Tybee, Like a Boss

It has been far too long since I have posted here. It's far too easy to just type out a few sentences for a Facebook status update than it is to actually gather my thoughts and sit down and write something. However, sometimes I have these thoughts swirling around in my mind and I have to get them out. Lately if I ignore them long enough they just go away but tonight I felt like I needed to write them out.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how Lucas is almost double digits and our job raising him (at least while he is under our roof) is about half way done, if not more. Time just goes by too fast as cliché as it sounds, it is so very true. Far too fast he will be graduating from high school and one day out on his own.  I'm just trying to enjoy the time we do have now and I am in such awe of the person he is growing into everyday. Friday I woke up and he was sitting at the table already dressed for school and he had his science book out and was writing something. He looked up at me for a second and said, "So I forgot I did have homework after all. Don't worry, I'm almost done. It's about gravity and velocity and things like that. Oh and today is NUT day (No Uniform Today) and I already have a $1 in my pocket. I got it covered." And I just stood there for a moment amazed and wondered who this mature kid was sitting at my kitchen table.

I've been consciously trying to not be attached to devices (at least when Lucas is home) so we can spend quality time together as a family. So when my husband made plans to go deep sea fishing with his Dad and brother today, Lucas and I made beach plans to go to Tybee after church.

The drive to Tybee always brings up so many memories for me. It holds this special place in my heart.  So many firsts have happened there and I've spent time there were so many people I hold near and dear.

It's the first place I felt like a "grown up." My cousin Davia and her family came to visit when I was 15. Davia is one year old and had her license. My parents gave her the car keys and we headed to the beach with my friend Shannon with out any adults. I remember Davia didn't want to go near the water at first because she was used to the Pacific Ocean being cold.

It's the place my Mom took me for my 17th birthday. I was heart broken because the boy I liked came to my birthday party and fell for one of my friends. My Mom and I went to dinner by the Lighthouse, stayed in a hotel, and went for a midnight walk on the beach.

It's where I went after the Junior prom with my best friend Katie before having to go home and then go to the hospital to see my Grandfather who was dying from cancer. It's the place I went with my friend Ashlee the day after senior prom with my hair still up in an updo. We had to fend off seagulls when they tried to steal our sandwiches.

It's the place Curt and I went on our first date.  We had this really bad cup of coffee at the Sugar shack and then walked along the boardwalk. He asked me for permission to kiss me for the first time. It's the place where we went to wish my friend Gretchen Bon voyage before she studied abroad in London.  We had planned to be roommates when she returned. I remember her sending me a picture of Curtis and I on the beach and she told me she knew I would end up emailing her while she was gone telling me plans had changed. She knew more than Curt and I did and we ended up getting married before she came back from London.

It's the first place Lucas ever experienced the beach. He was just 11 months old when I met my friends Candi and Shannon for lunch on Tybee and we took him down to the beach. He instantly loved it. He hated the way grass felt on his skin at the park but he loved the wet sand on his skin. Ever since then the beach has become our thing. He had his PreK graduation there and it's just become a special mother son place.

The two of us venture out there whenever we can. We always try to meet my friend Shannon and her family there when she is in town from Alabama. We still have a blast even if nobody else is free and it just ends up being the two of us.

So back to today.... we practically ran out of church straight to the car. We only made one stop (Chipotle for burritos) and then headed straight to the beach. As soon as we got near Tybee we hit traffic. I was expecting it to be busy because it was a gorgeous day after a pretty bad rainstorm the day before. When we had been sitting in traffic for a while I saw a place we could have turned around and I remember asking him if he was sure he wanted to go to the beach or we could go do something else. He said that he really wanted to go to the beach ( and so did I) So we sat through an hour of traffic. When we got to the beach we spent another hour trying to find a parking place. I was getting a little frustrated, and so was he so he said "if we don't find a parking place after we try one more place, lets just go home and try another day" and I agreed. We tried for another 30 minutes and decided to give up. We headed for home and hit more traffic. This time things were not moving at all. It took us another hour and a half to get home. We basically took a 4 hour scenic route home from church!

