Jayden and the Start of Kindergarten

Jayden and the Start of Kindergarten

The end of summer was anti-climatic to the start. JJ, Kallee, Alison and I did some parks and went to the Fair and a few other small things.

The biggest moment was really seeing if Jayden was ready to start Kindergarten. Not Physically because he is a big boy. Not Mentally because he can count to 100, He knows he letters and can write the alphabet and type his name as well as sound out a few words.

Jayden and I spent hours at the end of the summer writing and sounding our words and even trying to learn his colors in Spanish. We talked about money and what the different coins represented and how much they were worth.

He is very talented and I have to give props to Mrs. Sutherland and Mrs. Travis at Childrens Garden. Their borders and work with Jayden have paid off. I may have not been as patient as they were with Jayden but in the end he performed well.

It would be emotionally. He was talking “Baby” talk almost all summer.. and it was getting to the point of annoyance . He also still was really whining and pouting at times. He was getting so excited that he would act younger than his age. I had tough talks about Jayden with people and they were nervous about Jayden starting out this year as well. It was a big slap in the face to Alison and I about what we needed to do for Jayden to be successful. Alison gave Jayden calming talks and soothing rebuffs. I was honest about what kids might say to him if he acted the way he was, and they would make fun of him.

Jayden changed, not just because of us, but because he wanted very much to go to Kindergarten. He stopped wearing night diapers and slept in his underwear. He has cut down a lot on the baby talk and did his “schoolwork”. I still get really nervous for him because I do not want him to fear school or not like it like he was at the end of last year. But not as nervous as before. So…

We had an open house to see his new teacher Mrs. Heppworth. He also got to hang with mommy and a bear one day and finally, last Friday he went to his first day of school.

He loved it. He met a new friend named Jackson and likes his teacher and loves playing at recess with Jonah. He loves spending the afternoon at Auntie Emily’s and having adventures with Dawson. He likes going to school in the morning and can stand in line without touching anyone else.


Here are some pics from his first week. He is growing up so fast…

Days 13 & 14 and Where to Eat on Maui

Day 12,

Jayden once again was a crier, pretty much all day long.. he cried when he did not think he was getting his way. He cried when he did not think the waitress heard he wanted ketchup, he cried that we were going to go to a hotel, he cried because he could not get his clothes on fast. He cried when he was told to get out of bed… then he fell asleep at the restaurant. The kid goes and goes and goes until he is to the point of breaking.. He does not trust mommy and me that we will not have his interests in mind. I am not sure why he does not think we know what he wants and what he likes, because we know him better then he does.

Kallee was also in trouble a lot but more for not listening to his mother… she is a tough cookie and does what she wants… which gets her in big trouble with her father and daddy wins.

We have moved to Kaanapali Beach and are staying at the Hyatt Regency on the beach. It is a very beautiful and cool hotel with lots of things for the kids and us to do… I will talk about it tomorrow.

Tonight I am burnt and in pain and very tired. But I have to tell you about some of the best places that we have eaten at so far.

We love Maui Tacos: http://www.mauitacos.com/

We love Lahaina Pizza Factory: http://www.lahaina-family-vacation.com/lahaina-pizza-company.html

We love Moose McGillucuddys; http://moosemcgillycuddys.com/And

Cheeseburger in Paradise has some great atmosphere and good staff: http://www.cheeseburgerland.com/Cheeseburgerland/Lahaina.html

But the Lahaina Pizza Factory has the best waitress,.. I will try to remember her name but she got Kallee some Ice Cream and Kallee remember her from the other day and she went over and gave her a hug… she and the Waitress had all saying ahhhhh… It was a good day. But I am tired so I will talk tomorrow.

Day 13

It was a very nice day except for the 2nd degree burns. You would think I would have learned. So for future reference… when in paradise… in Hawaii and your back and shoulders have not seen the sun in 10 years. And you think just between the clouds are in the air and the wind is blowing,,, you will burn… The good news is the blisters are going away… the bad news is the kids keep hitting me in the tail bone and the Kallee rips at the scabs when I carry her… aah to be a daddy. Side note, Alison was watching the Maui Channel and it just told us about how to be careful with the sun and we are 21 degrees closer to the sun and so you can get burned easier and faster… nice huh. She is still laughing at us.

