Happy 9th Birthday Mylo!

The summer going into 3rd grade, after you had just turned 8, we found ourselves back in Cape Cod, only this time at a spectacular family-friendly resort. We vacationed with our friends Jodi and David and their son and your good friend, Jake. Seacrest Beach Resort in Falmouth was exactly what we needed. We had a killer, big ocean front room and the hotel had everything. An indoor and outdoor pool, the best beach on the east coast, a snack bar and ice cream stand for kids, a game room and all the water sports and activities you could imagine. My favorite memory of that trip was the Maui Mats. It was so much fun watching you and Jake horse around and try to do front flips/belly flops off of them.

And then there was the time that all 7 of us packed on there for a photo op when an unexpected wave came and took us for a ride. So. Much. Fun!

For 3rd grade your teacher was Marie Hoffman and it was a score honestly. After coming from a shaky experience in 2nd grade, we needed a strong teacher and we got one. You were too cool for school on the first day in your soccer jersey and dyed mohawk. Your sister was so sweet and a basket of nerves, clinging close by you.

You ran your second 10K, the Cow Harbor Race in Northport, with Sidi and crushed it. It took you forever as you stopped and walked a bunch, but you finished and you were smiling from ear to ear afterward.

Last summer we made a very whirlwind decision to buy a small house on Candlewood Isle, around the corner from Goomah and Goompah. When I say whirlwind, I mean whirlwind! The idea was born on a night after too many drinks. We then found a house two days later and made an offer on it unseen. Our offer trumped the already-accepted offer and next thing I knew we were moving forward. We closed on our little cottage on High Trail on the first day of fall.

We did our annual apple, pumpkin and doughnut picking with Jodi, David and Jake in October. Blue Jay Apple Orchards is a place we have been making memories since you were 3 years old.

I coached you again in the Fall for Brooklyn Bride Park Conservancy via Metro Soccer. I can’t recall how our season ended but out of the four seasons that I coached, we lost one game. It’s not lost on me either that you do a great deal to carry the team almost every season.

Math homework became a struggle early on in 3rd grade so you began going to tutoring for math at a place in our neighborhood called Mathnasium. You started out a good sport about it, but you actually can’t stand it now and we often ride the struggle bus with you on Mathnasium days.

For Halloween you were a zombie-robber and daddy was a cop. Reya was a mermaid and I was sea kelp. I remember picking you up from Mathnasium that day and you being somewhat bewildered and embarrassed by my costume. I must say, this motherhood thing is working out just the way it’s supposed to!

I volunteered during picture day at your school. Honestly I spend a great deal of my time at your school. The year of 3rd grade was my first as Secretary of ps261’s robust PTA. But I digress, on picture day you were so great with your younger, super-shy sister. A friend who was also volunteering that day and happened to be there when your class photo was being taken, sent me this pic. Be still, my heart.

You and Max Trudel are true besties through and through. You have a lot of good friends but Max is by far the most equal to you in temperament, manners, athleticism and more. It doesn’t hurt that I have become super-close with his dad and mom too. I just know in my heart of hearts that they will be in our lives forever. You first met Max during recess in 1st grade. And while you played here and there, it wasn’t until you were in class together in 2nd grade that you guys really formed a tight bond.

You and Max are so good together that even Ms. Marie suggested that it would be good for you two to be in 4th grade together in the fall. She asked us how we felt about it and we all agreed it was a fantastic idea. The jury is out on whether I will be a class parent, again!

You had your last haircut sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I wasn’t a big fan of you wanting to grow it out. Perhaps in part because you have my hair and I know all too well how there would be an awkward stage. And there was. But I have to say, I love it now and love doing your hair (when you let me).

We got our Christmas tree this past year sifting through all the tied up trees at Home Depot with the Doran’s. Not ideal, but we eventually found one and saved a great deal of money as opposed to buying it from the racket that has become sidewalk-tree-sales in Brooklyn.

We did our annual decorating with Goomah and things became unhinged, as they often do, when you’re involved. You do have a flare for the crazies my son!

The month of December truly is magical. One of the fun things we did was a day in the city with the Doran family and the O’Neil family. It was a long day because we started out at the National Geographic Ocean Odyssey exhibit, followed by trying to get a table at Carmine’s afterward. It was a two hour wait! In that time we went to see the tree at Rockefeller Center and you all pretty much came undone.

We had our annual Christmas Eve party in which we hosted 13 kids and 25 adults. Until this day I have no idea how we got everyone into our home, but we did, including Santa himself who made his annual appearance and had a gift for everyone!

On Christmas Day we went out to Northport which we shared in several fun but chaotic days at Ganga and Sidi’s house with your cousins.

We rang in the New Year on Candlewood Isle with our friends there.

Grades 3-5 at your school marched to Borough Hall in honor of Martin Luther King. It was a pretty powerful morning, all the signs and chanting and words of remembrance.

You missed your first day of 3rd grade in the spring to go to the Yankee home opener with daddy, David and Jake.

Our good friend Rachel made an appearance on Easter in her bunny suit. You thought it was totally hysterical.

You partook in two Easter egg hunts that day. One at your grandparents house and another at Aunt Jackie’s house with all the cousins. This has been a tradition since you were small that we skipped the year before, and now we know to never do that again!

In April we went to Montauk for a night with Doran’s and ate at our favorite, Harvest. It had been some time since we were there last, and it seems to have gone down hill a bit. You’re probably wondering why I am writing about a restaurant we ate at and not all the fun on the beach that you, Max and Lex had. Which you did, tons of it.