At first I was frustrated that we had wasted the whole afternoon in the car but then I thought about it. We might not have made it to the sand and water but we certainly had another memorable trip to the beach. It's not often that we spend four hours together just talking and being together. I'm pretty sure the next time I drive out to Tybee this is going to be another memory that pops up and makes me smile.

I hope I will remember how when he got his burrito he said "whoa, this thing should be on man versus food. This thing is huge! Take a picture so I can show Dad." And after eating on it several times over 4 hours he finally handed it to me to put in the cooler with our drinks. He just had a couple of bites left but he said, "I'm done. The food won THIS time,"

I hope I will remember how he panicked for a moment because he had to pee and we were parked on the highway going nowhere fast on Highway 80. Before I knew what was happening he had used an empty water bottle to alleviate his problem.  He proudly help up the water bottle and asked "where should I put this" while I freaked out and yelled something about the top needing to be on very tightly! And I might have taken a picture of him holding up his bottle and texted it to his uncle and Dad who knew we were stuck in traffic. And when they asked me about the contents of the bottle I might have responded with "well it's NOT water."

I hope I always remember how we talked about the book we are reading at bedtime, TREASURE ISLAND, and how we both want to go to the Pirates House after we finish.

I hope I remember how he kept telling me he had "swag" and kept saying he did things "like a boss" and how I tried not to laugh but couldn't help it.... because he has these hand motions he does when he says "like a boss." And I hope I remember how me laughing made him laugh too when I was worried it might hurt his feelings.

I hope I will remember how we fought over the radio and how I would change the station when any song came on that had a bad word in it or mentioned adult situations. And if I changed it to a country station he would say "Mom!!! Not the Texas music again!"  And if he said something to me I would turn the radio down to here him better and he would instantly say "can you please turn the music back up." So I don't even know if we listened to a whole song the whole four hours because I was constantly changing the station and turning the radio up and down. About 20 minutes from home I was kicking myself for not remembering he had an Adventures of Odyssey CD in the car. We listened to that on the rest of the way home.

It's true what they say that a bad day at the beach is still better than a good day anywhere else.

 

Dear Lucas (5 years old),

I have a feeling that "5" just became your favorite number. I know it sounds cliche but it doesn't seem like you should be five already and about to start Kindergarten. I think four was a pretty cool age and you packed so many things into one year (trips to Disney World and California, getting glasses, starting school.) I am excited to see what five brings.

The night before your birthday I snuck into your room and hung up a birthday banner and blew up balloons and covered your floor with them. You were so excited and happy when you woke up and kept asking, "Is it finally my real birthday? Is this my five birthday?" We got you a few presents and instead of giving them to you all at once, we spread them out through the day. I think it made all the birthday fun last longer.

I baked you a strawberry cake just like you asked for and we invited you friend Gabriel over to help you celebrate. You always seem to get two cakes every year, one on your birthday and one on your birthday party. The ironic thing about that is you don't even like cake. You just enjoy blowing out the candles.

Your birthday was pretty low key this year because we were all pretty tired from getting back from Atlanta. We had to go so that your eyes could get looked out closely. Your Dad was thankfully able to go with us and we left the night before since you had to be at the hospital so early. On the way to Atlanta we stopped for gas and stumbled on a petting zoo. It was a pretty fun start to our trip.

I found a cheap hotel for us to stay at and it had a pool so one of the first things we did when we go there was go for a swim. Knowing that you were turning five gave you a new sense of courage and you started jumping in the pool without any floats, goggles, or anyone catching you. You were so proud of yourself. Our room had a king sized bed in it and you were so happy you told us, "I'm going to sleep in the middle and this is going to be awesome because we will all be together."

The day before your birthday we got up and drove to the hospital to get you checked in and ready for your procedure. You were in pretty good spirits before hand and I was totally at peace about everything. I knew you would be okay because you had so many people praying and thinking about you from all over the world.

