "I want to catch that horse".

Charlotte "driving" a truck.

Kim and Charlotte

Pretty girls!

Kim lives just a few blocks from the beach. Marino was sooo excited to see the water.

It really is gorgeous there.

Kim and Marino (it was very windy).

Happy Charlotte

Crab shell - I was very excited to find this!

"I want to jump in those big waves"

"I see the big waves crash!"

They have a playground right next to the shore. How cool is that?

From the beach, we left to visit my parents in Poughkeepsie. What should have been a 2 and a half hour trip ended up taking 4.5 hours! All of the roads that would have been direct routes from NYC to Poughkeepsie were closed due to flooding. It was definately an ordeal. When we finally got there, we went to visit my mom at work. Marino was wired and took to running up and down the halls of her office.

Then we headed over to my dad's house, where we had a visit from Bernadette and her boyfriend, Jay.

After dinner, my dad read Marino some new books. How cute are they?