In May we ran the Hospice 5K in Northport, your 4th time. It was also the first time that you ran it straight through without walking. I was so proud! And little did you know that you were running next to Gary Muhrcke during the first mile. When I told you later who he was, all you wanted to know was if running had made him rich. I thought it was such an intuitive question coming from a kid who loves sports and idolizes professional athletes.

School. You came home complaining about the poetry study you were doing almost daily. So when we were invited to the spring publishing party, I didn’t expect much. But instead, I was blown away. This is your poem about New York, below.

Memorial Day Weekend we packed up all our stuff, and I mean ALL of our stuff, and went camping. It was in part to appease your dad who has always wanted to take a family camping trip. And I suppose why I so readily agreed was because the O’Neil’s had all the gear we needed to make it happen. We had a ton of fun but it was also a TON of work and I walked away not understanding why anyone considers that a vacation. I’m glad we finally did it though, because now I know to never do it again!

Soccer. We finished yet another season with Metro Soccer, my 4th and final as your coach. That league was fun and we were good, but it’s also not a very serious one.

We had been talking about upping your soccer game for some time and in June you finally agreed to try out for travel. You tried out for two teams, made both and chose Gjoa based on their reputation. The jury is out on whether you can hack the commitment and whether we can all hack the commitment, but we are about to find out.

Right before we went to Fire Island in June, you came down with strep throat. My poor guy stayed home from school two days. On the third day I picked you up half way through the school day as you were wiped out and still with a slight temperature.

The next day we left for Ocean Bay Park where we rented a house with the O’Neil’s. Our little house with a hot tub on the deck was across the street from the “big” house where the Doran’s and four other families were staying. There were a total of 11 boys and 2 girls between the two houses. And let’s just say things got feral with all the boys. Not always in a funny way either. If that trip taught me anything, it’s that you and your buddies aren’t ready to be unsupervised, not even for a minute.

The last day of school was so much fun and so, so HOT! Reya was in Northport at this point getting some alone time in with the cousins so managing just one child that day was easy. After a noon dismissal, we stayed at 261 and played as usual.

And later on that afternoon we went down to Brooklyn Bridge Park for a picnic with friends. You ran amok with your buddies playing war games all evening long.

Summer break began out in Northport for a couple of days where we got to hang with your cousins who were in town from Singapore. The four of you have so much fun playing together.

From there we went to Connecticut where you guys did camp on the lake the week of July 4th.

We returned to Brooklyn for one night and on Sunday watched the US women beat France in the World Cup final with some of our good friends. That night I took you and Reya out to Northport for the week to spend more time with your cousins. Our time with the family on Long Island included a trip to the ocean, a night at the Fireman’s Fair and a whole lot of soccer in the backyard.

 

Your cousins left on Friday to meet up with the other side of their family in California. So it was a good day to take a day trip to Splish Splash. Little did you know that it wasn’t just going to be you and me. We surprised you with an appearance from daddy, the Doran’s and the Trudel’s. I underestimated how much fun that would be so let me just say two words: Alien Invasion!

On Saturday we went out east to Sag Harbor to celebrate James’ mom’s 40th birthday. Their family is so gigantic so celebrations of any kind with them are tons of fun.

The following two weekends in July we spent in Connecticut with friends. One weekend with the Doran’s and another with the Gardner’s.

August. Your birthday month. You did one week of Camp Halfblood which you didn’t wind up loving and for which I was thankful. Five days of sword fighting in the woods was one day too many for you – you flat out told me, “I miss playing soccer.” I also didn’t love the 4pm pick up in Prospect Park. It didn’t quite gel with my work day not to mention the amount of filth you brought home with you was more work than I honestly have time for.

Your birthday week you began camp at a new camp in the neighborhood called Steve & Kate’s. Out of the four camps you did this summer, S&K wound up being your favorite. While you don’t leave the building at S&K, their model works because it’s self-directed play and you literally get to do whatever you want. You learned how to make videos with iMovie, music with Garage Band and played tons of indoor soccer. Oh, and they feed you which means I don’t need to make lunches!

Your birthday fell on a Friday this year so daddy took the day off work and we all went to the ocean. We met Max and Mike there and while the waves were fierce, you handled them like a champ!

That night we had dinner at your favorite restaurant, Rocco’s Tacos and then took you to a candy store after for dessert.

I normally end these posts with your birthday but I’d be remiss if I didn’t write about what we did for your party. Our original plans included a hotel stay in Queens with a pool. We had previously cleared it with the hotel that we were going to throw you a small birthday party. However when I called to confirm, I was told they had recently changed their hotel policy regarding how many guests can be at the pool.

We found this out on a Wednesday and your birthday party was set for Saturday. We had to scramble and did, quickly, coming up with all sorts of ideas that were either not practical or too darn expensive. At first you were opposed to it, but then agreed to a war-themed party on Pier 6 at Brooklyn Bridge Park. The stars aligned and we somehow lucked out with the most beautiful weather that day. We bought legit walkie talkies and camo headbands for all your friends who all dressed up in fatigues and ran around the pier with Nerf guns. It was a complete success!

And now to end this post with a somewhat mushy nod to you… At 9 years old you are caught some place between childhood innocence and impending adolescence. You are also caught some place deep, deep in my heart. Happy Birthday my Buddinsk!