ritz crackers

last week i had the good fortune of attending a junior league meeting at ucp. the subject of the night was children with special needs and we had an outstanding panel of experts there to discuss the matter. i found the entire thing interesting but the most poignant part of the evening for me was when amy enright said something to the effect of how much she appreciated and celebrated the smaller things in life with her son, because it took him so much longer to work for those moments. it stuck with me all week and then tonight, per our usual routine, i was in the bathtub, jack was watching cartoons. i had the door closed but i could hear you go downstairs and do something. you came back up, entered the bathroom with a bottle of water and package of ritz crackers and told me you had helped yourself to them, was that okay? i'm not sure if its me being hormonal but after you walked out of the bathroom, i thought i was going to cry. partially of sadness, partially with pride. how did this happen? when did you become so self sufficient? the politeness didn't surprise me, i think i have beat you into submission on that front. as a parent, i find myself thinking sometimes that i can't wait to not be your indentured servant, for you to be capable of doing things on your own. in that moment, with you in your dinosaur pajamas,  i knew you had changed.

you have grown.

again.


other notable things from this last week- uncle tim and i just got back from a spa/golf trip to scottsdale over the weekend. it was relaxing and much needed. i booked the trip the week after rotavirus hell and it came at a beautiful time. the weather has been in the low 50's and rainy here. arizona was 96, sunny, full of pool time and massages. we ate great food, took naps and did nothing productive. the only thing missing were the cocktails. i have never vacationed solo with my brother and i am happy to report we got along splendidly. i learned that he sleeps with his mouth open and he learned way more than he ever wanted/needed to know about pregnancy. if he keeps hanging out with me and all of you, he may NEVER get married and have children.

we spent palm sunday lounging under gorgeous palm trees at the spa. close to God, indeed.

as much as i love being away, it serves as a nice reminder of how much i like being home and how much i love this life. now that you know how to fix yourself a snack, i wonder how long it will take me to be able to talk you into fixing one for me too?