Life in Hawaii

I can't believe that we have been in Hawaii for almost one week already. I can tell already that our two months here will fly. We survived the 71/2 hour flight with our wiggly 18 month old and I am glad that our return flight is two months away. Maybe it will be enough time to forget the horror. In reality, Ethan was as well-behaved as can be expected of a ball of energy confined to two laps and what little leg room is available in the economy section of a plane these days.

I plan to try to keep him busy here, otherwise he just looks for trouble. We've been to the beach twice, started swim lessons and have attended several family functions. I wonder if he misses the uneventfulness of our "normal" life.

I'm glad that he has been able to spend so much of his first two years with his Grandma. He calls her "mama" and when I ask him who I am, he replies "mom." Is he really 18 months?

The Love of Learning

Today, we watched my brother-in-law march across stage to receive his Masters of Theology degree. Next, he goes on to Princeton for ThM #2, and then he hopes to pursue his PhD. My heart surges with pride to be related to this lover of wisdom and knowledge. I also feel a twinge of envy and thoughts of my unobtained Masters degree fleetingly cross my mind. Then as we drive home, I sing "Pop goes the Weasel" with my 18 month old and he inserts "POP" as I pause after "the monkey thought was all in fun..." and I realize that my decision to quit grad school mid-way through to watch this wonder grow and develop was so, so worth it. As we go through our day-to-day routines and I see the world through his eyes, I learn so much. Things that cannot be taught from a text book. We pause to smell the flowers, to touch the grass, to watch a bug crawl across the steps. We rejoice in every new word learned (well, with the exception of "NO") and every milestone surpassed. At the end of the day, when I tuck Ethan into bed, I am thankful that I sacrificed formal learning for a chance to learn the art of motherhood, a course that will provide challenges and rewards for a life-time.

A Whole New World

Today I am stepping out of my comfort zone (that of sending and receiving e-mails and browsing the net) and entering the world of blogging. My younger sister is leading the way and I am cautiously following. I know I will spend more time reading and browsing than actually posting, but I will take the first step by writing and publishing this post.

This will be a good time in my life to start journaling since we are also in the process of moving. Houston is our destination and although the unknown is intimidating, I am ready for the explorations of a new city.