20 August 2007

A Good Weekend...

This weekend was wet and rainy and dreary.  So yes, in my opinion, it was heavenly.  Everything is wet and dark green and misty.  Everything smelled alive, growing, full energy.  It brought to mind the Pacific Northwest.

Saturday morning, Mommy was up with the boy and I.  She's doing well, though her stomach's feeling worse.  She's good at fighting through it all, far better than I.  So on a wet weekend morning, what is there to do with a feisty three year old boy? Mom had the brilliant idea: let's take him on his first trip to the library.

What a wonderful treat!  He didn't quite know what was in store for him.  He's been to the video store with me many times (we do the Blockbuster Online deal since we have the store right around the corner) so he understands the concept of borrowing things and having to return them.

But oh my goodness, the library!  As soon as you walk into our local library, on the right is the children's section.  For the first five minutes, we could barely get past the first cart of books.  He was pulling them out left and right.  And mommy and I were doing the same.  I'll admit, I was pretty excited to get my new library card and to learn that it's a wifi hotspot, so just maybe, when mommy needs quiet time with the baby, he and I can go the library to read and hang out.  I might even accomplish something outside the walls of my own house.

One might not be able to guess what we did for the remainder of the afternoon.  What would a little boy with a dozen brand new books want to do?  Have Mommy and Daddy read to him left and right!  So yes, for a nice and dreary afternoon with a warm lunch and naps, we read lots of books.  What a wonderful way to spend a day.

That evening, M and I watched part of the Twins game, basically through the Rangers winning 5-0 with no hope in sight for the Twinkies' bats.  But at least she managed to catch what is apparently a regular special.  On Sundays, when an adult ticket is purchased in the cheap seats or family seats (alcohol free section), you get two free kid tickets.  And so, that was what we planned as a surprise for the boy.

Sunday morning was relaxing and lazy, just as a Sunday morning should be. We read more stories and had lunch. Austin had no idea on where we were going. We packed some water in his backpack and headed out. I was excited too. I love baseball, and actually going to a game is a particularly special treat. We got downtown, and I told Austin to keep an eye out for a big white building. He finally spotted the Metrodome, and without provocation, he guessed that it was a ballgame.

I'm such a dad sometimes. Soon as we walked in, he and I bought new baseball caps. The happiest moments for me is teaching my son what to watch for and having him cheer a strikeout.

The game was grand, a huge pitcher's duel. Johan Santana was on the mound for the Twins, and I was wearing his jersey. Michael Cuddyer hit a solo homerun, the only run of the entire game. Without notice or warning, Santana matched his personal best of fifteen strikeouts in a game, and then went on to set a Twins record of seventeen strikeouts. It was the kind of game I love. Amazing pitcher goes eight straight innings without shrugging and a closer comes in the 9th to seal the deal. It's how it should be. And my boy and I were standing and cheering for the final out.

We got home and had some dinner, and to calm Austin down at the end of the day, I popped in the classic Peter Pan. I think that it's by far his favorite movie; the crocodile cracks him up. Plus, Peter Pan is just one of those entities in our culture and literature that for some reason reaches me. And this old Disney movie is such a great touch of pure classic innocence. It was Mr Walt Disney's ultimate goal, what he always wanted to make, and I love it like that.

It's nice to have such a good weekend. That way, before six in the morning, when cats are meowing and I don't want them to wake the boy, I take it as an opportunity to wake up early and work out and shower before the day begins. I wish I could start every day like that.

"Tee dum, tee dee, a tiddly dum te day... We march, along, and these are the words we say..."

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