The culmination was Jennifer's desire to get a picture of Jensen's new-found pig tails which morphed into this spontaneous pose as Jacob didn't want to be left out.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Prom 2022
Don't want to paint the picture that Jacob and Jensen always get along, but Monday morning brought out the best in both of them as they worked on Jensen's Dora, princess, Strawberry Shortcake, etc. puzzles for more than an hour without a tone of dissatisfaction amongst them. It was sibling bliss which translates to parenting bliss.
The culmination was Jennifer's desire to get a picture of Jensen's new-found pig tails which morphed into this spontaneous pose as Jacob didn't want to be left out.
The culmination was Jennifer's desire to get a picture of Jensen's new-found pig tails which morphed into this spontaneous pose as Jacob didn't want to be left out.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Jacob's Graduation
Tuesday, a day that felt like the one-month anniversary of dropping Jacob off for Kindergarten the first time, we celebrated Jacob and his class officially moving on to 1st grade as of Friday at 1:00 PM. There was probably a 30-minute program during which the kids sang songs they'd learned and shared some of the topics they'd covered over the course of the year followed by a meal together. As you can imagine, we weren't surprised that Jacob was asked to mention that the class had learned about U.S. presidents. As parents, we've been quite pleased with Jacob's progress this past year and certainly believe he's ready for the challenge of 1st grade.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The Question
Jacob, never short on questions, recently took it to the next level, perhaps, THE level. I could hear Jennifer and him discussing our humanity, life, death, etc which isn’t a terribly unusual conversation these days (the oldest two are fascinated by the thought of Heaven and our origins as humans). After drifting out of the room, Jennifer called me back simply stating as I returned, “Jacob wants to know how babies are made”. In the past, the culminating question was typically, “where do babies come from?” which allowed the generic (and easy) answer of, “from mommy’s belly”. But, this was a big-league question deserving a big-league answer, and I did what most warm-blood males would do…I ignored it. Legitimately, I can recall these six thoughts racing through my mind during the 2 seconds following Jennifer’s statement:
1) “oh c$%p”
2) “Jennifer, change the subject”
3) “maybe, he’ll forget that the he asked”
4) “Have I told him about last night’s Bulls game yet?”
5) “Where’s that James Dobson book?”
6) “Pray…now”
I honestly don’t remember what happened next. I think I turned and walked out of the room hoping that flat out ignoring the question might allow it to go away. In that moment, I would have gladly gone through cars 1-99 on the NASCAR circuit with Jacob for the 147th time. For a couple years now, it’s been fun to laugh about the fact that Jensen thinks babies come out of their mommy’s bottoms and that newborns are fed from arm pits. However, it appears that the honeymoon of the question and answer period is now over. We (I) need to be prepared to answer the questions. I know one thing…even my most miss-guided answer will be far better than the answer that is given on the playground, so I better learn to not ignore!
1) “oh c$%p”
2) “Jennifer, change the subject”
3) “maybe, he’ll forget that the he asked”
4) “Have I told him about last night’s Bulls game yet?”
5) “Where’s that James Dobson book?”
6) “Pray…now”
I honestly don’t remember what happened next. I think I turned and walked out of the room hoping that flat out ignoring the question might allow it to go away. In that moment, I would have gladly gone through cars 1-99 on the NASCAR circuit with Jacob for the 147th time. For a couple years now, it’s been fun to laugh about the fact that Jensen thinks babies come out of their mommy’s bottoms and that newborns are fed from arm pits. However, it appears that the honeymoon of the question and answer period is now over. We (I) need to be prepared to answer the questions. I know one thing…even my most miss-guided answer will be far better than the answer that is given on the playground, so I better learn to not ignore!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Summer Upon Us
With Jacob's last week of school in front of us, a weekend that hit 90 degrees, and our first outdoor BBQ of the season with friends, it must mean one thing...Summer is here!
The only thing that could get the kids to sit still during an afternoon of backyard fun with friends was yet another sign of the season...a dish of homemade strawberry ice cream.
