Happy Birthday Jack

Many friends have asked me recently how I feel about Nate's upcoming 1st birthday...which is great. Most people don't think to ask how I feel about Jack turning eight...

I cant believe it. I have said it a million times and different ways in past posts...my children are growing up so fast. To think that eight years have gone by since Jay and I welcomed John Patrick Herold into the world is inconceivable to me.

I will never forget the extremely long labor I had with him or getting to hold him for the first time. Or looking into his big blue eyes and at his strawberry blond hair. I remember each visitor who came to see him at the hospital and the joy Jay and I had when bringing him home.

Jack was/is/and will always be my first child. A lot of my first experiences as a Mom will be through his eyes. Lucky for me, he is such a sweet boy.

Eight seems real big to me though. 8. You can do all types of math to scare yourself. For example:
In double his life he will be 16. Need I write more about that age?
In two years, he will be 10. Basically mid-life these days for a "child".

I could think myself to death about 8. His life up until now. What I want for him in the future. Today I decided to put that all on hold and just enjoy the day.

We woke up (at the Cape house still) and immediately let Jack open his present. A new DS lite that he had been asking for forever. His friend Jake was apparently the last kindergartner without one, so Jack must have been the last first grader to have one for sure. He loves it. He must have thanked Jay and I a million times throughout the day for it. He said that he was most impressed by the fact I kept the secret from him for so long. He cant imagine how I could have done it.

Papa is at the Cape with us, so he made us all pancakes- one of Jacks favorite breakfast treats.

After that we hit swim lessons for the last lesson of the session. Jack did a great job. He has been working on his back stroke and swimming under water.

After swimming, we hit the A&W. Jack LOVES root beer so it seemed fitting.
Then we came home for lunch and to pick up Nate who had been sleeping while Papa was on duty. We hit the ocean soon after that.


After the beach, we decided to take some time to rest. After some downtime, Papa took Jack and Remy to the bumper boats and bumper cars.

For dinner we went to our favorite local pizza place, Royal Pizza. And finally, we went to Sundae School for a treat.

So, it was a great day. As I was putting Jack and Remy to bed, I asked Remy what she loved about having a brother who was now 8...she said

"Well really nothing, it feels like he is still just my brother"

I said "What do you like about having Jack as a brother then?"

and she said "I like that I have someone to play with."

I then asked Jack what he liked about being 8. He said

"I like having a DS" and "I like that I can do things that I couldn't do when I was 7."

So that does it. I'm officially a Mom to an 8 year old. A wonderful, loving, sweet boy.