Second side note… Kallee is like a Pro-Bowl Corner when she wants to get picked up.. she literally jumps in front of you and then shadows your every move so you cannot get by her.

The kids had a good day, we ate at the Hyatt Regency Swan Court where the kids ate and played and fed the Koi fish and watched the penguins get fed. They also have many tropical birds that Jayden and Kallee kept saying aloha and laughing at which the bird laughed back… I will have to get the name of the bird. We then spend 3 great,,, (miserable as my blisters were poping under my shirt) hours at the pool where Kallee played in the little pool and Jayden did not get to go down the big slide… he was very sad so next time we will do it. He has to be 48 inches… But he got over it and had a great time swimming with mommy and going under the water fall and jumping in and just being a boy. Kallee and I did the sand and the kiddie water, and then the hot tub and then we moved to the shade by the pool and just lounged for a while… the pool will be coming into my future as I get over this burn.

Kallee and Jayden have so many things to look at and we did not even hit the beach at Kanapali yet.

Grandma and Grandpa Gebers picked up the kids and will have them for a couple of days and that let Alison and I revel in the past…. We went to the two places we stayed at for our honeymoon,, Lahaina Shores and the Royal Lahaina…. And then we ate at Basil Tomatoes… I love that place great memories, and great food… it was awesome.. I finally got to eat rizzoto. I like rizzotto… It tasted so good. It was a very nice way to spend a night with the one woman I will love and honor for the rest of my life. We enjoyed that so much and then we moved to Front St. In Lahaina and just walked and perused. It was cool. I went back and bought a Maui Built water shirt for our Molokini adventure so I do not burn more, and then I bought a Maui Built tee. For Alison I bought her a sweatshirt. It is cool to buy something that you can only buy on Maui… Nice.. cause this ain’t the mainland. We could really live here because we both like the whole Maui time.

It was fun and nice day and a great, and fond night of awesome food and memories…

Day 9 Maui Shirts and Sand.

Day 9
Pics
Kallee Boo’s bottom has big rash.. It is sad as we have done the baking soda bath and creams and she is now feeling okay unless she has to go to the bathroom. She has pooped again on the toilet so hopefully she gets used to that once she is done with the runs.

Jayden and Kallee and Mommy and I started the day talking to Uncle Jonah and Auntie Elanor. They came down from the up country to talk with us and it was very nice to see them again. I remember great memories with them at their house and luau’s and the beach. They were very good to me. Roy came over and had a wonderful time just talking. Jayden really loves Uncle Roy… and Roy is very kind to Jayden and he really wants to see him almost every day. Grandma treated us to the Maui Ocean Center and it was a ton of fun. The fish were amazing and Jayden and Kallee really did appreciate the fish and aquatic life. They also got to look at the bay at MaaLea….. It was a wonderful time. Jayden loved the the area where you can see the fish and the sharks and the rays swim above you and around you. He and Kallee also loved the turtles and the Hammerheads. Jayden and I then spent sometime finding more Geocache targets. We have found 6 or 7 so far on the Island. It is fun but I slipped on and tree and got a rock right in the tailbone.. I am moving a lot slower now. The Geocaching so far kind of disappointing as there are not many fun boxes… I am going on the Internet to see if we can find some better ones online.

I also bought some red dirt tees. They are dyed and printed in real red dirt from Maui. I love the shirts from the Islands especially Maui. I have Crazy Shirts, Red Dirt Shirts. Hawaiian Style shirts and Maui Built Shirts. I really like supporting the Island and the shirts rock.

Maui Built (the best part of these shirts is that you cannot buy them on-line. Only in Kahului and Lahaina.

http://www.crazyshirts.com/

Local Motion

http://www.dirtshirt.com/

http://mauitropix.blogspot.com/

We then wend to Moose Mcgillycuddys for some great food and awesome service. The people were awesome there and even displayed the pictures that Jayden and Kallee colored on the wall. It meant a lot to me. We were treated well and the people there were so cool. We will definitely go there again. Awesome people and the spirits and food were great too.

