August 31, 2008 - First Time Behind the Wheel

Over Labor Day weekend in 2008, we headed up to Ithaca, NY, to visit Jim's cousins Phyllis and Marc. To say we had a fun time with them would be a huge understatement! We went for long walks around the area, including a tour of Marc's alma mater, Cornell University, and Marc did his best to convince Erin that she really, really, wants to be a member of the Cornell class of 2022.  We went for a hike in the Robert H. Treman State Park.  We talked about how wonderful Dunkin Donuts is (and to this day, Marc always asks Erin if she's had any DD lately). We even visited the Corning Museum of Glass, which was really incredible.  But Erin's favorite part of the trip was no doubt the afternoon we spent on one of the local lakes on their boat. Erin's always loved being out on the water, but this day was just perfect to her. She got to ride on the tube behind the boat (constantly yelling for Marc to go "faster!  Faster!"), bouncing up and over the wake. She even got to take a turn driving the boat, after a good lesson from Marc as to what to look out for and how to be a good driver. It was the close to a wonderful summer, and I can't imagine a better way to have spent it.

April 12, 2003 - Friends 4Ever

Erin and Ariana have been friends since, well, since they were born! I'd met her mother Jennifer on an internet forum when we were pregnant (the forum was for women all due the same month), and we met in person for the first time when the girls were just 4 months old. The four adults all hit it off immediately, as did the kids, and we've all been close ever since. It's been so cute watching Erin and Ari (and Ari's younger brother Nicolas) all grow up together, and I have countless pictures of them having fun over the years. I especially love this picture, with the girls holding hands and walking off together. It's as if they're saying, "Come on! Let's have fun!"

January 8, 2005 - Flat Eggs

Like many children, Erin was (who am I kidding with "was?") a terribly picky eater. Even with things she would eat, she was particular about how she wanted them prepared. Take eggs, for example. She liked scrambled eggs, but didn't like them light and fluffy.  N-o-o-o-o-o-o. She liked them dry and flat. Very flat. At my parents' one weekend, my father rose to the occasion and decided to make Erin perfectly flat eggs. I have no idea how he did it, and have never been able to duplicate it as well as he can, but he made her eggs that she could pick up and eat like a piece of pizza! She was in heaven. If only she was that easy to please at other meals!

September 16, 2001 - Out for a Hike... Kinda

Like most new parents, Jim and I loved (and still love) finding new things to do with Erin. When she was almost a year old, we bought a backpack for her to ride in so we could take her on walks and hikes. Seemed like a good idea at the time. It wasn't an easy contraption to get on, but once she was up there, she really liked it. On our first time out, we went for a walk through the woods, and were having a great time showing Erin the trees, birds, and other things that we came across. Before we knew it, though, she'd gotten awfully quiet. Sure enough, we looked back, and she'd fallen fast asleep.  Wish I could do it that easily!

October 31, 2009 - Erin the Defender

Erin started playing soccer in the fall of 2008 when she was in 3rd grade. She'd never played a team sport before, and at first (as is quite normal) was somewhat afraid of getting too close to the ball, especially if opposing players were also in the vicinity. I guess the word is anti-confrontational. In the spring of 2009, she played in the local league's 4x4 program, which was interesting but didn't do much to increase her aggression on the field. In the fall of 2009, though, it was like a different animal was awakened in our daughter. Erin was part of a great team (which called themselves the Pink Panthers - can you tell why?), and her skill level on the field increased before our eyes. Her coaches said she was a born defender, and that's the position she played in each game. While before she had been hesitant to rush to the ball, this season she hustled to it each and every time she could, regardless of potential (and sometimes actual) collisions with players from the other team. She would attack the ball, pig-tails flying, and you can just see the look of determination on her face. She was awesome!

May 30, 2004 - Mommy's Playground

One of Erin's favorite things to do when we visited my parents old house in Wyncote was to go to the local playground at Wall Park. Erin knew I'd gone there as a kid, and because of that, she nicknamed it "Mommy's Playground." The name kind of stuck with all of us. Of course, the playground has gone through quite a few changes since I played there. There's now a wonderful, big play area with separate areas for little and big kids, and tons of activities for kids of all ages (even, as you can see in this picture, the 40-somethings among us!). Erin never got tired of going there and it is one of the things she says she'll miss about my parents' old house. We'll just have to find something like that near the new one!

May 30, 2006 - Leapin' Lizards!

While on a Disney cruise in 2006, we stopped for the day in Mahural, Mexico, near Costa Maya, and spent the day on the beach with friends we'd met on the ship. That afternoon, Erin saw a man walking around with an enormous lizard-looking thing - the kind of thing that Erin would typically go WAY out of her way to avoid. This time, though, she walked right up to the man and asked if she could pet the thing. Before we knew it, she was holding it, hugging it to her like it was a baby. (Wait, is that really my kid???) I snapped a picture as quickly as I could, because I knew nobody would ever believe that it had happened.