Memorial Weekend

Over Memorial Weekend, the last real break before Aaron's internet began, we enjoyed a great deal of family time. Aaron decided to join Heather, Janelle, Sariah, me, and all of our kids for a little game day on Thursday, confident enough to enter the wonderful world of estrogen. He was a great deal of help with Christopher who only calmed down one he had closed himself off in the basement's glass shower. Meredith also joined us, so it was was grand party with just as much chatter as true competition. And having a man there made it all the more entertaining. That night Janelle and Sariah watched a movie at our house while Topher slept so Aaron and I could go on an honest-to-goodness date. We watched "The Chronicles of Narnia" without once worrying about the baby disturbing the others in the audience, and I relaxed under the weight of Aaron's arm. He claims I fell asleep...which is still to be disputed.

Aaron and I both filled up our Friday with what we needed and wanted to do individually, so on Saturday we could work hard and play hard. Whenever Aaron joins Steve and Chris for a game of basketball at the Marquis court, Christopher and I venture over to watch for a few minutes. It's much easier now that Christopher will hold our hands as we walk, and as soon as he realizes where we're headed, he runs! He calls, "Ball! Ball!" while making the gesture with his hands, and he begs for help to go down the steep stairs. On Saturday, that was the routine, but we had to keep Topher to the edge of the court until the first game ended. Then he stormed the men's area, pleading with Aaron to lift him up so he could dunk the basketball. He received a big applause from all the men watching, and he covered his face as though he were suddenly shy. Such a silly kid! Later that day, after putting up curtains and cleaning out the bedroom closet and going grocery shopping, we three went on a walk through the woods to Nottoway Park. We let Topher out of the stroller to run through the long grassy field, never guessing that he would spot the outdoor basketball courts from so far away. But sure enough, he did, and those little legs went running after the chance to dunk the ball again. We followed him to the bottom of the hill at the edge of the courts where several games were going on. And we promptly told him to stop. He did. Christopher dropped to his knees and watched the games for a few minutes before slowly, sneakily, ever-so-carefully inching forward as though we couldn't see that he was walking on his knees until he was far enough from us to make a break for it. Mr. Mischief!

I would have cried on Sunday if I were not so relieved that Christopher finally graduated to Nursery! Sweet blazes, what a blessing! Aaron and I dropped him off at the nursery door together, placing him in his little seat with his snacks, and saying goodbye. He waved to us, comfortable but confused, and they closed the door as we turned away. But Aaron sneaked a few peaks during the course of Sunday School and Priesthood, pleased to see that Christopher had found a basketball hoop. Unlike some of the other kids who were in hysterics for their parents, our independent little guy was happily playing ball and oblivious to the fact that we were not there. On Sunday afternoon, Dave and Natalie Moore came over with their three boys, and we all had a picnic in the courtyard of Aaron's baked homemade ravioli with alfredo-pesto sauce. It was divine! And the boys relished in the warm sunshine, cool grass, and the chance to chase each other around. We loved swapping stories with Dave and Natalie, especially since Natalie and I kept learning that we share so many mutual friends from the past. In many ways, she reminds me of me, but in many more ways I wish I could be like her.

And on Monday, our last free day, we took advantage of the afternoon by heading to Clemyjontri Park just outside of Langley. It was the ideal day to introduce Aaron to the grand-daddy of all playgrounds, with its rubber ground and maze of swingsets and dozens of climbing contraptions. Christopher ran all around the jungle gyms, climbed several of the slides, balanced on the stepping stones, and rode the seesaw. Anything that had a steering wheel fascinated him for at least five minutes, and we soaked up the sun while following after him, watching him play. He ran after several pretty girls trying to get their attention, but alas, to no avail. There's a carosel in the center of Clemyjontri Park, and when Christopher finally noticed it, there was no turning back. We promised him one ride before we left, and oh, what joy that afforded! Our goal was to get our cute kid tired and it worked. We went from the park to the mall at Tysons where we had dinner and got settled to watch a movie. Unfortunately, "Indiana Jones" proved far too exciting to put Topher to sleep right away, despite his earlier signing that he wanted to go "home" and he was ready to "sleep." Still, he was quiet through the first 30 minutes, and when he started to get scared, he sat up and called for "Dadda." I passed Topher to Aaron who curled our cute kid against his shoulder and within minutes, Topher was asleep. Victory! Through the rest of the movie, I got to cuddle with Aaron, and in the end, it truly felt like a holiday weekend.