We came home and played uno with roy again and Jayden and Roy won the most.

Day 10.

Sadly we are on the tail end of the trip. It has been good. Of course we are now really ourselves… we are getting up later and we are not leaving the Maui House until after 11. As a family we are all very lethargic when it comes to getting ready and leaving… plus we overpack and we always forget something.

Oh well.

We hit the baby beach again today and the tide was way in. The surf was high and the surfers were out in force. There were great breakers and some good pipeline as well. Maybe we will take some surfing lessons… Maybe.

The beach was fun and Alison and Jayden got to swim a lot. Kallee and I stayed on the beach and Kallee jumped the waves. Then the kids and Alison created a great sand castle. Kallee decorated it with shells and nut parts. Jayden built a huge moat and a great wall to protect the castle. We then came home and had a good meal and then it was cards and off to bed.

Jayden and Kallee also wrote letters to the family and hopefully they get it by the time we leave.

Alison really loves the time we are spending together as a family and the kids are really loving life. They are pretty happy with the exception of the “I am so tired” crying explosions people have. But right now Jayden is watching movies in his room and getting ready to fall asleep. And Kallee and Mommy are talking and laughing in their room and just being happy together…

It is a good life.

Days 7 & 8

JJ's and Kallee's posts are the same

Day 7

Today was a tough day for Kallee Boo as she was sick from the start to the finish. She had the runs and we had to make an emergency run to the store to get more diapers as she went through many a diaper. She also threw up…. Poor girl. Jayden was fine being around the house as he got to play cards with uncle roy and his cars and his new helicopter. He went to the park and had a great and famous shaved ice from toms mini mart. Alison once again had a little trouble with the sun and the burning part as she got it on the legs this time. I am okay as are the kids. But both are happy with their Maui Home.

The best news for us was that Kallee Boo went poopie on the toilet… (Yea!!!!!). But the runs closed down the show for the rest of the day. Hopefully we get a 2^nd chance tomorrow.

Day 8.

Poor Kallee Boo’s she is still fighting the runs, but she was pretty tough. We got her to go on the toilet again this morning.. (Alison is the leader of this.), and then we got dress and mommy and Kallee went to the store. Jayden and I spelled and pronounced words. Then I got Jayden to write the alphabet, he needed help with only 8 letters. Hopefully we will get more of the letters down the next time.

We then went to a park that is dedicated to the past of Maui. It has homes of the past from countries and populations that make of Maui. A Japanese Pagoda, Portuguese House with a smoker, a Koren house, Chinese, and a Filipino Hut. Jayden loved running through the Bamboo forest, and Kallee loved yelling at the koi fish. Crazy Kids.

We then drove up to the Iao Needle and Jayden swam in the stream and jumped from the rocks. Kallee made a slide from the top of a huge boulder to the bottom… It was cute and I have video.

We then did some Geocaching. And Found a Geocaching box!!! Our first one. It was at the Big Rock and the Iao Needle that I had found before… but we did not see it,,, it was hidden behind some rocks. Jayden got a rubber ball from it and Kallee got a Bunny. We left a trout there and we will watch its progress. Fun times. Jayden and I found two others and they were a Bum House and a corner of a busy street… some are good some are not so good… it is what it is. We then hit the mall and ate at Maui’s Tacos.

Jayden was super excited at Uncle Roy came over and we all played cards and I believe Jayden was the big winner. Jayden then walked Uncle Roy home… as did Grandma and Mommy and Kallee in the stroller. It was a good day. Hopefully Kallee’s bottom gets better.

Days 4, 5 and 6

Again same story on both Kallee and JJ's

Pics

More Pics
Day 4

A good day and a tough day. We started with my 42nd birthday and a great card from my mother and father in law. It was written so well and made me feel appreciated and loved I was very happy to get it. My parents were also impressed. My mother made me tacos for lunch and we went to a flea market at the community college. It was a lot of fun and I bought myself a few hats and a shark necklace.

