Fast and just plain sweet

Oliver got it in his head that he wanted to run the 5k Tuesday night, and he did just that.  He did it in 39 minutes and 13 seconds which I think is pretty damn fast for someone who just turned 6 and decided that morning to make a go of it.

When I was snuggling with Oliver after the race I told him how proud I was and how I was impressed by his speed.  His response - "Mommy, none of that matters.  I had FUN."

He's been talking non-stop about the race - about running through sprinklers, drinking Gatorade and water along the route, and hearing people cheer for him.  He's hooked.  Doing a 1 mile on Sunday and on the look out for the next race.  He has his heart set on a half-marathon - crazy kid.

Henni is all things baby.  I was greeted earlier this week with this - my shorts converted into a baby sling.  I am thinking they might be a better baby sling than shorts.

And this was this morning.  Moments later they woke up and spent the next half hour creating a magical world filled with snakes and babies (sounds scary and strange, but it was actually very lovely).

Surf's up

While we are not yet out there for dawn patrol and not ready to head to the wall - we are getting there.  I have to say it is pretty fun strapping the surf boards to the roof of the car and heading out to find waves.  It really takes our beach days to a whole different place.

Oliver has been downright committed to becoming a full-fledged surfer.  He spends hours in the water practicing paddling, standing up, and riding the waves.  He is nothing but stubborn.  His drive has paid off.  He and Davis can now surf together (rather than Davis needing to head out sans board to assist Oliver).

Henni possessed similar drive until she took a nasty fall and got wacked on the head with a board.   She's said she'll return to surfing soon, but for now she wants to spend her time sprinting on the beach...with me.  While I know this is an incredibly healthy thing to do on the beach, wind sprints are not my preferred beach activity.  That being said, Henni is committed, not only to her sprints, but also to making sure I complete mine as well.

And then there was fun

I feel as though we had forgotten to breathe for awhile there.  Now that we have our breath back, we've been having lots of fun.

We've played dress-up at the Rockland Children's Museum.

And we've made one of our very best "pits" ever at the beach.

We also turned a doctor's visit at MGH into a super fun trip into Boston.  We went on the carousel, visited with the Make Way for Ducklings, took a ride on the swan boats, trekked over to China Town for lunch, then on to the aquarium.  The day was fantastically hot, but super fun.  We haven't done a full Boston day in a long time - we definitely need to do it again (but maybe on a cooler day).

We've gotten in some swimming at the pool, and have also managed to wrangle some alligators.

We've also pushed a few strollers - some full of kids, some not.

And Henni and Oliver have turned into surfers.  Two days of surfing and they have it down.  Both kids are riding the waves, standing up, and loving it.  Oliver is so in love with it that he spent probably 3 1/2 hours in the water on Sunday - he came out purple.

And, of course, we've been dancing.

And then...I got a new ride.  This thing is so amazingly fun - love it!

Six

Hello six!

Imagine climbing a mountain.  Imagine that mountain has no peak - that somehow every step taken generates another foot of elevation (and that each new foot generated is typically steeper than the last).  Imagine that the mountain experiences some beautiful clear days, but mostly it is subjected to constant storms, and that there is no good place on the mountain to ride out the storm.  For the most part, this is how five felt - not only to me, but also to Oliver.

Over the past year or so, being a parent to Oliver and being Oliver has been tough.  I remember being so completely exhausted when Oliver was a newborn (and never slept more than 45 minutes for the first 8 months of his life) and thinking - I need to call a time out so I can survive.  This year; however, I distinctly remember thinking - I can't do this...at all, then panicking as I knew that I have to do this, for the rest of my life.  My tears at this point were a combination of frustration and failure.

Amongst this feeling of failure, defeat, and challenge there was also fear.  Fear of our future and also fear of reality.  At one point Oliver could not walk for four days.  This was terrifying on so many levels.  Not only was it a struggle to figure out why, but there was also the fear of what if this is our life going forward.

Unable to accept our life as is, and unable to believe that our challenges were "normal" I researched, read, and fought.  The result is that the last couple months of five has brought with it the Oliver that I used to know, long before five started.  We discovered that Oliver has a gluten sensitivity and that his body treats strep as an autoimmune disease.  

I have a new found respect for parents who have children with disabilities and for parents with children with chronic diseases.  

While Oliver and Henni have always played well together and had fun together, the last couple months have been so wonderful.  As Oliver has begun to feel better, their relationship has become so much deeper.  The two of them are truly best friends and they spend hours together creating imaginary adventures and scenarios.  They crack each other up, they plot revolts together, and they just plain have fun together.

Watching this interaction has made me both sad and happy.  The sadness comes because Oliver has felt so horrible that he was unable to have this type of interaction with friends and family.  This created challenges and made it so friendships were hard to establish.  I am so sad that he missed out on this, yet am happy to know that friendships will be a thing of the future.

Oliver's favorite thing about being five - his teacher Linda.  I love that this is what he said was his favorite thing.  She has been a rock for Oliver (and for us) over the past two years.  I don't think we could have made it through this past year without her.  That he recognizes this, says a lot about who Oliver is.

Oliver values true friendships and family.  Each year for his birthday he asks to get together with the Pennington's.  This year was no exception.  Maggie and Tommy (now in high school and middle school) dragged out their bikes and biked with him - his birthday wish.  Their friendship is a true touch point for Oliver.

Oliver loves science and snakes.  He is a walking encyclopedia.  He is a GPS (and a damn good one).  He is most definitely smarter than me.  He is an incredible biker, runner, skier, and swimmer.  He loves to kayak, and loves mud.

He amazes me.  He says he wants to do something and he more than does he - he excels at it.  For example, deciding he wants to try a mountain bike race - and winning it...by a lot.

He hates to eat and desperately wants to be a snake so he doesn't have to eat very often.

He loves to build.  He asks a million questions - every minute - and wants to know the real answer.

Hi favorite TV show is the British version of Top Gear.  Wild Kratts is a close second.  He's not a huge fan of kids movies, but will watch a documentary at the drop of a hat.

I love Oliver to death.  Five has been a struggle for us.  I am so looking forward to six.  With six we have the opportunity for Oliver to be Oliver - for Oliver to be who he really is.  I am excited for him to experience this, and to get to know my little boy again.

There are challenges ahead.  I know things won't be smooth.  But we have some answers and we are no longer alone on our journey - in addition to the support of friends and family, we have an incredible team of doctors. 

Happy birthday sweet Oliver.  I am so sorry it took so long for us to get to where we are today, but am so excited for you to be six and to experience a healthier and less challenging life than you did with five.

For the books - Oliver was 44.5 inches and 51 pounds at his six year appointment.

And so it begins

Summer has begun - and it is tasty and fun.

We found a new strawberry patch and spent the morning eating more than our fair share - and then we picked a few quarts to bring home.

We had out first annual block party this weekend.  The amazing part about the group picture - 11 of the kids on our street weren't in the picture.

It's so fun on the street - and so much fun watching all the kids grow up together.  We think it is crazy now, but when they all get to middle school (and then to high school) - things will truly be crazy.

Yesterday we went to a Sea Dogs game to celebrate father's day and my dad's birthday.  We had great seats right on the third base line.  Both kids were given a ball which was pretty neat.