If this weekend was an indicator of the fun to come, we're headed for a memorable summer.
The only thing that could get the kids to sit still during an afternoon of backyard fun with friends was yet another sign of the season...a dish of homemade strawberry ice cream.
If this weekend was an indicator of the fun to come, we're headed for a memorable summer.
Friday, May 20, 2011
"Off the counter, Jensen!"
Our friend Lorrie was with the girls this morning. She relayed the following...
Lorrie: "Hey Jensen, what are you doing up there?"
Jensen: "Getting a cup."
Lorrie: "Does your mom say it's okay for you to stand on the counter?"
Jensen: "Uhh-Daddy does..."
Throwing Dad under the bus already. The truth is she's right, but only when I'm standing behind her with my hand on her back!
Janie's look here could be described as joy, terror or pain...the answer is pure joy!
Lorrie: "Hey Jensen, what are you doing up there?"
Jensen: "Getting a cup."
Lorrie: "Does your mom say it's okay for you to stand on the counter?"
Jensen: "Uhh-Daddy does..."
Throwing Dad under the bus already. The truth is she's right, but only when I'm standing behind her with my hand on her back!
Janie's look here could be described as joy, terror or pain...the answer is pure joy!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Pictures of Jennifer and Janie
As stated previously, Janie Grace can turn out the smiles these days. However, nobody lures them out of her like Jennifer can (although Jensen is closing in quickly).
Monday, May 9, 2011
Jensen's wise words
Jensen’s depth of thought and analysis is a bit more disguised than Jacob’s. We’re reminded that her mind is always churning at the time that her body finally stops moving…either when she’s lying in bed or strapped in a car seat. Some of our most memorable conversations with Jensen have taken place long after Jacob is fast asleep on the top bunk (that typically takes about 30 seconds) while Jensen is trying to count sheep and attempting to secure a comfortable sleep position that is never duplicated from one night to the next. Amidst some snuggling, she’ll fire off an array of questions and comments that will both make our eyes pop out and want to squeeze her for the entire night.
Recently, we were given some tragic news about a young family in Grand Rapids, Michigan who were friends to Jennifer and me while at Taylor. While the mother and daughters were out of town visiting family, the father and 6-month-old son were called to Heaven as a result of a house fire. Naturally, when I phoned Jennifer, she was shaken to her core and wept throughout the day. The kids were, of course, interested in what could be making mama so upset, so she trusted that they would be mature enough to hear the story without being scared to a point of living in fear of our house burning. The kids seem to have handled it well, but Jensen, in particular, has really taken this tragic story to heart. Often in the stillness of a quiet moment, Jensen will ask some question relative to our house burning. She doesn’t appear to be fearful but, rather, very perplexed, almost as if she thinks that everybody’s house will burn down at some point. She wants to be ready so she knows to stay low and to check the door.
The other night she showed us evidence of her giant-sized heart while chatting late with Jennifer in her bed. “Mommy, we need to teach Janie Grace how to crawl so that she can get away from the fire too. We don’t want her to dive (die) in the fire.” We were reminded how much Jensen adores her little sister. (We observe it via her hugs and kisses on JG during the day but this comment illustrated it for us in a new and fresh way.) Over the course of an hour, the conversation took a series of twists and turns that Jennifer has said left an imprint on her soul. Amidst a variety of topics, the conversation involved Jensen asking to pray for the daughters of the family that lost their dad and brother in Michigan. There were several questions and comments about how we can trust Jesus. Finally…Pop showed up as he has a habit of doing at the most appropriate times. Pop, Jennifer’s maternal grandfather, is on the top of the list of people I wish I could have met. The man is an icon of the Caquelard/Miller families. The stories of him almost seem like folklore now, but I know they’re true. Jacob and Jensen understand that he is in Heaven anxious to meet them some day. Jennifer is always willing to evoke the legend of Pop with the kids, so a discussion of Heaven often leads to the fact that Pop is there already. The other night, probably in a moment where Jennifer wished Pop was still around (humanly) to be proud of his great-grandkids as he always was of his grandkids and children, Jennifer told Jensen again how much she loved her Pop. Jensen wisely and succinctly comforted Jennifer with these words, “Mommy, I know how much Pop loves you too when he sees you from Heaven”. (gulp)
We’ve heard it said so much that it’s become cliché, but there’s a reason it became cliché…”from the mouths of babes”.