Jayden had a tough time because he wanted a toy and then when he spent his own money for it he found it needed batteries and we would not go buy them. He had a breakdown. We saw a spoiled boy who did not understand how much he is given. He is a really great kid, but he has some things that with his parents help, he is going to have to work through. He is at times trying to raise himself and has trust issues…

Grandpa took the kids to the park and they had a wonderful time. We then went to a miniature golf course with lots of things to do. Jayden looked like he was having a wonderful time as he tried to golf in a left handed push way. Mommy tried to help him but he always reverted back to a very interesting stance. Kallee did not understand all the fuss and she just went over to the hole and dropped the ball in. Problem solved. They both got to do rock climbing and then Jayden did some trampoline extreme bouncing. But then gave another pouting face when he saw daddy and Kallee on the water bumber boats without him. He did get to ride it but he literally looked like a kid who did not get to do a whole bunch of fun things in the past three days. Hopefully in the next few days we will sit down and have talks with Jayden and get him to understand how enjoyable life is and he should be thankful for what he is given.

Day 5.

It was a day of ups and downs, literally. The Family took their one (and maybe only in my lifetime) trip to the top of Haleakela. I cannot tell you how lovely, awesome and enormous the volcano is. It is truly a once in a lifetime sight. It has so many colors of lava rock and the crater is so big. It is hard to explain to Jayden that the Crater is “the hole” at the top of the mountain. He was expecting a Cartoon like hole, but he got the concept of it. Jayden and Kallee and Alison have now been to a real volcano and back. They have a plant there that is found nowhere else in the world. It is called the silver sword. It is a beautiful plant… Amazing. The view was breathtaking as you could see forever. You were literally on top of the clouds and I took many pictures. It was also breathtaking because you could to a walk on a lava rock trail and go to one of the peaks. We did and Jayden and Alison made it all the way to the top. I was short of breathe a lot trying to chase Jayden down as he was flying up and down the trail. He had a great time and so did we. Kallee loved being there as well and we tried to find the Nene Bird. (State bird of Hawaii), but decided it must be sleeping…

The down side was the road. OMG,.,,, it was a 10 mile twisting turning gut wrenching trip to get to the state park… then you had another 11 mile trip to the crater… I was sick, Jayden was sick, Kallee was a little sick and so was Alison….. That part will make this a onetime only trip. Unless they make a really large escalator.

We also hit the winery in Upalakua. Alison love the pineapple wine… The kids had a great time exploring the grounds with Grandpa and Jayden got to play on a cannon. I was still sick and found tums and real ginger ale and black licorice… I survived.

We also got to see some great memories. We did some shopping at the same store that my mother used to shop at when she was a little girl. I got to see the hospital that my grandma and grandpa worked at. And Jayden and Kallee saw the house that my mother grew up in when she was a child. It still looked pretty good. It was great trip for me to see things that were part of my mother’s history. Jayden and Kallee ate at the restaurant that my mother used to have Chinese food at. (It now serves sandwiches and great desserts.) This was in Kula. The store is called Fongs Store and they were the riches people on the island… It is still called Fongs Store… History is still alive.

To see my mother talk about her past brings up so many good memories about how people have lived when they were young. My father’s house in Minnesota and Qunicy. Connie’s house in St. Josephs and the colleges that she and Dick went to. I want my children to get to see these places. To know what life was and is for their grandparents and how truly lucky they are that they get to see them this much and talk to them and to feel their love. Blessed is how I feel, and I know my children feel the blessings the get not only from us, but from their grandparents and cousins and aunties and uncle, and and the Grandma Aunties and Uncles. Jayden really likes Uncle Roy and loves playing with him. Kallee just wants to ride on his cart.

Day 6

This was a day at the beach again day. We finally got to the point where the burns were not so bad. It was a good day to hit the baby beach. We stopped and picked up snorkeling gear and watch fishes and coral underwater. I am hoping that the underwater camera that I got took good pics as we tried to chase down a few tropical fish. There were a few really cool ones plus a sea cucumber or slug… or whatever it was. Colorful tropical fish and some minnows that I tried to chase towards Jayden and he tried to jump on, but he kept missing. Jayden wanted to stay in the water the whole time changing from his snorkel and fins to fins to boogie boarding to fins and boogie boards. Kallee did do some great swimming kicks in the water.. But definitely like playing on the beach the most. I was snorkeling most of the time. Alison and I then took the kids to Front Street and had a wonderful time as Jayden and Kallee climbed the world’s largest banyan tree for a long time.

