The Big Kids

Like Shannon, I'm so far behind that I've basically given up on trying to catch up. So here's the big Yellowstone trip, in all of the essentials, with very little left out. (Except for me teaching Cody how to play poker, and instilling in him (possibly?) a life-long love of gambling.) It's my hope that someday Cody will cherish this love letter.

On the subject of other events I've missed writing about, I took Cody and Cordelia to Belmar last week. It was wonderful. They went to the beach with Mary Beth, we all went to a minor league game at the Lakewood Blue Claws, which was one of Walter's favorite things to do. We went to the rides at Point Pleasant, and afterwards watched fireworks on the beach. With ice cream. We went to the retro arcade, where I played Gauntlet and X-Men--two games BJ and I played endlessly as kids--with my own children. Which was both wonderful and bracing.

Here's a random assortment of pictures:

That's the Tilt-a-Whirl and the Himalayan, for those of you keeping score at home. Two of Monika, BJ, and my favorite rides as kids. Cordelia loved everything we did. Except for the Gravitron (which is called the Starship 3000 at Point Pleasant).

Which brings us to today, Labor Day.

Last night I took C&C to see the PNats. It was a night game. It was a debacle. PNats gave up 7 in the first inning. The starting pitcher was relieved after only two-thirds of work. But we went back to the ballpark today because all the PNats had to do to clinch a playoff birth was win. And they did. That's half the story.

The other half is that Cordelia sat in a field box for the first time ever. And that she made it through a complete game for the first time ever. And during the 6th, a screaming foul ball came our way and bounced over us. It landed near a couple at the end of the box. We turned around and cheered for them. Then they called Cody over and gave him the ball. And he in turn gave it to Cordelia.

What makes this such a big deal is that beginning at last night's game, Cody talked endlessly about how he was sure to get another foul ball and he kept promising Cordelia that when he did, he was going to give it to her. When it happened, she looked like she'd been handed the Hope Diamond. It was magic.

Also magic: The PNats won, beating the mighty Myrtle Beach Pelicans (who are like 18 games over .500). They made the playoffs. And after the game, we marched over to the box office and bought field box seats for the entire run of playoff games. Three of them.

This, by the way, was from a magical night at the park earlier in the summer. It was the first field-box night for Cody and the PNats won with a walk-off home run in the 10th. And in the 7th, their first baseman flipped a ball to Cody, who was cheering for his catching of a routine foul ball like the guy had just caught the last out of the World Series. One of my favorite pictures, ever.

And here's the cherry on top for today: Cordelia is having trouble falling asleep. She's tried everything. She's unhappy. Her tummy hurts. What's a girl to do.

So I went upstairs, took her in my arms, sat on the edge of our bed and just rocked her. At first I whispered little sweet nothings to her, but then as she settled in I just rocked her silently with her head on my shoulder. Then, suddenly, she pulled away to be able to look me full in the face. And she whispered, "There's no love as strong as our love."

I agreed. She put her head back on my shoulder. And three minutes later she was sound asleep. I carried her to bed, lifted her into the top bunk, and kissed her forehead goodnight.