all-you-can-eat birthday

Adam really wanted to go to the bluebird for a night of all-you-can-eat crab legs. We got a babysitter for Tuesday night and left the house around 7:45 and was able to get a table on the deck within a few minutes of arriving which was really lucky because the weather was spectacular and the evening kept getting busier and busier. One thing we're trying to do more as a couple is have some of these date nights. There are plenty of times when we try to "create" date night at home, but there is something really nice about getting dressed up and going out together. The conversation always seems better. We seem more in tune with each other and it's just nice to get away even for a short while. We saw some friends and just had fun eating the delicious crabs, dipping it in "real" butter, and having some decadent dessert. By the end of the night, we were covered in crab juices and butter and were loving every minute of it! I hope this is starting to turn into a tradition because I already can't wait for next year's outing. Happy Birthday Babers! xoxo

Fireflies are REAL!

Daddy decided to keep Tyler up a bit later and take him to the Fair's "figure 8 Truck Show". The event didn't start until 7:00 and I decided to stay home with Matty. Around 8:30, they came home and Tyler came running up to the deck saying "Mommy, I have something to share with you, Mommy, Mommy, Mommy." He proceeded to tell me all these details of the show including alcohol gasoline being stinky, bobcat front-loader tow tractor, and two trucks needing towing. Fortunately, we got most of it on video because he was so cute and so excited that he could hardly talk fast enough. He was able to settle down enough to get a bath and get into his PJ's. It was after 9:00 and all the fireflies were outside. Tyler has never been up late enough to see these before, so when he was putting on his PJ's I gave him two options. 1.) read two books like usual or 2.) go see a surprise outside. It didn't take long to make a decision. The three of us went outside (I was holding Ty because he was in his "outer space'" PJ's). We waited for a some to "glow" and when Ty saw his first one he said "whoa, I didn't know they glow in the dark". He giggled and enjoyed seeing these little green dots all around the yard. When he was ready to go back inside for bed he said "Mommy that was a great surprise" and give me a big kiss...too cute!!! He then wanted to read Bugabees for bed because it has a firefly in the story. I love the connections he makes on his own and his eagerness to learn new things. It was a sweet, tender, summer night moment.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy 32nd Birthday Daddy! I can't believe the first time the two of us celebrated your birthday it was in Paris and now look where this life has taken us! Two boys and a fun, healthy life together is what it's all about. We started the day with pancakes, filled the time with play, made a trip to the DMV for a new photo, and ended the day with a nice picnic in the backyard filled with sprinklers, bubbles, pizza, and cupcakes. It was a relaxing day hanging out together as a family and ended with a nice bottle of champagne...yum! We love you so much and thanks for another memorable year together!

Two silly moments during the picnic that I don't want to forget...

The first was when we were sitting on the towel eating some pizza and Tyler farted. We all started to laugh and I asked T "what do you say" and his response was "exuse me." Then there was a pause and he said "I'm just like Daddy!" I couldn't stop laughing....

The second was when I said to T "do you like the cupcake?" and he said "yes Mommy, the cupcake is always my favorite part of the meal." (and now picture a 3-year-old shoveling the cupcake in his mouth with frosting everywhere.)

Boston Children's Museum

While visiting Boston we were able to stay an extra day and go to the Children's Museum. Ciocia Basia and Jess decided to join and it was an extra special day because we could share it with them. We arrived just as the museum was opening and came up with a game plan after hearing some suggestions from the staff.

We decided to start in the 'under 3' room because apparently it can get very crowded. There is one section entirely devoted to "crawlers only" and was filled with soft materials, mirrors, and obstacles courses for Matty. It was really cool and especially neat because he'd only been crawling for about two weeks but managed quite well and seemed to really enjoy himself. One of my very favorite pictures is the one below. Matty loves mirrors and often responds with huge smiles, coos, and kisses. This picture was taken just when he discovered the entire wall was a mirror and he got the biggest smile and kept kissing himself. I couldn't stop laughing. Part of the obstacle course ran along mirror and he was often distracted by his own image. The area was wonderful because around the corner Tyler spent lots of time playing with what had to be the world's largest train set. He was in his glory and it was actually hard to convince him to leave and explore the rest of the museum. Adam and I were somewhat regretting starting in this room because we can obviously play with trains at home and it really did take a while to get him to move on, but we did and before we knew he was enchanted with so many other unique things.

Another room was devoted to construction, mechanics, mazes, and such. They had a real Bobcat that anyone could climb on and pretend to drive. Tyler loved this room and had a field day with the cars and cranes.

Adam was explaining the mechanics of cranes and pulley systems. Basia was having some snugly time with Matty and every once in a while he'd stand along fascinated with his surroundings.

Tyler also really enjoyed a room filled with an enormous water table that had lots of fun tools to understand water movement and weights. There were bubbles, spatulas, buckets, funnels, and all sorts of imaginative things to play with while splashing in the water.

It was such a fun experience. It always amazes me how much Tyler loves learning and absorbs more information than I even realize. Being able to do so many hands-on activities is so valuable and glad we could do it. After a few hours, it was time for us to have some lunch and head back to Connecticut. Wujek Marcin surprised us and was able to meet us for lunch. We had some delicious sandwiches just outside the museum along the pier. The weather was beautiful and Ty loved seeing all the big building, pigeons, and boats along the water. Even Marcin enjoyed himself so much that he said he was going to try to come there more often for a lunch break.