The fourth of July was so nice for us as Kallee kept singing happy birthday. She is just a happy little girl. Kallee just seems to be happy all the time, except when she does not get her way. She usually then just falls asleep.

It was a good day to celebrate the nation and our freedom. A freedom that we benefit from all the time. God has given us a wonderful family and we are blessed to be Americans… and we celebrated this Maui Style.

Days 4, 5 and 6

Again same story on both Kallee and JJ's

Pics

More Pics
Day 4

A good day and a tough day. We started with my 42nd birthday and a great card from my mother and father in law. It was written so well and made me feel appreciated and loved I was very happy to get it. My parents were also impressed. My mother made me tacos for lunch and we went to a flea market at the community college. It was a lot of fun and I bought myself a few hats and a shark necklace.

Jayden had a tough time because he wanted a toy and then when he spent his own money for it he found it needed batteries and we would not go buy them. He had a breakdown. We saw a spoiled boy who did not understand how much he is given. He is a really great kid, but he has some things that with his parents help, he is going to have to work through. He is at times trying to raise himself and has trust issues…

Grandpa took the kids to the park and they had a wonderful time. We then went to a miniature golf course with lots of things to do. Jayden looked like he was having a wonderful time as he tried to golf in a left handed push way. Mommy tried to help him but he always reverted back to a very interesting stance. Kallee did not understand all the fuss and she just went over to the hole and dropped the ball in. Problem solved. They both got to do rock climbing and then Jayden did some trampoline extreme bouncing. But then gave another pouting face when he saw daddy and Kallee on the water bumber boats without him. He did get to ride it but he literally looked like a kid who did not get to do a whole bunch of fun things in the past three days. Hopefully in the next few days we will sit down and have talks with Jayden and get him to understand how enjoyable life is and he should be thankful for what he is given.

Day 5.

It was a day of ups and downs, literally. The Family took their one (and maybe only in my lifetime) trip to the top of Haleakela. I cannot tell you how lovely, awesome and enormous the volcano is. It is truly a once in a lifetime sight. It has so many colors of lava rock and the crater is so big. It is hard to explain to Jayden that the Crater is “the hole” at the top of the mountain. He was expecting a Cartoon like hole, but he got the concept of it. Jayden and Kallee and Alison have now been to a real volcano and back. They have a plant there that is found nowhere else in the world. It is called the silver sword. It is a beautiful plant… Amazing. The view was breathtaking as you could see forever. You were literally on top of the clouds and I took many pictures. It was also breathtaking because you could to a walk on a lava rock trail and go to one of the peaks. We did and Jayden and Alison made it all the way to the top. I was short of breathe a lot trying to chase Jayden down as he was flying up and down the trail. He had a great time and so did we. Kallee loved being there as well and we tried to find the Nene Bird. (State bird of Hawaii), but decided it must be sleeping…

The down side was the road. OMG,.,,, it was a 10 mile twisting turning gut wrenching trip to get to the state park… then you had another 11 mile trip to the crater… I was sick, Jayden was sick, Kallee was a little sick and so was Alison….. That part will make this a onetime only trip. Unless they make a really large escalator.

We also hit the winery in Upalakua. Alison love the pineapple wine… The kids had a great time exploring the grounds with Grandpa and Jayden got to play on a cannon. I was still sick and found tums and real ginger ale and black licorice… I survived.

We also got to see some great memories. We did some shopping at the same store that my mother used to shop at when she was a little girl. I got to see the hospital that my grandma and grandpa worked at. And Jayden and Kallee saw the house that my mother grew up in when she was a child. It still looked pretty good. It was great trip for me to see things that were part of my mother’s history. Jayden and Kallee ate at the restaurant that my mother used to have Chinese food at. (It now serves sandwiches and great desserts.) This was in Kula. The store is called Fongs Store and they were the riches people on the island… It is still called Fongs Store… History is still alive.