When you came back from the procedure you were very tired and upset and you just wanted your Mommy, so I snuggled you until it they released us. We got good news and they didn't find anything wrong with your retinas and that means no more trips to Atlanta. I don't know a better way to kick off your birthday.

Lucas, I love you to the moon and back,

Mommy

Dear Lucas (4 Years 11 months),

Your very first summer vacation from school is well under way. You keep asking "how many more days of summer do I have left?" You are so worried that it is going to be over tomorrow. Even though you won't admit it I think you miss school though. You have been talking about your classmates and teachers a lot lately. "Mom, when our teachers say 'Criss cross apple sauce' we sit like this and put our hands in our laps and listen" and "Mom, can you show me how to write your phone number? You need to give it to Tatem so she can call me." I am pretty sure that you are going to go back to Pooler Elementary in the fall and it would be neat if some of your friends were in your kindergarten class.

This summer seems pretty tame compared to all the fun road trips we went on last summer but you did get to try out your very first slip=n-slide a few weeks ago. You had a blast but then again you are part fish. You love to be in the water any chance you get. It doesn't matter to you if it is a kiddie pool or a day at the beach. If you are in the water you are happy.

One thing you did get to do so far this summer is go to Vacation Bible School. Your Grandma took you with Shane and Colby and I think you enjoyed it. They had a western theme and ever since you've been wearing a cowboy hat and asking me to make you lassos out of things. You going to VBS made me reminisce about all the times your Great Gram took Lori, Eric, and I to VBS when we were kids. I've been missing her a lot lately, especially since all the fun road trips we took last summer were with her. I am so grateful for the memories of you and her together.

Okay, so we have gone on one road trip this summer but it wasn't really a vacation. We had to take you to Emory in Atlanta so you could see a specialist about your eyes. This time your Dad went with us too and he got to see how much "fun' doctor appointments can be... for instance when we had to hold you down so you could get eye drops put in your eyes while you are screaming bloody murder and saying "Mommy please help me!" We actually have to go back in a few weeks so that you can be put to sleep so they can get a better look at your retinas. They think that you may have holes in your retinas and if so they should be able to fix them with lasers. So part of me kind of hopes they find holes so they can "fix" your eyes and be done with it... so more hurry up and wait.

I'm still watching your friends David and Gabe a few days a week. When the three of you are together you fight and then when you are apart for a day (or even a few hours) you all beg to play together again. Your favorite toys right now are your stuffed dogs and all of you boys like to pretend they are real. Whenever you see a commercial on TV for the humane society you ask me "Mom can we please go adopt ALL of those dogs? They can live hear with us. You have such a big heart.

Really you boys are more like family by now then just friends. One day a few months ago I was driving you home from school and you told me, "You know Gabe and I fight sometimes because we are like brothers." You've also started asking again when you are finally going to get your big brother, oh and you want a kitten to now too. I thought about getting you one of those furreal kittens... those battery operated toys that purr... wonder if they come in a big brother style too?

I love you so very much,

Mommy

Dear Lucas (4 years 10 months),

In two months you will be 5. In less than two weeks you will no longer be in PreK and in just a few months you will be starting Kindergarten. Where does the time go? On the way home from school today we were talking about plans for your birthday and I actually asked if you could stop growing and just stay this age forever. Your response was, "Mom, that's what kids do, grow up. I have to get older so I can be like Dad and grow a mustache or maybe a beard."

Thursday was the big PreK end of the year picnic and you were presented with your certificate of completion. You asked me if that meant it was the last day of school, which would make sense but you still have two weeks left. I can't believe summer is finally here! I am so excited to get to spend more one on one time with you.

After the picnic was over your whole class headed to the beach for a chance to dig in the sun and splash in the waves. Your whole prek experience has been so awesome and I love getting to go on field trips with you. You guys had a blast. One classmate said "This is the best day ever" and pretty soon you were all saying "yes, this is the best day ever," which made your wonderful teachers day.

