Ry and Coop Dot Com

The rumors are true.  34 years ago today my mother went through her own sort of personal nightmare where I entered the world at just 4 pounds and about six weeks premature.  That was the last time I was early to an event.  Today, 34 years later, I’m spending most of the day cuddled up on the couch with one sick Coop-a-doop.  This story starts yesterday at Lake Compounce, a fun local amusement park in Bristol.  When we got to the water park section there was one of the pools that had been closed because someone had gotten sick.  The life guard on duty at the time said the pool needed to be closed for an hour so the chlorine could disinfect the water.  Judging from the shower of bananas I wore this morning after church, I think another hour might have been in the cards.

So, as I sit here reflecting on how sick my little guy is, it gets me thinking that there’s really no better way to spend my birthday than taking care of Coop.  It’s totally awesome that the one place he wants to be is in my arms.  That, to me, is the best present in the world…. except maybe a trip to the Caribbean but….

My mother has always encouraged me to see beyond the limitations that the world can sometimes put on you and strive for something more.  She would always tell me that nothing is impossible if you have the will to make it happen and the faith to believe that, if it’s God’s will, you will see it through.  Hard work was an important ingredient to success.  With all that said, I found the first thing that I can say, without a doubt, is impossible.

This past weekend our friends from Albany, Chris and Jen Danchetz joined us in Cape Cod for a last minute get together.  It was a great chance to catch up and the boys really enjoyed Claire and Jack.  On this particular photo shoot, our tribe had attacked Pirate’s Cove for a round of mini-golf.  While we survived that adventure, I circle back to the one thing that is impossible to do and that is to get four children under the age of six to smile at the same time while taking a picture.  It’s impossible!  We did get two and a half smiles (not sure what Jack is doing per se) and a nice shot of Coop’s bald spot.  All in all, I’ll take it.

I figured now is a decent time to update the move to Connecticut for the record books.  August brought some great progress toward getting the life back together after our big move.  Ryan has started to settle into the ESPN KidsCenter which, for the record, is the nicest daycare center I believe I’ve ever walked into.  Unfortunately for us, the little man has been shut out until room can open up.  For the record, we’re being told that space will most likely open up when Coop turns 3.  Yeah, wow.  We’ve found a different center for Cooper, Educational Playcare, which is in Farmington and not too far from our house.  It’s no KidsZone but it’s a very nice school.

August also brought us some great news that Jenn accepted a position as a Middle School Band teacher in the New Britain Consolidated district, which is about ten minutes from our house!  I’m really excited for her and, though she may have some challenges ahead of her, there’s nobody I think that could do better that her.  New Britain really made a smart choice there!

Other than that, August has been relaxing.  We just got back from Cape Cod and, other than keeping the boys from wrestling each other into some sort of injury, things are going fairly smooth! So, other than that I think we’re pretty much updated!  Now, time to go get some copy machines!

I have blue eyes.  Jenn has chameleon eyes.  What I mean by that is they’re blue but I swear sometimes they’re green and I think I’ve even seen them grey!   Then there are the boys.  This weekend, in between some emergency weekend work at The Worldwide Leader, we were able to find some time to escape to Agawam, Massachusetts for a visit to the Six Flags there.  If you haven’t been it’s a pretty neat park that sits somewhere much lower than Disney World and pretty significantly higher than Hoffman’s playland (read earlier posts on Hoffman’s.  We had a great time, enjoyed some great weather up until the point where we didn’t and then ran as fast as we could to our car. 

So I went off on a tangent there.  Really the point of this post is to mark a fun weekend, to relish a bit in the extra time I’ve been able to spend with the family and most importantly, to point out that, though the human body is supposedly like 80% water, I believe our children are made almost exclusively of eye balls.

I’ll admit that I spend way more time than I should trying to dream up all of the things my children will do with their lives as they grow older.  I suppose some parents might say that it’s a waste of time because you really only have so much control over how your children grow up.  Others might recommend a different approach to say that you shouldn’t dream for your children because it might interfere with their own dreams.  Then there’s a brief conversation I had in the hallway with one of my colleagues, Drew Brooks, who’d met the family yesterday.  He mentioned that Ryan was hilarious and “much cooler at age 4 than I will ever be,” and then jokingly offered to represent Cooper as his agent because he’s going to be “a bruiser.”  It got me thinking about this picture we took the other day where Coop was dragging his plastic pool around the house in sort of  his own “tough man” competition.

I have high hopes for both my children and I dream many dreams for them.  While I’d encourage them to follow their dreams, if those dreams happen to land a 7 year $900 million (counting inflation in 2034) contract I’ll be okay with that.  Of course, I’d love him just as much if he became a pool cleaner.  

