Dear sons,
This month we were so fortunate to vacation with our extended family in a big house on Nemacolin's resort making lifelong memories. One of those memories involved you Grey -- a minor injury that happened during a party with Uncle Quent's family. I first noticed you standing near the stairs with a distraught look on your face. "Are you okay?" I asked quietly to which you nodded a quick, but unconvincing yes. "Did you go to the bathroom in your pants?" seemed the next plausible question given the look on your face: "It's okay, you can tell me." Holding your fingers tightly and on the verge of tears, you looked over toward the huge eight ball art fixture that hung on the wall with evenly spaced exposed lightbulbs sticking out of them. And that's when I put it together.
"Oh sweetie...you touched one of the lightbulbs?!" I said, opening your hand to take a look at the four fingertips clearly burned a bright red. I knew that kind of pain and raced upstairs to get some ice. My poor baby...too afraid to say anything -- how heartbreaking! My guess is you were in a state of shock.
Once your fingers were submerged in ice water, I went looking for Aunt Karen to see if she had any medicine to spare and it turns out she had much more than that. Along with the Tylenol, she explained exactly how you were to ingest the oral Arnica and what it would do. I watched your apprehension subside, reassured by her kind trusting voice that you would feel better soon. Although Aunt Karen doesn't have children of her own, it's obvious her maternal instincts are very much at the ready as she offered her lap as a comfortable place to sit and wait it out. Before running off to tend to the food for the party, I grabbed my camera to capture the bonding. It was just too precious.
After finishing the pizza orders for the house, I came back to find you still on Karen's lap. She would later tell me how much she enjoyed cuddling up against your delicate, cool ears that reminded her of little seashells. "He was such a sweet little patient." And it wasn't too long before you were back to playing with your cousins, running wildly through the summer rain.
At the same party during the same vacation, you had your own special moment Cash. This one was with Pow Pow. For Father's Day last month we gave him a t-shirt that says, "Pow Pow - Established 2010". Since that was the year you were born and you were the one who named him, the establishment is self-explanatory.
You see, back when you were a toddler you couldn't say "Grandpa"; it simply came out sounding like "Pow Pow". And so a moniker was born -- a very special one I might add!
"Grandma Banana" is the nickname that Grey bestowed on Grandma a couple years ago which she absolutely loves. For awhile every time you would call her that Grey, you'd start giggling. It's as if you were reminded of its perfection -- a name so silly and flawlessly poetic!
In other news, we've now got Count Dracula living amongst us. Your loose front tooth finally came out Cash - after weeks of being able to twist and turn it with your tongue. "Now I can eat bagels again Mommy without it hurting!" And just look at that smile!
I love you both and I'm so grateful for the time we got to spend with family this past month -- for the tenderness, compassion, tears and laughter that make up memories we can now cherish -- and for you, my sons, who in the end make it all worth it.
My love. Always and forever, Mom