Your Grandma got to come to the beach with us to see you get your certificate and jump in the waves with you. On the way home she suggested we stop for an ice cream cone and a cool drink. So we stopped at the Sugar Shack on Tybee, which in a way is a part of our family history I guess. Grandma used to go there before I was ever even born and before you were born your Dad and I went there on our very first date. I never could have guessed nine years ago just how wonderful things would turn out.

Tee ball ended last week and I am so glad that we signed you up. It was so nice for me and your Dad to get up and go cheer you on every week. Playing really taught you about team work and working together and it was just such a good experience. After each game we would always go out and have lunch together as a family. We'll just have to find a new Saturday activity to replace tee ball.

The last thing that has been going on is that we have to go to Atlanta to get your eyes checked out. For some reason your eyesight has been getting worse instead of better so we are going to see a specialist to see if they can find out why and hopefully correct it. The whole waiting and not knowing thing is a little nerve-racking but we have been trying to stay calm, especially around you. No sense stressing for weeks over something that might not even be a big deal.

Love you to the moon and back,

Mommy

Dear Lucas (4 years 9 Months and a few days)

It is so hard for me to believe that your first year of school is almost over and even harder to believe that you are almost five. Time seems to be on fast forward lately. I am looking forward to the lazy days of summer when we get to go on mini adventures again.

Your friends David and Gabriel still spend quite a bit of time with us and if you go a day or two without them you seem to go through withdraws. Then when you guys are all together you guys fight and argue. I guess they are more like your family now then just friends. Next year the three of you will be going to the same school and probably riding the bus together. I hope you boys stay friends for many years to come. The only thing I hated about growing up as an Army brat is that I didn't get the chance to grow up with kids I knew from the sandbox years.

Our new house is right around the corner from Lowe's and it is becoming one of your favorite places to spend a Saturday morning. They have free projects for kids and it is right up your alley. You love working with your hands and building things.

One other activity that you are really loving right now is Tee ball. I am so thankful that we signed you up. I might be biased but you are pretty good at it too. You can hit the ball pretty far and you have quite an arm on you. It is really teaching you how to be a good sport and teamwork. Plus it is so darn cute to watch. In the middle of your first game an airplane flew overhead while you guys are on the field and half your team is looking up at the sky going "ooooh look, an airplane"

We just got back from your third trip to California and your first time seeing the Pacific Ocean. The first thing you did when you hit the beach was ask me for your swim clothes. You were a little shocked when you felt how cold the water was and when I told you that the water there NEVER gets warm, the expression on your face was priceless. The cold didn't keep your feet out of the water and when we finally left they were BRIGHT red from the cold water.

While we were in California, we stayed in this awesome rental house with a ton of our family. I think I heard there were twenty five adults and 9 kids staying on the property. That wasn't counting everyone that came and just didn't sleep there. You had a ball playing with your cousins and it really made me wish that there was a way to move Georgia and California closer to each other. You are already planning our next trip back, and this time you are insisting that your Daddy HAS TO GO. I couldn't agree more.

Luc, I love you more than hammer head sharks,

Mommy

Dear Lucas (4 Years 1 month and 3 days),

I catch myself staring at you just about everyday and thinking "how is it possible that he is so grown up?" Everyday you seem bigger than you were the day before. You always wake up happy ready to face the day. You always want to know where we are going and what we are doing. You always want to be on the move and HATE days where we stay home.

We had your fourth birthday party on August 1st and you got to celebrate turning 4 with your family and friends. The party was a race car theme that you decided on yourself. You've already started planning your 5Th birthday and anytime anyone mentions someone else's birthday you have to remind us that you will be 5 on your next birthday and that you think you want a Batman birthday. I am constantly reminding you to stop being in such a rush to grow up already, you JUST TURNED 4!!!

