Last Post for Kallee Boo's before Kindergarten.. The Summer of 2013

Kallee had a very good year in many ways.  She started by joining a new Montessori School, St. Josephs in Kennewick.  It was a crazy time as they hired a new Principal and Kallee lost a good teacher who was replaced by two other good teachers and lots of new friends.  For seriously selfish reasons i like the move as I could pick up JJ at the cousins house and then grab Kallee and be home by 4.  That was nice.

Kallee enjoyed the time at St. Joe's and we have been very fortunate because Kallee has no issues moving from one place to another.  She loved that she went to 3 different rooms and learned some cute blessings.  She liked the animals in the classrooms and was always smiling when I picked her up.

She is growing as well.  She is already 3 feet 8 and half inches tall and 41 pounds.  This is the month where Kallee usually grows, which is why we put off buying some school clothes till the end of August.

Back to the year, the beginning of 2013 went okay as she was not the stellar learner, but was definitely improving in her skills.  She is not bad at counting and by the end of the summer we are hoping she can recognize all of the letter of the alphabet.  She actual writes the letters pretty okay... but still needs practice... As a teacher I am really a much better teacher in Oregon than I am at home. My patience and Kallee's stubbornness usually butt heads.  But we struggle through after 1 to 2 hours.

In terms of other areas we excel.  She does a very decent job of surface cleaning and we like to clean her bathroom and the downstairs bathrooms together.  She also helps with sweeping and loves to clean the mirrors... Probably because she likes smiling at herself.  Like her brother, Kallee can have a great mind and loves to play dress up and house.  In fact JJ and Kallee Boo's make up houses with pillows and blankets all the time.  She loves to play dress up with JJ, as JJ can be Snake Eyes or Batman, while Kallee is Rapunzel, or Cinderella, or Bella,,, etc..  She still believes she should be a princess and who knows, maybe someplace in our history she has some royal blood.

As Jayden was into a lot of sports,  Kallee has been in only one and she loves it.  After a screaming start, Kallee has taken to swimming like a fish.  She loves being in the pool with her brother, mommy, and myself when I get off my bottom.   Swimming lessons have been great and mainly because of a teacher named Brooke, who took Kallee under her wing.  She has already started Starfish 3 and should be in 4 by next summer. 

Maui and Hawaii brought on so many memories.  I know that we are so fortunate to have a place on Maui that we have been allowed to call our home.  My mother bought my Grandparents house and we have stayed there 2 to 3 weeks each year.  It is one place that will always hold such fond family memories for both my wife and I.  It is the family escape where we can get away from the regular work place and just have fun.,.. enjoy the sunsets, the beach,, and the weather.  A place where life can slow down and we do not have to do anything but have fun.  A place where Grandpa Gebers cannot escape Kallee Boo and the fish, or where Grandma plays Uno with Kallee and when she wins,,, watch out,,, cause here will come the Kallee winner dance,,, woo hooo, woo hooo!

This was the best year in Maui yet in terms of the beach as Kallee could now swim and snorkel in the ocean.,.. and she did, she likes looking for shells and seeing turtles on the beach.  Will get back to the pool swimming later.

Smoothies,,, Chocolate and Strawberry Smoothies are her favorite from Lahina Pizza Company and Cheeseburger in Paradise.  But everywhere we went to eat, the word "smoovies" came out of her mouth.  She also loved to eat all of my Hawaiian Seed Plums... she would sneak them all the time, the little turkey.   But most of the time we would buy 2 packages, one for me and one for her.

 

She loved climbing the Banyon Tree on Front Street in Maui, and of course some shopping...   though she is no where near the stamina of Mommy.  But she does say things like, "oh that is soo beautiful, or I looove that. .."Mommy, I need to buy that... etc.

 

She sounds so grown up sometimes when she talks and then poof, the thumb back in her mouth and she is 5 again.   She stills loves to be carried and the head of hers fits oh so well on your shoulders.  She can throw huge fits and then make you smile when she does her laugh. 

 

 I really appreciate the summer time because of many things.  The kids do not get sick, they leave me alone until 9ish and they have become pretty self sufficient.  But it is the vacations that mean the most to me and watching how Kallee blossoms.  Kallee loves everything about Maui.  She has a great time there. 

 

This year Alison decided that she wanted to see another island.  We thought about Kauai first but my mom suggested the Big Island.  It was a great choice.  We scoured the internet and Costco's travel program and found The Hilton Waikoloa Village,  I love that place especially for a family. 

 

 They have DVD thing like redbox free while you are staying there.  Free breakfast for the kids and so many things to do.  Miniture golf on real grass.. a beach if needed.  A lagoon where there are fish and turtles, as well as canals to paddle boat.  There are boats to take you to parts of the hotel as well as a tram.  But for Kallee it was the pools, and I say pools as in many.  There are 4 slides and a little canal pool connecting 3 of the slides.  Then there is another big pool with a sandlot, as well as another big slide.  All these places are where Kallee loved to be.  I think we all did.  The pools gave her friends to play with and to swim and play with rings and just have a good time.  I know that next time we come to The big Island we will spend more time at the Village, because, that is where the kids wanted to be, not in a car or at the stores or anything,,, but the hotel.

 

One best memory I have is that when we would come in from swimming to clean up and get ready for dinner. Kallee and I or Jayden and Alison would sit on our deck and watch the sharks and dolphins and the sun come down.  You could sit out there for an hour and enjoy "relaxing".  Kallee would prop her feet up and just watch.    That is one of many things I love about Kallee,,, she can sit in a chair or in your lap and just watch.  She makes people smile... Like when we are at Cheeseburger in Paradise and she starts dancing to the live musician and others kids join in and

 adults smile with memories of when their children were young.

 

 

 

 

 

 Look at the smiles that is a girl who knows fun and enjoys life.  I know that as a dad, nothing gives me greater satisfaction as that smile.  It means that we are doing something right.  I am not a perfect father, I lose my temper easily, my voice gets to mezzo forte in a split second and I need my own time.  But I do know that I want my children to grow up knowing who they are and happy.  I want Kallee not to be afraid to speak her mind and to keep her brother on his toes.  I want someone who dances when she wins and learns how to lose just a weeee bit better.    Most of all, as the song by Darius Rucker goes,,,, I want to be around JJ and Kallee, to make memories, cause as he says, "It won't, be like this for long".   That song gets me all the time.

 

I know that this phase in life will fly by too fast... that I will get up one morning and she will not want me to stay with her until she falls asleep, so for now, I will cherish my time with my little Boo.