Busche Gardens

On the last two days of our family vacation (May 16-17), we went to Busche Gardens Europe to get our fill of roller coasters and 4-D movies. Because Chelsea loves roller coasters, she joined Aaron and me as we hurried around the huge theme park, looking for the shortest lines to the most exciting rides. Julie took Christopher in his stroller through all the exhibits representing each country, enjoying the sunshine, wildlife, and bustling atmosphere. We met up with them after thrilling our way through two or three roller coasters, eager to share the excitement with Christopher. So we found the kiddie park in "Germany," and we released him from his stroller to discover the carosel, flying dragons, ferris wheel, train, and boats.

Christopher was delighted by the up-and-down action of riding the horses on the carosel. He shrieked in glee every time he came full-circle and saw either Aaron or me. We rode the dragon and ferris wheel rides with him, but the novelty of height wasn't nearly as thrilling as riding in circles holding onto a pole or a wheel. It seemed that Topher's very favorite was the boat ride, because he sat by himself in the back seat of a little motor boat attached to a pole that guided the boats in circles around the small pond. He steered and flirted with the cute girls who always sat in front, and he hooted at Aaron and me whenever he'd pass us by. As soon as the boats would slow to a stop, Topher was quick to use his pudgy little hands to sign for "more." And of course, we let him do more and more to his heart's content.

Eventually, we left the rides to watch some short shows at different places in the park: A trained pet show that thoroughly entertained Topher with the music, the dogs, the cats, the birds, and the pig; an Irish dancing program that got our kid tapping his feet as soon as he hit the ground; and a 4-D pirate show that sprayed water in our faces. But really, we were relishing in the thrills of fast falls after long waits in line. I liked simply hanging out with Aaron, holding hands and sharing stories and worrying about nothing.

By the last day, our feet were sore and our arms were brown and our kid was the epitome of tired. His final thrill from the theme park was standing by a fence overlooking the Pompeii ride and watching the boats climb up the cement slope, disappear into the volcanoe, and come pouring out over the edge in a steep waterfall. Each boat made a gigantic splash, which is when Topher would throw his arms in the air and flail his legs and cry, "Splash!!!" Then, of course, he would ask for more.

When it comes to adventure, we always want more!

Williamsburg, Virginia

On Wednesday and Thursday, May 14-15, we went to Colonial Williamsburg to soak in the old time charm of the 18th century. We were surprised by how well they had preserved the past: multiple horse 'n buggies trotting around, men in uniform marching or galloping through town, actors dressed in colonial garb talking and working and creating an ambiance that was meant to spark your imagination. We attended a few of the planned presentations about life in Williamsburg during the Revolution, but we seemed to gather more information by simply wandering from house to house, touring what was open and watching the laborers attend to their duties. There was always someone looking the part and willing to describe their part. We watched the blacksmiths hones their iron tools of hot, hot fires. We watched a carpenter chisel a large canopy bed and spoke with another about how they made a harpsicord. I challenged Aaron to find the hidden drawers inside an 18th century dresser, and he only needed a little clue. We learned from the gunsmith how they made rifles and pistols, while across the cobble street a woman was sheering a sheep and teaching passerbys how to make different kinds of the material from the wool. At the forgery, we learned how they made pewter spoons and buckles and all sorts of metalwork. And by attending a meeting at the Courthouse, we gathered a little bit about how they enforced the laws of the land. At the Old Capitol, it was interesting to see how the building's very design divided the British leadership from the colonial government. And the Constitutional history that took place there was remarkable.

I'm certain that Christopher enjoyed the Governor's Palace the most. I've included a picture of it at the top of this blog, taken from the back while walking in the gardens. After being trapped in a stroller for most of the day, Topher appreciated the chance to tour the luxurious rooms and climb the many stairs. Because he wouldn't stay quiet, we lingered behind the tour group and found our own private guide in a man dressed as a colonial servant. He followed us into whatever room Topher wanted to wander, patiently explaining the historical significance of the things we were seeing. I was fascinated by the 450+ swords and shotguns mounded on the entry wall, and Christopher delighted in the English gardens at the back of the Palace. There were tunnels of vines, mazes of shrubbery, and dozens of rows of blossoming flowers. Topher spotted a small cottontail rabbit as we emerged from one of the tunnels, and he delightedly started running after it on his short, awkward legs. Laughing all the while, he chased that bunny across the flower garden to the tunnel on the far side, where the rabbit took off on a long, straight stretch through the tunnel. Topher chased him all the way, pausing only at the end of the tunnel to see where the rabbit had disappeared to. We found him in the mazes of bushes, so Christopher started chasing him down the twisted pathways, till on the far side of the garden, the rabbit vanished in a tangle of thick green ivy.