This weekend was bitter sweet for us.  Friday afternoon we officially said goodbye to Sylvia Lane and signed the closing documents.  The young couple that is taking our house seemed excited and this closes the door on our time in Schenectady.  We’ll definitely miss our neighbors, particularly John and Donna and their grandkids.  We had seven great years there and it’s where our family started so it’ll hold a dear place in my heart.  Now we’re just one DMV stop away from being Connecticut residents.  I’ve already ordered my sweater vest and matching yacht loafers.

On the happy side, we spent yesterday with Susan and Gracie at Hoffman’s Playland.  It was good for Ryan to spend some time with his good friend.  Then today we had brunch with many of our other friends including Jen Danchetz who’s recovering from a life-threatening infection she received from a mosquito bite!  I think, twenty years from now, I’ll read this blog entry and remember just how crazy that was!  Thankfully she’s recovered!

We also had dinner with my dad and grandparents.  It’s always great to spend time with family but what’s most important is to make sure you know where your kids are at all times….otherwise, while you’re stuffing your face with pizza and beer, your youngest son could decide to climb on the dog and ride her like a pony.  Not good!

So, anyway, here’s to new beginnings and a whole lot less debt!

P.S. My kids are still not allowed to root for the Red Sox!

 At this point I just might be complaining a bit too much.  Our move to Connecticut has gone smoothly, in large part because of the amazing help from our parents and The Mouse.  With that said, it hasn’t gone without its share of stresses.  Some of the stresses are more physical like the inability for us to fully secure the child safety gates to the stairs (problem since solved) or the inability for me to find anything anywhere (problem not solved.)  But through all the challenges there have been some great sort of silver linings.  The restaurants and music scene in West Hartford seems to be strong and the challenge of exploring the area has been really fun.  Tomorrow, Coop starts water play classes and Ryan will begin a Newington Park program!  We’re trying to take full advantage of what this area has to offer.  Another great bi-product was finding some old photos from an old camera I found in a moving box.  Here’s one of my favorites, a reminder from our honeymoon.  Please don’t get me wrong, I love my kids….and my dog… but I there’s a small longing in my heart for Peter Island, the sun and the sand and this moment captured with my favorite person in the world.

On August 18th, 1979 the greater Albany area welcomed a young soon-to-be incredibly handsome and intelligent young man into this world.  On that same day, I was also born in the Albany area.  I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.  For nearly 34 years, aside from short stops in New Jersey, Binghamton and Geneseo, I’ve been a Capital Regioner.  This is the city where nearly all of my firsts happened from my first steps to my first child… I’ll leave out the firsts that happened in Geneseo. It was home and I loved it.

Now, Jenn and I are embarking on a new adventure and I’ll admit, it’s scary but also just a bit exciting.  First, I’ll be glad to surrender the 2 1/2 hour commute to a great job.  It’s like 10-15 hours a week I can have back!  Secondly, it’s kind of exciting to learn about new areas and the places and sites they have to offer.  Jenn and I are a great team and I could really see us having fun exploring.

The boys are still with Jenn’s parents and that’s probably a good thing.  We’re hoping to have the new house settled somewhat so they can keep their routine and hit the ground running in our new home.

So, in the end, I’m embracing this change.  Jenn has sacrificed a lot to make this happen and I’m praying that she finds the career that will stimulate her interests here in Connecticut but the one thing I can say is I’m incredibly lucky and thankful that she’s by my side as we continue this crazy adventure called life.  Here’s to the Nutmeg State!

Meet Whipply.  My sister and her boyfriend recently welcomed another canine into their ever-growing family of animals you can’t eat (at least in this country.) The largest being a horse and the smallest being Whipply (I’m pretty sure this dog is smaller than her cat.)  I’ve already forgotten what breed Whipply is but I can tell you I won’t forget her spunk.  This dog was rescued from the side of the road where she’d been hit by a car.  With a shattered back leg in a cast and a few missing toes on her front paws, this dog is five months old and has already experienced enough tragedy for a lifetime.

With all of the tragedy in her life, you’d expect Whipply might have a little chip on her shoulder; a little “leave me alone.”  The truth is, confronted with Coop-a-doop and his big bat, she welcomed the attention! Cooper fell in love immediately and spent a good amount of time chasing Whipply around the backyard of my parent’s house.  Morale of this story? If something bad happens to you, there are two choices, you can live life with a chip on your shoulder or you can just let life hit you with a big plastic bat.  🙂

A little riddle for you.  What’s seven years old today and out of it came this cute picture?  I won’t keep you guessing.  Today marks our 7th wedding anniversary!  Seven years ago today I was lucky enough to con the most beautiful and funny woman in the world to marry me.  In the years since I’ve managed to keep her and, with a little more luck, we’ll be celebrating our 57th before we know it!

So, to keep it short and sweet.  Happy anniversary to the best mom a kid could ask for, the best woman a husband could ask for and the best friend a friend could ask for.

When Cooper and Ryan read this blog 50 years from now I’ll be happy they can read just how much their parents love each other.