A new year has begun. Apollo's Kindergarten year is half over. I am not sure how I feel about this new year. I am actually kind of numb at the moment. For the past 5 years, by the time new years eve has arrived, I have been more than thrilled for the year to come to an end. I have had some of the best times in these five years, but also some of the most stressful and trying. By the time the year is over, I am so done with it. I am hoping that 2014 is the turning point. I am ready for the pattern to be broken.
One of my biggest concerns is how Apollo and Orion will view their childhood when they are older. I want them to always look fondly back at their youth and remember being happy and having fun. So far, I feel that we have mastered that aspect of it, but with great effort. Even when I find myself in the middle of busy time period, I try to think of fun things we can do with the boys. To make up for the long work days, and working part of the weekend, we try to fit in short afternoon or day trips to the beach, or on a hike, or even an evening "Picnic" in the front room so we can all be together even if it is just to watch a movie. I live for this type of quality time with my boys and Melanie, and I feel that sometimes it is the simplest things that they will remember the most.
Apollo is doing great in school and enjoys it for the most part. He has really come out of his shell since the begging of the year. He started off as a shy, timid kid that would avoid eye contact with his teacher, and often look away and ignore her (rather than facing the discomfort of talking to an adult), to being almost extroverted at times. Some of his moms genes are kicking in I suppose. I am enjoying watching him make new friends and learning how to interact with other kids.
From nearly the first week of school, Apollo has made one very special friendship; Jasmine. He was really taken by this animated and energetic young lady. For weeks when I asked him about his day he would only talk to me about Jasmine and what they did together at school. His face would light up when he talked about her.
I was able to take Apollo to school one morning this past fall. I watched and waited as he lined up with his classmates, waiting for the teacher to come and lead them to class. Out of nowhere, this young girl ran up to Apollo and threw her arms around him, "Apollo! Your here!" She laughed in delight as she smothered Apollo in hugs and kissed his cheek. Apollo beamed. This was the first time I saw Jasmine and immediately knew that this had to be her. The other kids in the class laughed and giggled at the spectacle even though they see this happen nearly every morning. For me, it warmed my heart. I loved seeing this and I am sure I had a smile on face for the rest of the day.
At Apollo's first parent teacher conference, I learned that Apollo and Jasmine were nearly inseparable and often, as a duo, they could be very hyper and disruptive. However, they were both also at the top of their class and were both respectful when asked to tone it down a bit by their teacher. In the months that followed, we have befriended Jasmine's parents and have had a few play-dates with our kids. On the first play-date, I learned that Jasmine had given Apollo a nickname; Marshy. We really have not been able to determine how Jasmine came up with that name for him, but it is very endearing to hear her call him Marshy. As far as first time school friends go, Apollo and Jasmine are about as tight as you can get. As time goes on, I hope Apollo maintains and nurtures these types of friendships. I want him to remember the special hugs, special attention, games, and fun times they shared with each other. I want him to realize someday what a special friendship he had with this wonderful young girl.
Orion continues to grow like a weed. He is such a joy to be around and is so quick to share a smile. This kid is resourceful. There really is nowhere in our house that he feels is out of his reach. He is a climber and uses chairs and barstools as his personal ladder to reach anything that he wants inside the house and out. There is a sound we know all to well; a barstool being slid across the floor. That is a warning sign that Orion is about to get into something that he shouldn't. His determination is commendable. It is interesting to me to watch how independent Orion is, and at the same time he wants to help and be a part of everything. He does not want you to help him, he only wants to help you. And an incredible helper he is. We have a front loader washer and dryer set, and Orion loves to unload the washer and stuff the clothes into the dryer. There is nothing cuter than seeing this tiny little guy reach his entire body into the washer to scoop up an armful of clothing and then shove them into the dryer. There is no stopping him either. You just have to step out of the way and let him do it. When I do maintenance on the vehicles Orion wants to help with that as well. We were working on the motor home this weekend and I had to stand Orion on the front bumper and then sandwich him in between my body and the front of the vehicle so he wouldn't fall. As I was working, Orion was picking up screw drivers and wrenches and trying every nut, bolt, and screw he could reach. He never loses interest and often I am done working long before he is. He was upset when I told him we were all done, so as a reward for all of Orion's hard work on the motorhome, I decided we should take her out for an afternoon trip to the beach. Orion did his ritualistic running in place and squealing with excitement dance when I asked him if he wanted to go to the beach in the motorhome.
The coast here is always a gamble with the weather. It is typically windy and cold. But on this day, the weather was perfect; warm, sunny, and the air was still. We played in the water, built sand castles and volcanoes, played frisbee, and as the sun dropped low on the horizon we retreated to the shelter of the motorhome, changed into some warm clothes, and had dinner as we watched the sun set. The boys and Melanie were happy and content, as was I. We were only gone for 6 hours but it was such great quality time with the boys.
With the last light of the day hanging on the horizon, we strapped the boys into their seats and left for home. The golden sky faded to orange, then to pink and grey in my rear view mirrors. Orion smiled as I looked back at him, his eyes heavy with sleep. Apollo peered out the window that his head laid against, watching the hills go by. "Dada," he began, "Don't forget to stop and get ice-cream."
It was a perfect end to a perfect day.
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