You are one lucky duck and got to go to Disney World this summer not once, but twice! Our last trip in the middle of August was totally unplanned. We went so that I could take care of your Great-Gram while Grandma was in continuing education nursing classes. One of the days we were there we all headed back to the Magic Kingdom. You were SO excited to be there. One of the things you loved seeing was a big show in front of the castle because you got to see Peter Pan fight Captain Hook. You are still talking about it. You LOVE Peter Pan right now and beg to watch the Disney movie ALL THE TIME. We often read Peter Pan at bedtime and you want to be Peter Pan for Halloween. It's a little funny to me that the kid who can't wait to get older is obsessed with the Boy that never grows up.

You spent a good deal of the summer playing with your friends David and Gabe. They were usually over at our house at least once a week while their parents were at work. Back in May when they first started to come over you guys used to fight ALL THE TIME but as the summer marched on the fights were few and far between. You spent lots of hours with them in the sandbox and sitting on the front porch eating popsicles talking about hot wheels and super heroes. At the beginning of the summer you guys planted zinnia seeds and you all loved watching them grow and helping water them. Last week was our last time watching the boys on a consistent basis since you and David will be starting school on September 1st.

On Friday night your school had an Open House and you were so excited to go and see your school and meet your teacher. There are 2 Pre-K classes at your school and they had everyone meet together and then the assistant teachers took all the kids to their class while the teachers talked to us parents. You excitedly lined up and followed the other kids out of the room. I couldn't help feeling just a little bit like I had just turned my baby over to a perfect stranger and I started to cry as soon as you were out of my sight. I know that you are going to love school (you've been BEGGING to go for so long) and that it will be good for you but I am going to miss having you as my sidekick during the day. I ended up buying a charm with your name on it and making a necklace for myself so that I can feel like you are with me when you are school. I am also planning on wearing big sunglasses when I drop you off for your first day, so that hopefully you can't tell that I am crying.

After the teachers were done going over the basics with us (reminding us that everyone is expected to wear red or white khaki shirts and khaki or black pants and have a clear or mesh backpack) all the parents headed over to the Pre-K classes. You didn't see us coming in the door and you ran out another way. Turns out you had to go to the bathroom and didn't know where it was or who to ask so you went back to the room where you had left us to ask for help, only we were no longer there. By the time we found you, you were so upset because you were lost and had an accident in your pants since you didn't know what to do. You were so upset. Your Dad took you to the car to get cleaned up and when you came back you were still crying. Daddy tried to distract you by showing you the alphabet that ran across the wall. It worked for a second but when it was time to meet your teacher you hid under the table. I hate that your Open House went like that but I hope that since "all the bad stuff" already happened that your first day will be smooth.

We just found out that you need glasses. Turns out that you are extremely nearsighted and can only see things close up. This explains why you always stand right in front of the TV no matter how many times we ask you to move. I feel like I should apologize for all those times I pointed at something across the room and told you to please pick it up and you said you couldn't see what I was talking about and I would get frustrated. I thought you weren't looking, and it turns out you really couldn't see from across the room. You are very excited about wearing glasses like Grandpa and Daddy and you I let you pick out your frames all by yourself. They might not be here for a couple of weeks so you have to start school without them. I can't wait for you to be able to REALLY see. Last night you looked up at the sky and said "Mommy, the sky is so beautiful." All I could think to myself was just wait until you get your glasses.

Little Boo,I love you to the moon and back,

Mommy

Our 4th of July

Saturday Morning

Saturday morning we packed a lunch and grabbed Lucas' sand toys and took him back to Butterbean to splash around with his friends.

Watching the snails crawl back to the water.

Riding a shark

Walking the beach at low tide

Growing Up

May 2007

Today

A Perfect Morning

Since gas is finally dropping and the weather is still in the 80's I decided to take Lucas to the beach and I'm so glad I did. October is my new favorite go to the beach month! It was so easy to find a parking place, there was hardly anyone on the beach, and it was warm enough to swim and breezy enough to stay cool. Lucas was in heaven.





See more pictures here