If It's Not One Thing, It's His Brother

Now that we're looking back on two weeks of gastrointestinal mayhem with Reeves (I'll post more on that later), we figured it was all over, from both ends. Looks like (knock on wood), it is. So tonight, after a big dinner and playing outside with Daddy, I took Bennett in, gave him is kisses and nestled him soundly in his crib. I headed outside for more kickball with the big boys. We finally went in and put Reeves in the tub. Suddenly, uncharacteristically, Bennett started wailing. Normally I don't jump to get him at night, but this was one of those cries when you know something is wrong. It was. He had thrown up all over his crib. Great! Of course, Bennett had just had one of his twice or thrice weekly baths, but since Reeves was already in the big tub, we figured why not throw Benny Boy in too. So Bennett got his first bath in the big boy tub tonight. Reeves was a little unsure about sharing his treasured bath toys with his little brother, but ultimately relented as long as Bennett didn't play with any of his "my favorite color blue" toys. It really was too cute, and despite the reason behind the necessary second bath of the night, I'm glad it happened. Bryant got the camera to document the occasion. It amazes me looking at these pictures now, how big Bennett looks. He's not an infant any more. I can't believe it. He really did a good job in the tub, sitting up most of the time, only slipping a couple of times.I just hope we haven't created a monster who doesn't like his baby tub any more. Unfortunately, I've never seen him have this much fun in the tub on the kitchen sink, even when his big brother gets on the counter and washes his toes. I think Reeves liked having a buddy in the tub too.
The good news is, I think the throw up was just caused by post nasal drip and not a tummy bug. He seems to be fine now, but I've turned the monitor up way loud just in case.

As If There Was Any Doubt...

Just to let all you mommies of boys who are eyeing Eliza as a possible daughter-in-law know... It's pretty clear who she's wrapping up these days! She's got him right where she wants him!I'm booking the rehearsal dinner spot right now!

Second Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Well, despite the weather threatening us all day, the hunt came off without a hitch. It was fun to see how much better the children were this year at hunting the eggs than last year. The party lasted about an hour and a half, but the actual hunt probably took all of two minutes. We probably put out at least a thousand eggs. They were all gone two minutes after the bell rang. ALL GONE! Not a single undiscovered egg was left. I know this because since my child was 20 minutes late and asleep in the car when he arrived, it took quite a while for him to liven up. Unfortunately for him, this foul mood ate into the two precious minutes of egg hunting. So he ended up with about five eggs. His fault, so I didn't feel too bad, but I was silently bemoaning the fact that I wouldn't have and cute "hunting" pictures of him. Thank heavens for the kindness of friends. Caroline "borrowed" three eggs from Fordham's basket, which I promptly dropped, and Reeves found. That was thankfully sufficient to satisfy his need to hunt. Then Henry and Reeves shared all their eggs together. Somehow they ended up with about the same amount. What a sweetie. Even Bennett got in on a little of the egg swapping action. What a world of wonder the ability to sit up has brought him! I think we're going to have to come up with some better hiding places next year, or perhaps have varsity and JV fields. These kids are just too smart for us!

Because of the forboding weather, it was a cool day with a great breeze (wind). This was wonderful because it kept the gnats away, and honestly, I would rather have to load up on the layers rather than fight the bugs. It really was a perfect day with family and great friends. And I think the hosts and hostesses were wonderful!I don't know what I'd do without you girls!! Thanks again for a great hunt!

On a Lighter Note...

Caroline called yesterday with a need to occupy these extra afternoon hours we have now that it's daylight savings time. Since I was in desperate need of the same thing, I met her over at the Pirate Park. Reeves loves this playground. He and Fordham have had lots of fun over the past couple of months playing there, and I knew he would be super excited to go. And he was. Until we actually got there. Dr. Jekyl, meet Mr. Hyde. He starting pitching a fit as soon as we pulled up. I now know it was all over these stupid Batman stickers I was letting him play with in the car. NEVER AGAIN! I left him in the car when we first got there, and when he was finally allowed out, he say that I had given a little girl one of the stickers. Well, it was either that or I'd just told him that I'd just killed his puppy. Either way, his animosity towards me was the same. So, back to the car we went. I buckled him in, left the door open and returned to the playground. Then Caroline reminded me of this, so I went and got him. Although spending some time in jail at that moment was almost preferrable to having to deal with the monster. So he spent most of his playground time wailing over the fact that some little girl had one of his stickers. He finally did perk up and return to being the sweet child that he usually is. Unfortunately for him, this left him with about ten minutes to actually play. I know I probably should have left with him before we even got out, but I was so amazed by his behavior. Fordham is a sweet and patient friend, that's all I can say.

Luckily today, the boys got a lot more time to play together since I brought Dr. Jekyl to the park. Thanks, Caroline, for braving the playground again with us! We had a great time on this gorgeous day!

One More Angel in Heaven

I've been debating whether I wanted to post this or not, but I feel like I need to. I need to let everyone know what a wonderful person my grandfather was. He was an inspiring role model, a dedicated christian, a loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and a die-hard Citadel man.

We lost Poppa last Sunday night. I got to the hospital about 20 minutes after he passed away. At first I thought I would regret this, but looking back, I realize that it was probably for the best. I had taken both boys by that Monday. He had held Bennett and thrown the ball for Reeves. I now know how lucky I am that this is the last memory I will have of him. I hope Reeves will be able to remember that day as well as he grows up.
My heart aches for Grandmother right now. I know that Poppa is in a perfect place now, but it's hard on those of us still sporting our mortal coils, and I know it is hardest on her. Our lives have changed in that he's not out there anymore. We can't pop by and see him; we can't call him and hear his distinctive voice. Our everyday lives haven't changed too much other than the places in our hearts that were once reserved for love and caring for Poppa are now occupied by how much we miss him. But Grandmother's world has been changed. Everyday she sees where he used to be, and I can only imagine how much that breaks her heart. She's still in the house that they built together almost 60 years ago. She now sits down to an empty breakfast table and next to a silent Lazy Boy. I know dying is a part of life, and we all knew this day would come, but it doesn't make it any easier. I'm glad we have a big family to be there for her. I'm glad she has a great network of friends as well. Both are such an important support system.

Poppa loved his family more than anything. I know he was a wonderful father to my mother and her siblings, but I think he was really put on this earth to be a grandfather. He took us on trips up to the farm and to Disneyworld and Dollywood. He played with us in the surf at the beach. I still remember vividly going down to the beach in the late afternoons and jumping off of his shoulders into the waves. He took us to play golf with him and would give us advice on our swings. He (and my mother) made sure we always spoke proper English. I remember growing up that I would always say "was like" when what I was meaning was "said". He took it as his own personal mission to break me of that. He would say "Like what?" every time I said it. I don't know that I completely stopped saying it, but to this day I am much more cognisant of it and still try not to say it. As much pleasure as his grandchildren brought him, his greatgrandchildren only sweetened the pot. He would get very emotional each time he saw them. I can only imagine how amazing it must be to look down on three more generations. I hope I am so lucky one day. It is truly a gift from God.

A week before he died, I brought Poppa the papers for him to sign to give my boys their Provisional Appointments to The Citadel. It doesn't guarantee they'll go there, but I want them to know how important that school was to their greatgrandfather and how much it meant to him that they just might end up there. It was a very emotional moment for all of us.It's hard to believe that was less than three weeks ago. We miss him so much. In the words of Pearl and Frannie's grandfather, "He's gotten his final promotion." What a legacy he left.