Life or something like it.

"Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans". - John Lennon.

 Here I sit in my hammock, next to my beach house in Kauai, watching the sunset...Yeah right! That is where I plan to be...some day,  in the mean time, this is my life.

  What a crazy chain of events that have led me, and my family to Santa Rosa. Just when you think you have hit rock bottom, the floor falls out from under you again. I can barely imagine how much worse it could be. It will be nice when the economy recovers, and that feeling of uncertainty becomes a bad memory from the past. Some how through all the gloom, if you look for it, you can always find a bit of light. It is all about seizing the opportunity, when it presents itself. We have been so fortunate in so many ways this past year. It is very humbling. We have the best neighbors we have ever had, we have spent most weekends this summer off on some new adventure (albeit, small ones at times), and have unexpected opportunities turn into fabulous weekends. Our most recent endeavor, is a little trade I made with a contractor I have befriended. My friend owns a beautiful beach house on the beach north of Bodega Bay. I am doing a tile Dolphin mosaic for him. In exchange, we get to spend several weekends in this beautiful home. Of course, I work, and my family plays...somehow I always draw the short straw. Actually, I don't really consider it work; it is more of an artistic release for me.

  What an awesome time to be in Bodega. It is the height of  the blue whale migration. The blue whales tend to be a little further off shore than the grey whales that we have seen in the past, however, they put on quite the display; an impressive spray of white mist that can be seen from over a mile away. You can definitely discern the calves from their mothers. We literally saw dozens of these! We couldn't really see the whales themselves, but it was still cool to know that they are out there.

  After several failed attempts at ocean fishing, and dismissing my advise (from a very reputable source), Ian finally broke down and asked a fisherman he ran into just how he was catching fish. Wouldn't you know it, Ian and Aden both started to catch fish once they took someones advice that was in the know. When they returned to the beach house with their catch of the day, Apollo was just as excited as they were. He was sure his brothers caught the fish for him. Apollo was able to hold the fish and pet them, and even had some nice bonding time with his brothers as he helped them clean their fish. This was especially nice to see since Ian and Aden tend to lock Apollo out of their room so they are not disturbed while they are saving the world via Xbox 360. Melanie, of course, was a very proud mama at that moment.

I have to give some Kudos to my friend for what a fine job he did on this house. It has a very feng shui feel to it. A perfect blend of stone and bamboo, clean lines, and an immense attention to detail. I could write several pages on how amazing this house is. Suffice it to say, it was like living in a very high end model home for a few days.

  Melanie couldn't resist the call of the built-in espresso maker. It wasn't long before she had Apollo addicted the the steamed milk she was making for him; "Mama! more cholk mulk!" Apparently, steamed milk tastes like Chocolate milk; who knew? We definitely felt a bit spoiled.

   We have done more fun stuff this summer than we have done in several years, even though this year, we have had far less money than of years past. Even on a shoestring budget, we have managed some great times.

   I know in a few years from now, Apollo will ask; "Remember that boat we used to have?" or, "Remember that beach house we used to have?". I will simple reply, "Yeah son, that was back in the old days before we moved to Kauai. Can you climb that tree and get me a coconut while I finish blogging about your surfing?"

Keep talking

  When I look back at the past 2 1/2 years, I am amazed at all that has taken place. So much turmoil and chaos, grief, joy, and bliss. It has been a year now since we left Bend, and the parting was bitter sweet. I cant imagine how life would be had we stayed in Bend, however, I feel we made the right move at the right time. There has been way too many ups and downs than I care for in the 1 1/2 years prior to the move and from that time until now. I miss many things about Central Oregon, but love just as many new things here. I hope to have as many fond memories of the North bay when the time comes to move on.
  Even with all the uncertainty that we have experienced on this leg of our journey, I am reminded every day of the little things in life that make it so special. Apollo is the one good thing that has been constant through out this time period, that keeps me grounded. I cherish every moment with this little guy and I am constantly rewarded with his sweetness, insight, development, and love. It is hard to be consumed with worries when your son is waiting for you the moment you come through the door, and greets you with; "Dada!" and runs into your arms. Then he tells me all about his day, drags me to his room to "dance" and play with his toys, read stories, and learn new words.
  Thanks to his uncle Gooch, Apollo has been immersed into "My baby can read". This program works! Apollo can read about 40+ words now. I am amazed how well he retains them. It has only been 3 months since we started this program, and the last month hasn't been real consistent, but I can pull out one of his books or cards that we haven't gone over in a couple weeks, and he will still remember most of the words. His curiosity has been peaked by his new abilities, so he wants to know what everything is called, and wants to see the name of the object written out. He knows most of the alphabet now as well. This is not part of the program, just and added bonus as he wants to know what the letters are called. He does not yet know that there is an order to the alphabet, but that's not bad for a 27 month old. He is quite the chatter box (thanks to Melly's genes). We cant always understand what he is saying, but he sure knows, and he says it with conviction.
  As, he learns the right way to say them,  I will miss the way Apollo pronounces many of the words and phrases he uses now. I will make an attempt to preserve some of those memories here, as it wont be long before he speaks clearly.Many of these Apolloism are all ready gone.
  Mulk=Milk. Wan baba= I want a bottle. Pake=pancake. Cookah=cookie. Cholk=chocolate. peas=please. Tane gue= thank you. Pitty truck= pretty truck. Elly=elephant. Showee= shower. Flowee= flower. Go brush= lets go brush our teeth.Go mono=Lets go somewhere in the motor home. Go home, see Remi?= Can we go home now and see my dog?. Do spido? = Can you sing Itsy bitsy Spider?.  Dada! no pince Apollo's feet's, kay?= Dad, stop pinching my feet!, Okay?!. Go side walk now?= can we go for a walk outside now?.  Put that  (accompanied by pointing and a noun)= I want that, right here, i.e. "put that Dada's shoes here!" as he points to the spot where he would like me to stand, or, "put that Remi on!" as he points to the blanket in which he would like his dog to be placed.

  I could go on and on as these are just a few of my favorites. It all goes so fast and I know I have forgotten some of the things he used to say. With out looking at his baby book, I am not even sure of his first word. I do remember the first word I remember him saying was; "ish" for fish. He was 10 months old and used to watch the fish in our reef tank and point at them and say "ish".
  Apollo also likes to count stairs as he climbs them. We have inadvertently taught him how to count. Imagine our surprise when Apollo looks into a field as we pass and says, "See five cows, mama?", lo and behold, there would be 5 cows. The first time we thought was a fluke, but after a few times...well that's just pretty damn cool!
  What an experience it is to watch each day bring new words, expressions and phrases. For now, I cant wait for Apollo to learn enough words to carry on a conversation. Just remind me of this blog a year from now when I cant get him to stop talking. I have been trying to get his mom to stop talking over the past 11 years, but I am certain I would have better luck parting the Red Sea.