That night we ate dinner at a colonial restaurant in Williamsburg where I ate a stew made with venison, rabbit, and duck. It was in a thick brown sauce and surprisingly tasty. Topher only calmed down from playing with his utensils long enough to each when the minstrels came in, playing their old songs on antiquated mandolins. The only thing more charming was Topher as he flirted with every waitress that happened by. Honestly, every time we stopped to eat, Christopher had to do one of three things each time a waitressed passed us: He would either show off his muscles (which he's doing in the attached picture), or he would fold his arms to pray, or he would announce as loud as he could his newest favorite word--"Crap!" He kept us laughing.

And by the end of the two days in Williamsburg, our feet were sore and our legs were tired and we were ready to rest. So Aaron and Topher cuddled up on the couch to do exactly that.

Yorktown, & Jamestown

With a few brief weeks between the end of Aaron's first year of law school and his summer internship, we decided to take advantage of the time by going 2.5 hours south to the old historic districts of Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown. We were very grateful to have Aaron's mom and his sister Chelsea join us, to help with Christopher and to enjoy the little adventure.

We stayed at a very nice, rather large timeshare near Williamsburg, and when we weren't walking miles and miles through museums and recreated settlements, we were thoroughly enjoying the giant jacuzzi bath. (Our bathroom proved big enough and dark enough for us to turn into Christopher's bedroom after he woke the first morning wayyyy too early because of the light coming through the windows.)

Although Monday proved far too rainy and cold to enjoy anything outside, we did visit the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum, and Christopher danced around on the giant floor piano like the one seen in the Tom Hanks movie, "Big." He did a lot more running around on Tuesday when we took advantage of the perfect weather by visiting Jamestown and Yorktown. We had to relearned our American history and the classic Thanksgiving story all over again. Topher felt a skunk felt and played with blocks that demonstration how the Englishmen built their homes without nails. We roamed through a recreated Indian village and when we found Fort James, Topher climbed out of his stroller and immediately went running after a loose chicken. The chicken became our tour guide as it wandered from the building to building trying to flee our enthusiastic kid. Topher also seemed fascinated by the mud and dirt, drawing pictures on the ground in the dirt outside of the old church and preacher's home. We found a bowling set in the corner of the Fort made of wooden pegs and a canon ball, and that kept Christopher entertained long enough for the rest of use to visit all of the other buildings. Aaron took him up on one of the recreated ships sitting at the docks, fully stocked in the manner it would have been when the first colonists arrived. The idea of traveling across the seas, across the world essentially, in a cramp vessel like those hulls made me realize what courage really meant. It was either courage or sheer desperation.

At Yorktown we learned about everything that led up the Revolutionary War and what transpired during its last battle. We stood on the actual battle grounds and then visited a recreation of a Patriots camp, learning how the tent city was set up. Much to my chagrin, we were told that any women and children who joined their husbands at war had to live in shelters made of pine boughs at the back of the camp. We also learned about the medical practices that were common during the War, handling and hypothesizing about the use of particular surgical instruments. We hardly had time to tour the colonial village, but that was fine because we'd had our historical fill for the day.

Brand New to Blogging

I've always resisted trends. In high school I was a jeans & t-shirt girl. It cost too much to care about fashion, and I never liked trying to catch up with the next newest thing. I feel the same way about most technology: Learning how one computer program works doesn't mean I'll be prepared for the improved version that's bound to come along the very next day. I think that's why it's taken so long for me to try my hand at blogging. Because everyone was doing it served as my main reason not to. I could just as easily keep a journal on my own computer (pages and pages that have never been printed). And I could write my deepest thoughts in a notebook (if my hand didn't cramp up after ten minutes of distracted scribbling). I didn't need to share my life with the whole wide internet world (honestly, who would be interested anyway?).

But let's face it. Eventually, I always did buy at least one stylish outfit each season. And eventually, out of occupational necessity, I did finally master whatever computer program I'd shied from for so long. So eventually, I knew I would become a blogger. It's the perfect solution for a storyteller like me: I get to recount our daily adventures without unnecessarily boring anyone. I believe in keeping a record. So here goes: The ongoing account of Aaron & Shalene Pacini.