Pass me a mini bottle, edit

Photos in the last entry.

Snippits:

We needed a mini bottle of Champagne last night as the boat bed made it
‘s maiden voyage from the comfy garage to its port of call.  I was
jumping up and down.  Some of my DP friends will remember when the
construction began.  Lets see, Dain is almost 1 year old…..And
Tom was drawing plans at least 4 months prior to that….So that makes
it  15-16 months in the making.  But well worth the wait…AJ
slept his first night aboard last night.  This morning when he
waltzed into the kitchen to grab a fresh strawberry muffin he said
simply, “THAT was fun”  The night aboard that would be. 
Photos to come.

Easter was great fun.  Egg hunt with the church and then a local
communtiy one.  AJ wants nothing to do with real eggs.  If it
does not have a plastic shell with goodies inside, then he throws it
back.  Luckily this year all were plastic.  On Easter
morn….back up…..on Easter eve a sleepy AJ wandered into the kitchen
to get a glass of water.  The Easter Bunny was hard at work
wrapping up the last of three Easter baskets.  Almost Cold
busted….But he was much too sleepy eyed to notice the activity in the
next room.  He returned to bed and the Easter Bunny finished
without  further incident.  Then Easter morn he was sitting
on the side of the tub when I told him we needed to get ready to go to
church….because Easter is a very special event to Christians…..LIke
a light Bulb….Easter…..EASTER…..EASTER BASKETS.  He raced
out of the bathroom back to the bedroom, “CC its Easter, come look.
EASTER, we have EASTER baskets”  And like a flash of lightening he
was in front of three of the coolest Easter baskets the bunny has ever
created.  If I do say so myself.  Now I didn’t realize how
important tradition is to this kid when he asked, “But mom, doesn’t the
EAster bunny leave eggs for us to find. ”  I sent him back to his
room to talk to dad while the Easter Bunny quickly filled plastic eggs
with pastel skittles and hid them cleverly in places he had not seen in
the first pass.  And the excitement when he found them.  He
grabbed one and ran back to CC who was now in the bathroom and said,
“CC look, an egg, I found it on my very own chair”

Ah then church.  No way did we make it to the sunrise
service.  We were lucky to pull into the 11 oclock  with
minutes to spare. But the real excitement  started after the
service.  Background…AJ and Simeon used to be real pals. 
They would hang out in Sunday School, Wednesday night choir practice,
and other chuch events but lately I havent noticed much between
them.  So after church Simeon waltzed up to our car and we were
about to load in, (just because he had come out the door right next to
our car.)   But he was proud of a cool froggy umbrella he was
holding  high over his head.  AJ inched closer to him. 
A bit of conversation persued.  I overheard a little. 
Something about being friends and that s when I heard Simeon say, “No,
i’m not your friend.  Nope.  Not anymore.”  AJ snuggled
in even closer trying to convince him that they were still
friends.  Simeon backed up.  AJ was persistant.  Simeon
still said, “No I’m not your friend” AJ pulled back and punched him in
the stomach. Hard-ish and with great intent.  Simeon cried. 
Simeon’s mom headed in.  She was calm.  Also the mom to all
boys.  She tried to convince Simeon that his feelings were more
hurt than his stomach (Although she had not seen the punch and I had to
admit that it was indeed a punch)  I told her the details about
the friends/not friends  yadda yadda… And then AJ was hanging
his head and was very very sad.  I told Simeon that AJ was very
sad and that he really wanted to be his friend and didn’t know how to
express his feelings.  I told Simeon that I was sorry.  I
knelt down to talk to the two boys.  And to AJ especially that it
was NOT appropriate and that was defentily NOT the way to be a
friend.  I asked him to apologize.  AJ still hung his head
low.  I asked again.  Then he inched closer to Simeon
again.  “Simeon, I’ll apologize if  you will be my
friend”   GREAT.  My five year old the
bully.   I said something like, “Boys, the hardest thing I
have ever had to do in my life”  She agreed and said, “Sometimes I
so long for a barbie”

Well the conversation in the car was serious.  How you gain
friends with kindness.  How not everyone in life will like you no
matter.  I was much more disturbed by it….Tom’s take. 
“Look, Honey.  EVERY John Wayne movie ever made started with him
whacking the hell out of someone who became his very best friend. 
That is the way boys discover themselves.”  

I’m not convinced.