To see my mother talk about her past brings up so many good memories about how people have lived when they were young. My father’s house in Minnesota and Qunicy. Connie’s house in St. Josephs and the colleges that she and Dick went to. I want my children to get to see these places. To know what life was and is for their grandparents and how truly lucky they are that they get to see them this much and talk to them and to feel their love. Blessed is how I feel, and I know my children feel the blessings the get not only from us, but from their grandparents and cousins and aunties and uncle, and and the Grandma Aunties and Uncles. Jayden really likes Uncle Roy and loves playing with him. Kallee just wants to ride on his cart.

Day 6

This was a day at the beach again day. We finally got to the point where the burns were not so bad. It was a good day to hit the baby beach. We stopped and picked up snorkeling gear and watch fishes and coral underwater. I am hoping that the underwater camera that I got took good pics as we tried to chase down a few tropical fish. There were a few really cool ones plus a sea cucumber or slug… or whatever it was. Colorful tropical fish and some minnows that I tried to chase towards Jayden and he tried to jump on, but he kept missing. Jayden wanted to stay in the water the whole time changing from his snorkel and fins to fins to boogie boarding to fins and boogie boards. Kallee did do some great swimming kicks in the water.. But definitely like playing on the beach the most. I was snorkeling most of the time. Alison and I then took the kids to Front Street and had a wonderful time as Jayden and Kallee climbed the world’s largest banyan tree for a long time.

The fourth of July was so nice for us as Kallee kept singing happy birthday. She is just a happy little girl. Kallee just seems to be happy all the time, except when she does not get her way. She usually then just falls asleep.

It was a good day to celebrate the nation and our freedom. A freedom that we benefit from all the time. God has given us a wonderful family and we are blessed to be Americans… and we celebrated this Maui Style.

Days 2 and 3 in Hawaii

Again this is also being posted on Jaydens and Kallee's

Day 2

After unsuccessfully helping Grandpa fix the brakes we rented a car and headed out to the Beach… We went to the Baby Beach, which is just NW of Old Lahaina. It was great, though Alison and I both have burns to show for it. Kallee loved playing in the sand and actually played some in the water. Jayden played with the boogie board the whole time. (He still does not swim well. But the board helped his kicking a lot.) Plus you could go out almost a hundred yards out and still not be over his head. We looked at the little rock reefs and did some minnow and crab watching… then we ate at Cheeseburger at Paradise… At cheeseburger at Paradise we lost Kallee many times as she kept chasing the birdies trying to catch them. But she stayed in her chair as she found a wonder pineapple smoothie to drink. I saw pure love on her face. Jayden then went oyster fishing and got his mother a wonderful pink pearl.

At night Jayden and I played U-no with Uncle Roy and say Uncle Jerry and Aunie Di. It was a good day.

Day 3

After the sunburn incident yesterday, Alison and I thought it best to find… less sunny things to do. Kallee and Jayden were not even affected by the sun… they are lucky. So Grandma and Grandpa went with us to the Iao Needle Valley. We did some walking and climbing. Kallee wanted the bananas off the banana trees and got to see how taro is created. We took pictures of the Ioa Needle. Kallee and Jayden loved playing in the stream and walking on the water rocks. It was fun as Jayden and Grandma Traversed the water and rocks to a nice pool. We also finished are first Geo Caching adventure and found a rock… not very exciting.

Kallee and Jayden also got to play at the Mall and went on a train ride in the mall. Kallee got to each Coconut Muchi which is a kind of doughnut. Jayden was not as interested. But he did love the Shaved Ice with Hawaiian Punch, Cherry, and Pineapple flavoring. It was a great time. Uncle Roy came Over again and played Uno with Jayden. Jayden loves playing Uno.

The adventures are good because Jayden and Kallee tell us that they had a great time. We are fortunate to be here and so far, it has been very pleasurable

Day 1 in Hawaii

I am posting the same story on Jaydens and Kallee's blog, so you do not have to read it twice, but when they get older they can read them on their own blog.