Recently, we were given some tragic news about a young family in Grand Rapids, Michigan who were friends to Jennifer and me while at Taylor. While the mother and daughters were out of town visiting family, the father and 6-month-old son were called to Heaven as a result of a house fire. Naturally, when I phoned Jennifer, she was shaken to her core and wept throughout the day. The kids were, of course, interested in what could be making mama so upset, so she trusted that they would be mature enough to hear the story without being scared to a point of living in fear of our house burning. The kids seem to have handled it well, but Jensen, in particular, has really taken this tragic story to heart. Often in the stillness of a quiet moment, Jensen will ask some question relative to our house burning. She doesn’t appear to be fearful but, rather, very perplexed, almost as if she thinks that everybody’s house will burn down at some point. She wants to be ready so she knows to stay low and to check the door.
The other night she showed us evidence of her giant-sized heart while chatting late with Jennifer in her bed. “Mommy, we need to teach Janie Grace how to crawl so that she can get away from the fire too. We don’t want her to dive (die) in the fire.” We were reminded how much Jensen adores her little sister. (We observe it via her hugs and kisses on JG during the day but this comment illustrated it for us in a new and fresh way.) Over the course of an hour, the conversation took a series of twists and turns that Jennifer has said left an imprint on her soul. Amidst a variety of topics, the conversation involved Jensen asking to pray for the daughters of the family that lost their dad and brother in Michigan. There were several questions and comments about how we can trust Jesus. Finally…Pop showed up as he has a habit of doing at the most appropriate times. Pop, Jennifer’s maternal grandfather, is on the top of the list of people I wish I could have met. The man is an icon of the Caquelard/Miller families. The stories of him almost seem like folklore now, but I know they’re true. Jacob and Jensen understand that he is in Heaven anxious to meet them some day. Jennifer is always willing to evoke the legend of Pop with the kids, so a discussion of Heaven often leads to the fact that Pop is there already. The other night, probably in a moment where Jennifer wished Pop was still around (humanly) to be proud of his great-grandkids as he always was of his grandkids and children, Jennifer told Jensen again how much she loved her Pop. Jensen wisely and succinctly comforted Jennifer with these words, “Mommy, I know how much Pop loves you too when he sees you from Heaven”. (gulp)
We’ve heard it said so much that it’s become cliché, but there’s a reason it became cliché…”from the mouths of babes”.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Presidents and Placemats
So Jacob is sometimes referred to around our house as Rainman. You see, since an early age Jacob has had this urge to learn things and ask TONS of questions. For example, when he was a toddler we had to keep all of the packaging from the Thomas the Train characters he received because he wanted to learn all the names of the Thomas characters he didn't yet have. His famous line from that era was "I don't know 'member his name?" Translation: which character is this? That morphed into learning all the NASCAR drivers. We'd only let him watch a race (at the time) for 15 minutes. While some thought it was an effort to reduce tv time, it was actually a survival tactic by his parents. For you see, during that 15 minutes, he would blitz us with, "who is #18, who is #48, who is #99?" until he had them all memorized. Zack (Jennifer's bother-in-law captured this useless knowledge in an epic video that was probably youtube worthy).
http://zackmansfield.com/post/119922531/fun-with-numbers-nascar-style.
From there, Jacob learned all of the states in the U.S. both by location and the shape of their borders. The culmination of that effort was his ability to tell you every state you'd drive through if you gave him a starting point and a destination for any route within the continental U.S. I'll never forget the look on my father-in-law's face when Jacob (having just turned 5) accurately listed all the states that border Missouri (give it a quick try...I'm willing to bet you cannot do it). I'm sure there have been some other Rainman moments over the last 6 years, but we're currently peaking with the most recent phenomenon.
