Wedding Extrodinaire

A couple of weekends ago we attended the wedding of our good friends Steve and Sarah. A wonderful time was had by all. And we have the pictures to prove it.

Misunderstanding

My son loves Halloween. He remembers it from last year, which blows me away because he was only 2 1/2 years old. He sat outside with Tyson and handed out candy last year, obnoxiously telling the thirteen year old girls, "Now you say thank you. Say thank you!", and at the end of the night we rewarded his diligent manner instructing with a single piece of candy. His eyes grew wide and stared at us with a look on his face that clearly said, "You mean to say we have been GIVING THIS AWAY!". Round about June he came out of our back room babbling about kids looking silly and giving away and I stared in bewilderment at him until I realized that he was describing halloween to me and asking when that would happen again. I told him October and he wandered off. In August he started talking about halloween again, and by September I realized that we as a family would now be celebrating this holiday. How could I deny him? He is so excited. He decided that he wants to be a humpback whale, so after much discussion and thought I headed to the thrift store and got myself a blue denim curtain to turn into a whale (I am banking on the fact that three year olds can't tell whether or not they look ridiculous). Last night I started the costume and had him come into the back room and lay down on the curtain so I could trace out the whale pattern. He stood up and asked me about it, so I pointed out the head, flippers and tail to me. He pause, looking very thoughtful, then said, "But Mommy, I thought I was going to be a real humpback whale that could swim!".

Trust

Trust is a beautiful thing. As a parent I work hard to build a solid bond with my son so that he trusts me. The flip side of that coin however is the responsibility that goes along with a relationship built on trust. I'll give you an example.

Yesterday the whole family was out in the backyard working and playing. Jordanna and I were working and Cayden was playing. At one point I found a hook and part of a clothesline that were no longer in use. So I called Cayden over and tied it to the back belt-loop of his pants so he would have a tail. He really likes having a tail and the clothesline was a nice long 4 foot section of sturdy rope.

A couple of hours later he and I were standing under a tree and it occured to me that I could tie the end of his tail to a low hanging branch. So I did. As I was tying it he asked me why I was tying him to a tree. So without thinking I said "Because it's fun. Ready, now run!" Without a thought he grinnned widely and sprinted off. He made it about 4 good steps before the line went taut, yanked his hips out from underneath him and with a look of absolute shock he swung down and crashed into the ground flat on his face and belly. Much crying ensued. Not so much from pain but more from surprise. Jordanna witnessed the entire thing and was collapsed in a small ball trying not to laugh at my son's pain.

The lesson learned at Chez-Spray yesterday is twofold. Firstly, my son loves and trusts me enough that if I smile and tell him something is fun he will unquestioningly do it. That is indeed a very special thing. Secondly, tails are dangerous.

Tonight the Zombies Win