It's May, 1996 and Scott and I take Vito to Alex Bay. It's so beautiful there and we love visiting Boldt Castle to see what new restorations have been done. On the left Vito and I are in the lobby of the castle.
Vito playing Upwords here with Kit Kat at his side. He liked playing most games but Pay Day was his favorite game to play. It was much like life, making your way through the days of the month trying to stretch your paycheck to cover all the pitfalls along the way. It was a lot of fun and he especially liked it when he won.
Labor day weekend, 1995 we took a trip to Virginia Beach. I drove the Grand Am and Scott was my side kick. Mom, Mike and Vito rode in the back. The weather was great and we stayed at the Dunes. Above is Vito in the hotel pool, ready to splash.
Vito and Mike hanging out in the pool.
Mike and Vito petting the sting rays. 
Here's Vito after just receiving his sixth grade diploma. My boss let me leave work for a couple hours to go to his graduation. I was too far away to get a good picture. That summer turned out to be very busy. We're getting to know Scott, his friends and family. We went to a fourth of July party and many family get togethers. Looking back I suspect Vito might have felt a little left out. He was used to having his Mom all to himself. He never complained though and we always tried to include him in what we were doing. Being head over heels in love, however, may have clouded my judgement. Everything seemed perfect.
Christmas Eve 1995 and Vito is all dressed up, looking so sharp, ready to go to Scott's parents. Too bad his eyes are closed.
Vito on Christmas morning, his eyes not much more open than the night before.
It's spring 1995 and Vito shows off his roller skating skills. His Aunt works at the local rink so he gets a lot of practice and is pretty good. He literally skates circles around his Mom. I've met a nice guy I feel is worthy of meeting Vito and this picture is taken on our first all together date. We have a great time even if maybe a couple of us really can't skate all that well. I ask Vito what he thinks of my friend Scott and he says "He's nice Mom, but kinda goofy". Yes.
Vito's signature drawing he would leave to let people know he'd been there. It was usually found on the classroom chalk board. Have a great holiday. 
It's no surprise that Vito needed glasses since both of his parents are visually challenged. He looks very studious here at school showing off his latest masterpiece. Shown below is one of his computer exercises where he writes about our cat Sasha.
It's October, 1994, Vito is 11 and thankfully in sixth grade getting mostly A's and B's. Fifth grade was tough with lots of homework and therefore lots of drama. Oddly this lead to the teacher suggesting he be placed in the gifted program. It was a nice ego boost for everyone but only temporarily as being gifted means getting more homework. In sixth grade he still struggles with writing and homework and joins the chorus. He wont sing any of his chorus songs for me but we learn the words to a Lisa Loeb song and sing that together alot. He has a very nice voice. His Dad has remarried and in March of 1994 Vito got a baby brother.
This picture reminds me of a time Vito and I went to the Renaissance Fair. We saw the Mud Pitt show and the Witch dunking and I dragged Vito to all the shops while I browsed. At the broom shop the owner graciously gave Vito a long piece of straw used for making brooms. We continued walking around and were delighted to see that there were elephant rides. We got in line, both very excited to have this rare opportunity. Our turn came and Vito was put up in front with me behind and my arms wrapped around him. The trainer then set about leading the elephant around a well worn circle. It was a bounding ride that leaned deeply to one side then deeply to the other and got us giggling. True to form it didn't take long for Vito to find a way to pester the elephant. He took his newly acquired piece of straw and started tapping the elephant on the head with it. I asked him to stop but he ignored my protests and with a mischievous grin continued to torment the poor animal, tapping even faster. Suddenly the elephant's trunk flew up and yanked the piece of straw right out of Vito's hand. After a stunned second we both burst out laughing. That elephant had no problem handling a pest. He leisurely continued walking around the circle chewing on his prize.