Quickly, getting back to the title of this entry, I should note that most of these passions have developed from the use of place mats (yes, place mats) that Jennifer has purchased for no more reason than to give us something to talk about with the kids over a mundane meal. I should also put the disclaimer that we don't really care if Jacob, Jensen or Janie Grace know all their states or the 50 presidents as a 4 or 6-year-old, but if they want to learn then we'll go with it.
So the 50 presidents...Jacob can tell you every president's name (including middle name/initial), recognize their face, which number they were, and the president that preceded them or followed them in office. However, the kicker is that you can name any year since GW took office and I'm 95% certain he'll tell you who was in office during that year. I really have no interest in exploiting my son, but this one is really tempting me for youtube just to see if it could go viral. If I said, "1852", right now to him, within 10 seconds (and sometimes in less than a second) I'd hear "Millard Fillmore". It's uncanny and has brought about more than a few smiles in the last week since he's really developed the mastery.
The beauty of this is that Jacob doesn't really think it's all that unique that he can can do this. He just thinks it's normal and rolls with it. There's no doubt that he'd rather watch Derrick Rose dunk a basketball or Jimmie Johnson drive in a circle, but it's fun to see him wanting to learn things and showing an interest in looking past himself into a world that is so much bigger than his little life. The challenge will be for us...what else can we find on a place mat and how else do we continue to fuel his fire??!! (And trust me, when he claims to be unable to learn something for a school assignment down the road...his Rainman skills can and will be used against him.)
Mother's Day
I believe this was the first Mother's Day that I've received a gift! I got to sit with Jennifer at church this morning for the first time in months in our regular section. Certainly, this was never on the radar for things I took for granted circa Mother's Day 2010, but it was cherished today. Whenever the doctors are seeking to drive home the point of how important it is for Janie G to stay out of public places, we always hear "don't take her to church!" As a result, we've hit a groove where I take Jacob and Jensen to church for the first service and meet Jennifer in between services with JG in the car so that Jennifer can attend the 2nd service. We've grown accustom to it but going to church as a partial family is less than half the fun. Therefore, it was a blessing to have Jennifer's friend, Allyson (in town from SC), willing to stay with Janie Grace this morning at home while the 4 of us went to church together! It'll be even better when JG can one day come to church as well.
The kids gave me a good reminder of parenthood 101 on Saturday morning as we all filled out our cards for Jennifer. I asked them each independently what they like to do most with mommy...both gave the same immediate response, "I like to snuggle with her". Here we spend quite a bit of time wondering if we're "entertaining" our kids well enough and casting a vision for their life. It turns out they want what we all want... a secure place where they feel loved! I know there's a mommy in this house who will make sure that three kids are well-snuggled! We push our kids so much at an early age (soon they'll be expected to be born knowing their A,B,C's). I was reminded that one of the best gifts we can give them is a home where the warmth of physical touch via hugs, kisses and snuggles exceeds the urge to make sure that every day yields some lesson taught/learned for tomorrow.
I've tried to come up with some clever/cute post about Jennifer today. Not that I'm lacking for material but the vibe isn't flowing and there are some things best left said outside the walls of public consumption. I will simply say that I love her a ton and that my appreciation for her has elevated to a new level as I've observed the added responsibility put upon her in recent months.
Several of you have asked over recent days about Janie's scar and how it's healing. The truth is that it's doing really well. She's also turned into a smile machine which I cannot catch on camera like I did on the day we came home from the hospital, so I haven't tried, but take our word for it...she'll make you feel good about yourself real quickly these days. She also tries to grab anything she can put her hands on.
