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.