It's been so enjoyable visiting some of these "big cities" (as Tyler likes to call them) and experiencing it through our children. What a joy it is to learn something through the eyes of a child. The Boston Children's Museum was fantastic! I highly recommend it and hope to someday visit it again with our boys.

Blue Ginger, here we come!

Blue Ginger is a famous restaurant in Wellesley, Massachusetts founded by FAAN national spokesperson, Ming Tsai. Tsia, executive chief, has a son with similar food allergies as Tyler and has made it his life's passion to educate others about food allergies. The Blue Ginger caters to people with specific meal/diet request and it was a place I've heard so much about. When we decided to drive to Boston to celebrate Fiona's birthday, I thought it would be a great opportunity to go to this restaurant (about 20 minutes from Boston) and finally enjoy a night out with the family. We made reservations for Sunday night at 5:00 and were delighted to discover that Babcia, Dziadzius, Basia, Korina, and Jess wanted to join us too.

The evening was filled with great moments and a relief/confidence I've never felt before at a restaurant. It really was the first time I was able to sit back and relax and enjoy myself completely during our meal and not have to be distracted by worry of a possible outbreak. The servers were so knowledgeable and seemed to understand the all the precautions that need to be taken. I didn't even have to explain cross contamination, they just spoke of it themselves and was explaining to me what they'll do (incredible!). I found myself literally taking a deep breath and just enjoying myself. They made Tyler a dish with rice noodles and exotic vegetables and brought him his own basket of breads. After the first bite of dinner, he said "ummm, it's delicious!" with a big smile on his face. It was priceless and worth everything to me. It was a wonderful moment and I quietly said my mantra to myself "Tyler has food allergies, the allergies don't have him". [deep breath and release...ahhh]

It was a wonderful night the entire family enjoyed. We all had some incredible food and it was so nice to sit back and enjoy each other's company.

Happy 1st Birthday Fiona!

You did it, Fiona!!! Happy 1st Birthday! I can't believe it's already been a year and we're in Boston celebrating your birthday.

Marcin and Sara threw a really fun party. Most of the family was there to celebrate. When we arrived around 4:00 (by taxi!) Fiona was still sleeping. I'm sure noise eventually woke her and she greeted all of us with a sweet smiling face and cute party dress. Matty spent lots of time crawling around the apartment. Tyler enjoyed playing with all his aunts and uncles. And Adam and I enjoyed hanging out with the family. The food was delicious (all T.F.) including chips, fruit, pulled pork, and BBQ chicken. Fiona was then put in her high chair, brought a mini cupcake with a gigantic candle as we all sang 'happy birthday' to her. It didn't seem like she new what to do at first but gave an adorable smile and very slowly explored the cupcake in front of her. It was cute because she seemed more interested in all of us staring at her than the delicious treat. Around 6:30 we started saying our good byes and eventually headed back to the hotel to get our kiddos ready for bed too. Happy Birthday "Finona"!

The first of many?!

The fourth of July holiday started out well and ended well, but about 1 hour into the day we entered a new phase of Matty's development. Curiousity got the best of him. He was exploring Tyler's bedroom and found himself in the corner near the door. There was a cord from the sound machine dangling from the dresser and he did want most babies would do-he pulled the cord. What happened next is the part we want to avoid next time. As he was looking up trying to figure what it was connected to, he very quickly found out it belong to a silver disc (the sound machine) and it landed smack dab in the middle of his nose. There was a short pause and then a very loud scream filled the Szajda house. By the time I got to him, there was a nice big puddle of blood at the top of his nose. Impressively enough, within a few short minutes Matty recovered and seemed unbothered. The cut was rather large but the bleeding stop on it's own and Matthew officially survived his first (most likely of many) accident. In a strange sort of way, he looks even more like a boy and more like our Matty. This short moment in Matty's life has allowed us to learn even more of his personality. Matthew, you're curious, determined, stong, and pain doesn't seem to be a deterent for you at this point! I can only imagine what this will bring for your (and our) future! let the games begin!

A Perfect Summer Day

In my book, it's hard to beat a day like today. The weather has been spectacular with high's in the low 80's with absolutely no humidity. We wanted to take advantage of this weather and decided to go for our second bike ride as a family (the first was yesterday and it was such a success everyone wanted to go again today!). We biked to "Daddy's school" (as Tyler always refers to it!) with Adam pulling both boys in the bike trailer. The bike rides are especially fun now because Tyler gives us a play-by-play and cheers Daddy on during the uphills. We get to hear things like "Go Daddy go" and "faster, let's go faster" or "stop sign, stop Daddy, don't forget to stop". It's quite amusing.

When we arrived at school, Tyler received his first tennis lesson. It was something he kept talking about and something we're happy to expose him to. Within a few minutes some students that were playing at the school realized it was Mr. Szajda and before we knew it a fan club was watching the lesson. Every once in a while Tyler would say "hey, look at this" and try to hit the ball. He's already showing off for the girls.

We then played at the playground for about a half an hour before having a picnic lunch in the pavilion. The lunch menu consisted of ham and avocado wraps, chips, watermelon, teddy grahams, and oatmeal chocolate chip squares. I thought I packed a lot but apparently my boys were hungry because we ate everything. We let Tyler play for a few minutes before hopping back on the bikes to head for home and nap time. It was such a fun, simple morning being together and having a good time outside. I hope we have many, many more of these kinds of mornings ahead of us!