The kids gave me a good reminder of parenthood 101 on Saturday morning as we all filled out our cards for Jennifer. I asked them each independently what they like to do most with mommy...both gave the same immediate response, "I like to snuggle with her". Here we spend quite a bit of time wondering if we're "entertaining" our kids well enough and casting a vision for their life. It turns out they want what we all want... a secure place where they feel loved! I know there's a mommy in this house who will make sure that three kids are well-snuggled! We push our kids so much at an early age (soon they'll be expected to be born knowing their A,B,C's). I was reminded that one of the best gifts we can give them is a home where the warmth of physical touch via hugs, kisses and snuggles exceeds the urge to make sure that every day yields some lesson taught/learned for tomorrow.
I've tried to come up with some clever/cute post about Jennifer today. Not that I'm lacking for material but the vibe isn't flowing and there are some things best left said outside the walls of public consumption. I will simply say that I love her a ton and that my appreciation for her has elevated to a new level as I've observed the added responsibility put upon her in recent months.
Several of you have asked over recent days about Janie's scar and how it's healing. The truth is that it's doing really well. She's also turned into a smile machine which I cannot catch on camera like I did on the day we came home from the hospital, so I haven't tried, but take our word for it...she'll make you feel good about yourself real quickly these days. She also tries to grab anything she can put her hands on.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
May 7, 2011
Jensen's birthday party with her little girl friends was today. She's been counting down the days and hours all week! The activities of the party revolved around art. Each girl designed their own little canvas that can hang in their room. The obvious theme of the party was "princesses" with Belle being the featured princess. It seemed that Jensen and the girls all had a fun time! Here are a couple pictures from today.
The cakes were quite a feat. Jennifer and her friend Allyson (in town for a visit from SC) spent a couple hours decorating the castle cake but their efforts turned out a beautiful creation. Allyson decided she understands why people order cakes like this!
The cakes were quite a feat. Jennifer and her friend Allyson (in town for a visit from SC) spent a couple hours decorating the castle cake but their efforts turned out a beautiful creation. Allyson decided she understands why people order cakes like this!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
May 3, 2011
Jennifer had Janie Grace at Brenner today for a follow-up echo on her heart and check-up on her incision. Everything checked out well so far. We'll learn more at her cardiologist appointment that is next week.
Occupational therapy will start 2x/week later this week and physical therapy once/week in hopes of developing her oral motor skills.
We continue to be thankful for how well Janie G has responded to her heart surgery.
Occupational therapy will start 2x/week later this week and physical therapy once/week in hopes of developing her oral motor skills.
We continue to be thankful for how well Janie G has responded to her heart surgery.
May 4, 2011
The birthday celebration continues...we are in full princess mode at our house these days.
Monday, May 2, 2011
May 2
Happy Birthday, Jensen Jeanne our dancing machine!
Jensen turned 4 today. We're so proud of the sweet girl she is. Jensen makes us laugh numerous times a day with her funny phrases, curious questions and made up songs. Jensen arrived to this world in a bit of whirlwind and she hasn't stopped moving since. I'm not sure she walks in the house, she's either dancing, prancing, or skipping. At one point, she went to speech therapy out of fear she wasn't developing orally. Now, this house is oddly quiet if she's not around. Jensen's is a sweet and caring sister, cousin and friend who is known to often just blurt out, "mommy, I love you!".
A princess/art party is scheduled for Saturday with some girlfriends, but tonight she got to make the decision on dinner and dessert. Therefore, we headed to Pizza Hut for pizza and breaksticks and to Krispy Kreme for a donut (a night centered around dough!). She seemed to love every minute of it.
Here's a picture with a "big-girl" doll she received. It went out with us tonight and is sleeping with her now. The doll's name is Janie Grace!
Jensen turned 4 today. We're so proud of the sweet girl she is. Jensen makes us laugh numerous times a day with her funny phrases, curious questions and made up songs. Jensen arrived to this world in a bit of whirlwind and she hasn't stopped moving since. I'm not sure she walks in the house, she's either dancing, prancing, or skipping. At one point, she went to speech therapy out of fear she wasn't developing orally. Now, this house is oddly quiet if she's not around. Jensen's is a sweet and caring sister, cousin and friend who is known to often just blurt out, "mommy, I love you!".
