Having Erin and Ethan this past week was a real joy. That little boy stole my heart. Erin is a great mom, a devoted and loving mom.
I had all these plans to take them across the state but in the end all Erin wanted was to stay local and get a tan. After a short hike up Coronado Peak on Monday to show her the Mexican border I realized she's not into "landscapes" like I am. She was miserable walking up the half-mile to the overlook (in her flip-flops). She prefers shopping in large malls, amusement parks and movie theatres. That made it easy for me as we stayed local once we spent a day with my mother. We rented movies, stayed up late and walked around the neighborhood. We saw Toy Story 3 together at the mall theatre and ate out a few times, trying new restaurants in town that we hadn't yet eaten at. It's no wonder I've gained weight this week: no hiking and all eating makes one fat!
Ethan is a wonderful child. He laughs easily, so getting him to smile was easy. All I had to do was yell out "Bing!" and he'd break out into a giggle. He was fascinated by Pache the cat and Sadie the dog, although it was Sara who snapped at him and gave the boy a toothmark on his upper forehead; luckily it wasn't serious but after that we all made sure Sara was outside whenever Ethan was in the living room.
"Hi ditty!" Ethan would say to Pache. By the end of the week Pache was comfortable around the boy. Sadie loved playing ball with him and the older dogs were content watching from a distance, although all of them were fascinated with Ethan's diaper.
Ethan really took to me. He wanted to be held by me and would stare at my face. Sometimes at night I'd lay in bed with him while Erin stayed up late on the internet.
I got to see Erin in a new light. She's no longer just my child. She is now a young woman and mother and has grown emotionally since having Ethan. I give her credit. She is not an active, outdoorsy woman like I always was, but I can respect her differences.
"You are the most active woman I know" she told me. She also told me I was "the least paranoid person I know." That is good to know! She cried horribly when we were driving up to Coronado Peak. The winding dirt road to the summit parking lot was traumatic for her; she is not used to driving on unpaved roads through mountain passes. That is when I learned that a road trip across Arizona's backroads was not a good idea for our sanity.
I think she had a good time. She left with a nice tan which is what she wanted. She got to see a part of AZ and liked it more than I thought she would. We talked about future road trips, most notably to coastal California in a few years when Ethan is older and appreciates visits to museums and water parks. This is why I enjoy having my summers off.
I had all these plans to take them across the state but in the end all Erin wanted was to stay local and get a tan. After a short hike up Coronado Peak on Monday to show her the Mexican border I realized she's not into "landscapes" like I am. She was miserable walking up the half-mile to the overlook (in her flip-flops). She prefers shopping in large malls, amusement parks and movie theatres. That made it easy for me as we stayed local once we spent a day with my mother. We rented movies, stayed up late and walked around the neighborhood. We saw Toy Story 3 together at the mall theatre and ate out a few times, trying new restaurants in town that we hadn't yet eaten at. It's no wonder I've gained weight this week: no hiking and all eating makes one fat!
Ethan is a wonderful child. He laughs easily, so getting him to smile was easy. All I had to do was yell out "Bing!" and he'd break out into a giggle. He was fascinated by Pache the cat and Sadie the dog, although it was Sara who snapped at him and gave the boy a toothmark on his upper forehead; luckily it wasn't serious but after that we all made sure Sara was outside whenever Ethan was in the living room.
"Hi ditty!" Ethan would say to Pache. By the end of the week Pache was comfortable around the boy. Sadie loved playing ball with him and the older dogs were content watching from a distance, although all of them were fascinated with Ethan's diaper.
Ethan really took to me. He wanted to be held by me and would stare at my face. Sometimes at night I'd lay in bed with him while Erin stayed up late on the internet.
I got to see Erin in a new light. She's no longer just my child. She is now a young woman and mother and has grown emotionally since having Ethan. I give her credit. She is not an active, outdoorsy woman like I always was, but I can respect her differences.
"You are the most active woman I know" she told me. She also told me I was "the least paranoid person I know." That is good to know! She cried horribly when we were driving up to Coronado Peak. The winding dirt road to the summit parking lot was traumatic for her; she is not used to driving on unpaved roads through mountain passes. That is when I learned that a road trip across Arizona's backroads was not a good idea for our sanity.
I think she had a good time. She left with a nice tan which is what she wanted. She got to see a part of AZ and liked it more than I thought she would. We talked about future road trips, most notably to coastal California in a few years when Ethan is older and appreciates visits to museums and water parks. This is why I enjoy having my summers off.
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