Last Tuesday it was time to finally change out my California license plates for new South Carolina plates. I haven't been looking forward to this day. Most of you will think this is silly, but some will understand. It's not that I have anything against South Carolina. It's a nice state - I even like that they still say "In God we trust" on their license plates. It's just that we loved California so much. So the day finally came to remove our last "visible" sign that showed everyone where we came from. Sigh.
Fast forward to Thursday. I drove Jake to school sporting our new plates (by the way, these pictures aren't our plates. I just pulled them off the internet!). He is doing his standardized testing this week so his teacher keeps telling them to eat healthy breakfasts full of brain food. She was teasing him and asked him if he had his grits that day. He smiled and said "what are grits?". I was sort of proud that he doesn't know what they are, but she looked at me like we were crazy. "We aren't from the south" I said. Jacob laughed and said "no, I'm from San Diego!".
Yes Jake, yes you are! I walked happily back to the parking lot. Who cares that my car makes me look like a local. I have something even better from California - one the dmv can't tell me to change! My two little California boys!
Noah has been begging me for so long to take his training wheels off. I have been putting him off saying "wait until daddy can help you". Of course, when daddy's here he would forget and it just never got done. I don't enjoy this task of parenting. Running slowly, bent over, holding onto the bike. My back ends up hurting and I find myself thinking "just put the trainers back on". However, I finally decided that the poor kid had waited long enough. We started out on his little bike so that he could easily touch the ground. This was going well and I figured we would wait to do the big bike until, well, until daddy could help him! So one day Jacob asked if he could take Noah's training wheels off for him and help him learn. This was either a brilliant idea, or disaster waiting to happen. Either way, I said "yes". Jake got out the wrench and got the training wheels off and, while I watched, he held onto Noah's bike and started running with him. It was so cute to see big brother seriously helping little brother and little brother completely trusting in big brother! And suddenly Noah just had it. He took off on his own and never looked back. He started shouting "I'm doing it! I'm doing it!". To which Jake shouted back "good job little brother!". Oh, be still my heart. It was one of the sweetest moments! Wish you all could have been there to see it too.....