A princess/art party is scheduled for Saturday with some girlfriends, but tonight she got to make the decision on dinner and dessert. Therefore, we headed to Pizza Hut for pizza and breaksticks and to Krispy Kreme for a donut (a night centered around dough!). She seemed to love every minute of it.
Here's a picture with a "big-girl" doll she received. It went out with us tonight and is sleeping with her now. The doll's name is Janie Grace!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
May 1
Two weeks ago tonight, Jennifer and I mentally circled this night as one we looked forward to in hopes that life would be feeling a bit more normal by now. Really, we'd been looking forward to the entire weekend, and it didn't disappoint. As of Friday afternoon, we were entering the weekend with no organized plans but for a few items to be checked off of the weekly to-do list. (these are my favorite kind of weekend by the way)
It was marked by 2 gorgeous Spring days here in NC. After the standard Saturday morning pancakes, Jacob, Jensen & I set out for some errands around 11 AM and we wouldn't see the inside of our house (but for some bathroom breaks) until 9:00 Saturday night! Lunch was outside, dinner was outside, smores, planting flowers, mowing grass, a dozen games of HORSE, PIG & COW, scooters, bikes, dolls and every other item in our garage that could come out and provide entertainment. It was a day that won't soon be forgotten.
The good times kept rolling today...after church, Jacob and I enjoyed a long bike ride with friends on a path that was new to Jacob while the ladies took in the Sound of Music. Jensen had shown interest in the movie one night when it was on television over the holidays (we caught her intently watching a scene after thinking she was in bed!) and Jennifer had said they'd watch it some time soon. So, as part of her birthday eve celebration, they watched it together for the first of what I suspect will be many viewings as it's high on Jennifer's list of all time favorites (right after Hoosiers).
The icing on the weekend's cake was the chance to ride in a 1968 Camaro that belongs to our neighbor across the street. Mike is considering a job transfer that will move him away and Jacob is once again enthralled in cars, particularly Mustangs, Camaros, Corvettes etc. On most every nice Saturday afternoon, I can hear Mike fire up the Camaro and back it down his driveway before giving it a good roar out of the neighborhood. When I saw Mike this afternoon, I asked if he'd consider allowing Jacob to join him one Saturday in the future knowing it would be a thrill for Jacob and Mike might not have too many weekends left here in NC. Always looking for a good reason to give it a spin, Mike suggested this evening! When I told Jacob what Mr. Mike had agreed to do, he jumped up and said, "Now!!??". You see, Jacob has loved all things vehicle since about the 2nd day of his life! It's gone from puzzle pieces to match box cars to the movie "Cars" to NASCAR and now he fills up his time in the van looking through the classified ads that he picks up from the gym or grocery store. Before Mike was ready, Jacob must have been checking the clock every 5 minutes, "Daddy, when will it be 6:30?" I wish you could have heard the excitement in Jacob's voice as we pulled away and Mike shifted through the gears the first time (this is an old-school 350 horse-power engine that you hear from a half-mile away). Jacob was beyond giddy, frequently encouraging Mike to give it some more gas. Throughout our 20 minutes in the car, I would hear Jacob just giggling in the backseat as we pulled away from a red light and Mike hit 3rd gear. (I must admit it was thrilling for me as well!) Uncharacteristically, Jensen (often timid in these situations) also asked for a ride and Mike, kindly, obliged her wish as well. It was an experience none of us will soon forget.
Perhaps it's our experiences of the past 2 weeks or maybe it's the fact that we're sandwiched between March 2nd (Jacob's b-day) and May 2nd (Jensen's birthday), but Jennifer and I seem to grow nostalgic during birthday season. I guess we're reminded how quickly time flies by. (Plus, we have a finite amount of 75-degree, no humidity, bug-free days each year, so I hold onto these a bit longer.) Jacob is 6 now and Jensen is 4 (more on her tomorrow), but 6! Really! That means 1/3 our time with Jacob under this roof has already expired. 12 years to go...I mean I graduated from Taylor 12 years ago and still talk about it like it was yesterday. Shoot, most of my t-shirts are still from college. Jacob will be 18 in 12 years. What!!?? I don't want to be overly dramatic here but that just doesn't sound that far off when put in the context of my own life. I know there are plenty of games of HORSE still to come and he'll beat me someday (a long time from now) but this weekend's games just felt a little more special.
