I have hazy memories of the day Jake was born. Most of it centers around me, in the afternoon, walking out of the hospital to a nearby KFC to get something to eat. Bizarrely, I can't remember whether he was born at that point or not, just that the darkening skies chose that point to open. As I returned to the hospital, lightning flashed across the sky above the building, and heavy, warm rain started to descend on me.
I was tucking Daniel into the car tonight after football practice when I heard a roar beside me - "BYE BYE DAVID!" It was coming from the other side of the car, where my other son Jake was waving a salute to his friend who was on the other side of the car park
Despite spending the whole weekend at home, it might have been one of the busiest on record for us. We had Mother's Day, dance classes and birthday parties and Lisa's teenage brother staying.
Saturday
Saturday started things off properly. I knew it was going to be a struggle to keep everybody busy, so a bit of forward planning was necessary. I got up a little bit earlier with the kids and got them fed and cleaned, then made a spot of breakfast for Lisa when she got up.
Jake, you are one of the most precious people in my world. Your chatter and your passion for drawing and your sheer energy stop me in my tracks at least five times each day. You know this, you often catch me gazing fondly at you as you play.
At the moment though, you're having a tough time, and it all stems from your shyness. For some reason, particularly with adults that you don't know well, you freeze up. You totally withdraw into yourself and refuse to interact, take instruction or even acknowledge the presence of those adults.
Do you ever wonder what your children are thinking at any given time? I bet you do.
I had one of those moments at the weekend - I took Dan and Jake into Belfast to take the bus home for a change. You know, have a little adventure on the bus with the boys.
But we had about an hour to wait for the next bus home, so I took them across the road to Subway for a quickie snack and a drink of juice. The Subway in Great Victoria Street is a busy place. There's a lot of pedestrian traffic, and people coming and going from the shop itself.
Of all our children, Jake is a wiry young fellow. Something about him is wildly energetic, and I've always felt that when he becomes grumpy at home, it's because he's bored and needs to stretch his legs.
Last night, after his friend had gone home for the evening, I noticed Jake looking grumpy and lost. Rather than allow him to wallow in his bad mood, I told him to put on his coat and we'd go for a walk. We live on the edge of town, and as we leave our street, there's a little loop road that leads us out of town and back in again. A short walk of about an hour in total.
After finally, after wrestling the reluctant youngster into his coat, we left the house. There was a moment of near-mutiny when he realised we weren't taking the car, but Jake's generally quite pliable and we started off on our walk.
Jake's about to turn 5 in a few days. I've noticed over the last few weeks that he's getting a cheeky wit about him. He likes to spar and joke with us, but because it's the holidays, he's easily bored and frustrated. Sometimes he gets grumpy when he doesn't get an answer he likes.
After I walked out of my parents' house on Saturday, I proceeded to do exactly what I'd promised the boys. I took them out and we had an excellent day together.
I had taken Daniel to a little harbour round the coast called Portbradden earlier in the week. While the weather wasn't wonderful, we managed quite a lengthy walk that revealed some interesting little places along the coast. It was then that I resolved to come back at the weekend for further adventures.
This blog, as usual is poorly updated at the best of times. Whenever something nice or cute happens at home, you make a mental note to blog it later. Then by bedtime, it's gone.
Aha, but not today! Today's escapade involves a fat dad (me) and two short-arses trying to amuse themselves while the women folk (Lisa and Rachel) went off to dance class for an hour.
Our websites are getting more and more popular. My day job is getting busier and more stressful. I don't update this blog as often as I'd like to, because I want to record some of our lives for the kids.
As a family, good things are happening, and not-so-good things too. Rachel and Jake are going through a great time. Both are being real sweethearts, conversational, witty and creative.
