Big boy…not so much.

Today as I got ready to take the kids to school I pulled out one of Jake’s hand-me-down coats for Pete.  As I put the coat on Pete I was met with a flood of memories of Jake in that coat.  The main one being, that is the coat I sent Jake to preschool in.

The significance of this is in the fact it (mostly) fits Pete.  Days after Jake turned 3 I put him on a school bus that stopped outside our townhome and sent him away for half the day to preschool.  My perspective was different then.  Jake seemed so big to me.  As I look at Pete in the coat I know he is still so young, and though Jake was 7 months older than Pete is now, he was too.  

With Jake’s vision issues I know it was the right choice to send him to preschool where he was getting more time with therapists.  But as I look at Pete in his coat I think, Jake had to grow up pretty darn fast. 

This is Jake getting off the bus on the last day of preschool before summer break 2004.  He turned 3 in January  and this is May. 

One of my favorite pictures of Jake when he was little.  

I miss the time with my little Jake.  He is turning 9 in January and I can’t help but think the time when it isn’t cool to kiss his Mom goodbye anymore, or tell me how his day was or even talk to me outside of grunting will soon be here. 

He is my first baby.  He is the one who taught me what it meant to be a mother.  He was the first one I felt that motherly instinct,  where I would do ANYTHING for him.  Walk through fire so he doesn’t get stung by a bee, you bet.  That kind of skewed logic that you never understand until you experience it.  I love him so much.  And even when he doesn’t want me to tell him that every single day, when he leaves, when he comes home, when he goes to bed, when he gets up, just when we are sitting near each other,  I will still tell him.  I love you Bubs.    

 

Hawaii

Nate and I took a vacation! I know you are in shock. Just pick yourself up off the floor and you can read about our grand adventure. Okay, that may be overstating it a little.

Nate's Dad talked Nate into going to Hawaii with them. See, it doesn't take much talking for me to go on vacation, but I like to. Nate on the other hand is a home-body. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Nate's Dad had been successful.

We flew into Honolulu on a Tuesday afternoon. We were suffering greatly from jet-lag, so this day was basically shot. We went and walked around near our hotel, and then got some "dinner" even though it was only 4:00.
The next day we drove up north to the Polynesian Cultural Center. It was a great day except for one slight mishap. Our first stop was to visit the New Zealand village. There we played a game with sticks. Apparently, I am not very good at throwing a stick at the same time I am supposed to be catching one with the other hand. So, instead, the stick hit me right in the eye. I guess in a way, I caught the stick with my face instead of my hand.




The next day we visited the Pearl Harbor Exhibits. I found it very impressive, but really heavy stuff overall. That is why I chose this picture to show. It was very interesting, but definitely no reason to be smiling. It is me and Nate's mom, Marilee.



We flew to Kauai that evening. Kauai is beautiful. We spent most of the time going to see the beautiful scenery on the island. We visited the Tropical Botanical Gardens, several waterfalls, Spouting Horn, Waimeia Canyon, and several beaches.

We went to see a lighthouse and from that one you could see another in the distance. It was all just very breathtaking. (Oh, and for my Dad and brothers, there is a golf course right up the cliff here. It was a beautiful location.)



Another photo from the same spot. We went looking in tide pools for little fish and other sea-life I cannot identify. Isn't Nate being friendly - a wave AND a smile.


My favorite part of Kauai was taking a charter boat ride up the NaPali Coast. It was more beautiful than my limited writing skills can describe. We saw sea turtles, and dolphins swam along in front of the boat.


I began snorkeling, but had to cut it short because a man on our boat was having heart problems. I was really proud of myself for actually snorkeling. I thought I would be too scared. I really would have liked to have done it more.


After our boat trip up the coast we went to eat at the perfect restaurant. The levels were tiered so every table had a view of the ocean and it was right on the beach and open air to the beach. We ate dinner and watched a beautiful sunset.


This was the first trip I wasn't ready to come home at the end.

It was a great trip. This is me and Marilee saying 'goodbye' to the beach and the ocean.


For all of you who have ever had Nate get his hands on your camera, here is the ever-present foot shot. He even got my foot in this one. Our feet, in Hawaii.