It was marked by 2 gorgeous Spring days here in NC. After the standard Saturday morning pancakes, Jacob, Jensen & I set out for some errands around 11 AM and we wouldn't see the inside of our house (but for some bathroom breaks) until 9:00 Saturday night! Lunch was outside, dinner was outside, smores, planting flowers, mowing grass, a dozen games of HORSE, PIG & COW, scooters, bikes, dolls and every other item in our garage that could come out and provide entertainment. It was a day that won't soon be forgotten.
The good times kept rolling today...after church, Jacob and I enjoyed a long bike ride with friends on a path that was new to Jacob while the ladies took in the Sound of Music. Jensen had shown interest in the movie one night when it was on television over the holidays (we caught her intently watching a scene after thinking she was in bed!) and Jennifer had said they'd watch it some time soon. So, as part of her birthday eve celebration, they watched it together for the first of what I suspect will be many viewings as it's high on Jennifer's list of all time favorites (right after Hoosiers).
The icing on the weekend's cake was the chance to ride in a 1968 Camaro that belongs to our neighbor across the street. Mike is considering a job transfer that will move him away and Jacob is once again enthralled in cars, particularly Mustangs, Camaros, Corvettes etc. On most every nice Saturday afternoon, I can hear Mike fire up the Camaro and back it down his driveway before giving it a good roar out of the neighborhood. When I saw Mike this afternoon, I asked if he'd consider allowing Jacob to join him one Saturday in the future knowing it would be a thrill for Jacob and Mike might not have too many weekends left here in NC. Always looking for a good reason to give it a spin, Mike suggested this evening! When I told Jacob what Mr. Mike had agreed to do, he jumped up and said, "Now!!??". You see, Jacob has loved all things vehicle since about the 2nd day of his life! It's gone from puzzle pieces to match box cars to the movie "Cars" to NASCAR and now he fills up his time in the van looking through the classified ads that he picks up from the gym or grocery store. Before Mike was ready, Jacob must have been checking the clock every 5 minutes, "Daddy, when will it be 6:30?" I wish you could have heard the excitement in Jacob's voice as we pulled away and Mike shifted through the gears the first time (this is an old-school 350 horse-power engine that you hear from a half-mile away). Jacob was beyond giddy, frequently encouraging Mike to give it some more gas. Throughout our 20 minutes in the car, I would hear Jacob just giggling in the backseat as we pulled away from a red light and Mike hit 3rd gear. (I must admit it was thrilling for me as well!) Uncharacteristically, Jensen (often timid in these situations) also asked for a ride and Mike, kindly, obliged her wish as well. It was an experience none of us will soon forget.
Perhaps it's our experiences of the past 2 weeks or maybe it's the fact that we're sandwiched between March 2nd (Jacob's b-day) and May 2nd (Jensen's birthday), but Jennifer and I seem to grow nostalgic during birthday season. I guess we're reminded how quickly time flies by. (Plus, we have a finite amount of 75-degree, no humidity, bug-free days each year, so I hold onto these a bit longer.) Jacob is 6 now and Jensen is 4 (more on her tomorrow), but 6! Really! That means 1/3 our time with Jacob under this roof has already expired. 12 years to go...I mean I graduated from Taylor 12 years ago and still talk about it like it was yesterday. Shoot, most of my t-shirts are still from college. Jacob will be 18 in 12 years. What!!?? I don't want to be overly dramatic here but that just doesn't sound that far off when put in the context of my own life. I know there are plenty of games of HORSE still to come and he'll beat me someday (a long time from now) but this weekend's games just felt a little more special.
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