Day 1

Jayden, Kallee, Alison and I had to get up at 5:30 in the morning to go to the airport. We actually bought lightweight suitcases so that we could “pack” right for Hawaii… (so far we over packed cold weather clothes, the weather has been great).

The luggage worked great as our suitcases weighed 38 and 45 pounds respectively…. (Alison was not happy that she took some clothes out before we left… my bad.)

The airport it self was.. interesting, the kids did okay in line, but we had to check two bags and a car set.. then we were carrying a stroller, booster seat, 1 more suit case, a computer backpack, Jayden’s backpack, Kallee’s backpack, and Alison’s bag..we seriously had like 10 things to x-ray. The I was done and Alison took the kids to get snacks and me Black Licorice…

Kallee and Jayden were really excited about flying for the first time. They could not wait. That is until we got on the plane and we were taxing down the runway. That is when Jayden asked “are we there yet??” That got about 15 chuckles from the other passengers and sympathetic looks from older people whose kids were older. Kallee was lucky as the person next to her was a great gentleman who did not mind the questions and the kicks as she kept flopping across both him and me. But she did almost sleep halfway. Then I took her for an hour and then Alison had both of them for an hour and a half. Jayden was very good except for when the movie players would not work and then he threw a major fit… and loud. But daddy had a laptop and movie time was saved… yeah!!..

The both watched as they counted at least 5 islands coming into Maui and they thought the landing was good…. But Jayden was disappointed because he thought we were landing right on the beach.

But he got over it. The first day was for us to find out how warm it really was here, even with the trade winds… I was ripe by the time we came back from a local park were Jayden climb a coconut tree. The plants here are awesome and I wish I could take them and grow them in our yard. The house, which was originally my Grandparents has been completely redecorated and redone and looks very attractive. Jayden and Kallee both have their own rooms. And we have our own bathroom and room. It is great.

Alison and I went to Buzz’s and I had a wonderful Filet Mignon and Alison had the Ono. The kids stayed with Grandpa and Grandma and were happy to leave us.

Jayden and the Gebers Family Vacation in Hawaii

Pics from Jaydens Birthday Party

Jaydens 5th Birthday Party taught us many things about us and our son Jayden. First that we love him and others love him enough to have like 4 different parties. That is Grandparents survived Chuck E Cheese and Grandma and Grandpa Lee even went to Ice Cream with us afterwards. The fact that JJ's mother would take the time to make great cupcakes and find out what he wants his theme party to be and then have it at Garlands means that Jayden is loved. The fact that the rest of the family always takes time off of their schedule to celebrate with Jayden was impressive. He has so many loved ones and so many that want to be part of his life.

Then there is the bad,,, the fact that people do not RSVP or that some people who we thought liked our son did not bother to show on this special occasion was an eye opener and it kept Alison and I awake at night before the big party. But we should not have worried, we should not have ever felt bad. Because we found out that there are so many who do like JJ and who care. The party was a HUGE success. The kids that showed up were awesome. They played all over the place, on the big swing and on the mats and the poles and the zip line and the climbing rope,.... and then watched JJ get to do the Bungee line and he loved it. He was smiling and laughing and having a great time.. He was exactly what U know he is, the kid who always seeks adventure and fun. The kids who were there to celebrate the moment, Jayden, Kallee, Wyatt, Dawson, Jonah, Madeline, Parker, Bailey, Ellen, Olivia, and Marina, and Nolan and Mason who also celebrate with my son made his 5th very memorable. They all got perfect gifts that showed they know our so so very well... Hot Wheels, and Backugans, and Roller Shoes and race car tracks, then the computer and remote control cars, and nerfs and transformers... man Jaydens friends could not have done better.

I know that every parent wants to see their kid with rose colored glasses and think he or she is the perfect child and the most popular and the most athletic... but reality says that cannot be true. What can be true is this, a parent can hope and pray for the best for their children and care for them and love them. And when you ask your son who is his best friend and he says you and mommy, then all is right in the world...

So I will continue to pray for Jayden to have wonderful adventures with his family and loved ones, oh and for a great next year. Happy Birthday Jayden, you are 5 and wonderful.