Raising A Boy Child - My "Other" Child In Las Vegas

We have never taken this friend of my son's on any trip away from home for more then a few hours, so this was a first. Taking him away long enough to have to ask for medical permission, etc, was a big deal. He really wanted to walk with our Team Mack Daddy and so we made the plans and he and my son were psyched to go. We do have plans to take them and the third member of the team out to Vegas in April, but this was a last minute thing. We put the two of them in a queen bed in our room and it did work out, after a fashion, but they are definitely on a later to bed schedule then we are. ;-)

They liked my Internet friends, had a great time, where ever they went and today we played tourist and did indeed bring him over to Hoover Dam. It was so cute to watch my son, who loves Hoover Dam, bring him around to his favorite spots along the way. Teaching his friend about the engineering that made the dam. We took the hard hat tour back when my son was in 3rd grade and he does have some memories of being in the dam, and was telling his friend about that, too. Unfortunately the price is $25 a person, for the tour and we really didn't have the time to spend, since we were heading home. We took lots of pictures, of him and my son, some silly ones, too that made our day.

So then after we were done, we headed out and about half way home, we give him the wheel of the car. He is learning to drive and he did ask if he could do some of it. We gave him Baker to Victorville and he did outstanding! Still a little hesitant on lane changes, but considering people were going 80 to 90 MPH, he held his own.
We are both glad to have had a little time with him, especially since he is the one that will be joining the Marines in July. Minutes to remember, when he is gone from our lives.
He's a good kid and at breakfast this morning, both my friend Cindy and I found ourselves saying that we will write to him, when he is in Basic Training, next summer. She is former military, so she knows how lonely it can get.

Thanks so much, my other son.