Monday, March 30, 2009

Of birthdays and butterflies

Does anyone remember this wee lad?

Little John

It's my youngest brother, John, I'm guessing around 4 years old. He turned 15 on March 10th. How do these things happen?



He had a birthday party at Lazer Land. They have arcade games, mini golf, and of course, laser tag, where you run around in a dark maze and shoot your friends with infrared beams. John and his pals routinely slew any of us who were over high shool age.

One of the things dads are for:

AWESOME

Dave and Ike also have a new game called "Fall off the Refrigerator." No further pictures; I realize airborne infants can be a bit alarming if you haven't been desensitized to it through daily exposure.

Ike got sick Tuesday morning two weeks ago. It was some kind of flu. He was sweet and pitiful the first couple days, quietly lying on me and sleeping on and off all day. Once he began to mend a little, though, he was ornery and prone to fits of screaming. The whole week was so confusing and emotionally draining--it was so sad to see him feeling badly. Was I taking care of him properly, or was I making things worse?

That Friday I got sick, though not as badly as Ike had been, but by Sunday he and I were both mostly back to our usual selves. The sun came out again and things had turned out all right in the end.

My neighbor's 11-year-old granddaughter is a Girl Scout, and she told me about earning merit badges for learning new skills. I was thinking about imaginary parental merit badges; there should be one for Baby's First Sickness. I don't know if I handled everything properly, but we got through it, and I feel like I'm better equipped for the inevitable next time.

This Saturday I met up with my friend Yvette for a long overdue girly outing. We convened at Frederik Meijer Gardens to see their annual butterfly exhibit. Yvette brought the butterflies to my attention two years ago; she and I went together then, and I've been back a number of times since. There's a Conservatory open year-round, full of lush tropical plants, a little waterfall, and small birds. It's warm and humid and a welcome escape from Michigan winter. (Snow yesterday, by the way, and frost still on the back porch today at noon.) Once a year in the spring, thousands of butterflies are set free in the Conservatory, and you can just walk among them, enjoying their colors and patterns.

Butterfly mosaic

Yvette and I looked at butterflies, ate lunch at a leisurely pace, and shopped for, eh, ladies' underthings and maternity jeans. Yvette is my personal shopper. I have no style and she aims me in a better direction. Before going home, I stopped at Cold Stone Creamery, chosen specifically because I read somewhere that their ice cream has an obscene amount of fat and calories. Then, feeling spoiled by my day of irresponsibility, and starting to miss my boys, I headed home.

1 comment:

  1. You are so witty. Yvette...now there's a blast from the past...

    ReplyDelete