Vito is excited about the rock tumbler I got him on his tenth birthday(he wanted a 4 wheeler). He did try it once but it took several days to smooth the rocks and was very noisy. Also pictured is Kit Kat's litter of 4 kittens. It was so much fun having kittens in the house and a great experience for Vito. They all looked very different from each other wit
h the one on the right looking very much like her mother. We were able to find homes for all of them but when the lady didn't come to pick up the last one Vito convinced me we should keep her. All you can see is her back foot in the picture. We named her Sasha.
4th grade is a good year for Vito. He gives the trumpet a try and though he doesn't stick with it his teacher says he has talent. His weakness is in writing but he excels at reading. Homework is still a challenge but the amount is less and so is the drama surrounding it. He gets another certificate for perfect attendance like he did in second grade. In the summer Vito and I take a spur of the moment trip to NY city. We stop at Howe Caverns on the way and he's impressed by the caves and formations and how far underground we go. We spend the night in a hotel on Rte 17 and in the morning head to the Statue of Liberty. I miss the exit and Vito gets a kick out of how the toll booth guy says " 9 north" when redirecting us. The line for the Statue is very long. It's sunny and hot with no place to sit except the ground so Vito is not thrilled and a bit angry with me. After 3 hours we both agree that we don't have the patience to go up to the torch and only go as high as the pedestal. It's still a spectacular view and I'm in awe of it all. Vito's favorite part is the boat ride to Ellis Island. He stands at the front of the boat, the wind blowing through his hair.
Here's Vito at the school computer possibly creating the very masterpiece you see below. He wrote several poems and I love how honest and insightful they are. They also make me laugh. Read and enjoy!
Vito is a real machine enthusiast. He's most at home playing with, riding, taking apart or tinkering with anything mechanical. Here he is with his Uncle's three wheeler who lives down the road from us. He also has a great love of animals and finally convinces me to get him a kitten. We find an ad for free kittens and I convince him to pick out the most cuddly one. It takes him a while to pick out her name but he finally decides on "Prissy". It's diff
icult to call her that because she's so loveable and it doesn't fit. I continue to call her kitty cat which eventually shortens to Kit Kat and in the end that's the name that sticks. On the right is the earliest picture I have of her at about 1 year old which is a shame because she was such an adorable kitten.
A beautiful third grade picture but school is not exactly Vito's strong suit. He's very intelligent and does well on tests but has no use for homework. It's no surprise early in the school year that his father and I are called in for a conference. The teacher is rumored to be very good so what comes out of her mouth is shocking to me. She tells us that Vito (our loving, honest and admittedly energetic 8 year old son) has the look of someone who can't be trusted. I ask if he's done anything wrong and she says no but leans in to tell me that even the gym teacher has told her he doesn't trust our son. She goes on to say that Vito isn't doing his assigned homework and is falling behind. She proposes that the problem is our custody arrangement which is joint, 2 days at his fathers house then 2 days at mine. She suggests that 2 weeks at his father's house and then 2 weeks at my house would be better. I'm instantly in tears at the very thought of not seeing my son for two weeks and wonder how any reasonable person could think this is better. I give a definite no to her custody suggestion but we agree to try a communication notebook between homes and school so every homework assignment is accounted for and completed. On the way out I feel so relieved to be leaving. Vito grudgingly completes his assignments on time and soon we are informed that our son "shows promise". On his last report card of the year she writes "Believe it or not I will miss you, Vito!!"
Here we are on Heart Island visiting Boldt Castle. On the left it's me, Mike, Vito and Mom posing politely for a stranger who offered to take our picture. On the right it's Vito being goofy and Mike who looks like he's probably had enough of goofy. The boys loved the boat ride and the Castle was a great place for them to run around in without too many things they could break. As Vito grows so does his fondness for taking things apart to 
see how they work . Problem is he can never really get them back together. Most of his toys are in pieces beyond repair. I find some great toys that are clear plastic so you can see the insides and they last a little longer. It's the consensus that he will probably be a mechanical engineer or something related.
