Our friends were arriving at different times and at different places. The first group, Andy, Angela, Matthew, and Whitney, went straight to my brother’s house. I decided to meet them over there with Ellie. After the general hellos and all, we needed a plan because it was getting close to Ellie’s nap time. It was perfect, we could all go mallwalking!
FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND FUN
We know this crazy group of people from Kentucky that we get together with every year. We aren’trelated by blood, but we consider them to be family. We usually take turns with where we go. One year we go down to Kentucky, and the following year they come up to the mitten. All together there are 18 people. And you can imagine with 18 people with ages ranging from 18 months to, well, let’s just say they are grandparents, a lot of shenanigans can go on. (Last year we all chipped in a couple bucks for a dare for Max to shave his head). But before I get into the details of the weekend extravaganza, let me share some background information so it all makes sense.
BANG BOOM POW
Our city had their Fourth of July fireworks celebration last week, and we joined in by watching it from our front porch. I’m always down for a reason to porch sit and this was perfect. My folks, my brother and sister-in-law, and my neighbors Joe, Greg, and Linda were all coming over for it. My mom made brownies and veggie pizza, I made a fruit salad, Joe brought chips, Greg and Linda brought wine, and my bro brought fixin’s to make mint juleps. What more could you ask for to celebrate the fireworks?
THE POWER OF DAD
As I spend my days changing diapers, preparing Ellie’s food, grocery shopping, cooking, administering naps, and scheduling play dates, I often forget that I’m a dad and what that means. The people I talk to on a regular basis are all moms and we talk about the stay-at-home life for the most part. I have way more in common with my mom right now than I do with my dad too. My mom and I talk about recipes and baby stuff and things like that. While this is really exciting for my mom it can be difficult and a little isolating at times for me. But I often forget that my dad might feel a little left out now too as my mom and I talk at length about butt cream and the Reverse Tooth Fairy. With Father’s Day here, I’ve been reflecting a lot on my relationship with my dad, the things I’ve learned from him, and the power a dad can have.
TAKE FIVE
Last week ended with me losing my diaper bag that also carried my camera and my prescription sunglasses. I tried not to let it bother me too much and tried to let it go. I had enough things going on at home to not let it get me down too long anyways. This past week was a good week, but a really busy week. Museums, drywall, grocery shopping, family dinner, cooking, farmer’s market petting farm, running errands, and Japanese school. I think I tried doing too much this week while keeping our renovation project moving and I think it finally caught up with me.