Memorial Day 2014

Everett was bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning. This is a metaphor that Chris said once a few months ago and that Everett thinks is hilarious. Sometimes he tells us that this is indeed how he feels; other times he tells us he is dark eyed and smooth tailed, especially if he senses that we expect the contrary.

Dada and the Momma Bear were very tired this morning. Everett got up early but was surprisingly patient, waiting until after 7am for Chris to get up and make him breakfast. Eventually we were all up and spent the morning unpacking the car and cleaning the house. Everett went for a short bike ride with Melissa to Wilson School. Then he wanted to go for a longer ride to the playground at Hart Park. So when the babies woke up from their morning nap we put them in the stroller, which Melissa pushed while Chris rode Melissa’s bike. Everett rode down Kavanaugh, then Portland, and then Honey Creek Parkway to Hart Park. We took the bike path through the park and crossed 70th St to the new playground by the band shell. Everett seemed to enjoy the sense of safety he got from having Chris at his side and Melissa behind him with “the auxiliary children”. The poplar trees are blooming and they are producing so much cottony fluff that at times it looked like it was snowing.
DSC_0493

Melissa fed the babies at the park while Chris and Everett played tag. This isn’t the conventional tag game that most of us know from childhood. Rather, it’s an adaptive form of the game with the following rules:
-Dad is “it”. He must chase and tag Everett without cheating, which is defined as doing anything that might help him achieve his goal.
-Everett is “on base” anytime Dad gets within striking distance. Almost anything serves as base, including air. When Everett is on base there can be “no puppy guarding”.
-These rules are not reciprocal when Everett is “it”. In fact, arguments almost always ensue after Everett is tagged. So it’s not very fun if Chris is hoping for a regular game of tag, but it is fun for Chris to try to outsmart Everett and catch him despite significant odds. Of course, the problem is that Everett is rapidly getting smarter.

The babies were a bit sunburned from camping (please don’t judge us – we live in Wisconsin and this weekend was our first real exposure to sunlight this year) and there is no shade at the playground, so we packed up and headed home after they ate in order to limit their time in the sun. It’s a gentle uphill almost the entire way home, and Chris was surprised that Everett pedaled the entire way. What a change!

Everyone took a nap in the afternoon and Chris left for Houston about 4pm for his grandfather’s funeral.

Comments (1)

One thought on “Memorial Day 2014

  1. What energy you young people have! I slept till noon and am still unpacking and repacking. Congratulations.

    Love Everett on his bike.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Powered by WordPress
Natural World RapidWeaver theme by ThemeFlood