Plans on Saturday were to walk in the Heart Walk downtown, watch Meiners hit a home run in his baseball game, come home to party with brats and hotdogs, then shoe everyone out the door so the kids could all attend their school picnic...then collapse at day's end into a heap of happy tiredness.
Instead, we woke to pouring rain. Phone calls began between all the relatives. Many of our good friends weathered the storm and made it downtown. We stayed home and stayed dry. And celebrated my little guy all morning (and I use the term 'little' loosely).
Meiners wakes in the morning with a dazed and confused expression on his face. Bed head. He stumbles out and plops onto the couch. He is like his mama. Not a morning person. "Can I have a waffle?" He'll mumble. But what he means is: "Will you make me 4-6 waffles this morning like every morning?" The boy can EAT. He's grown so much this year. He'll pass his older brother in height one day, I'm sure.
Meiners is one of my favorite people in the entire world. He's smart and funny and charming and sweet --- and a handful. Sometimes all at the same time! I love it in the morning when I crawl into bed to wake him before the twins are late to school (he's not a morning person - did I mention that? He likes his sleep). He never opens his eyes. But he smiles that curled-up-at-the-sides smile and throws his arm over me, pulling me close. And he plants a big ol' kiss right on my lips. Every time. He's gonna make a girl very happy one day. He makes this one happy every day already.
He is the best big brother to Sashi - and the worst - all wrapped into one. I marvel that this is our last year home together. Shucks, we're down to the last two weeks with just the three of us. He is such a helper with her. I'm not sure how I'll manage next year entertaining her by myself. They always sit beside each other at the lunch table. So endearing. And at times requiring separation! He helps me keep an eye on her while we shop. I can usually hear her screaming down the aisle and him coming quickly to justify that she was about to take off, so he had to bean her over the head with the bat he brought into the toilet bowl cleaner aisle from toys.
It reminds me of when she was a newborn and he was still learning to talk. I lovingly placed Sashi in the bouncy seat while I hopped into the shower. He came running in, all excited at his new babysitting skills. "Her waf when me bwast her off!" He exclaimed. I slowly merged from the fog of showering bliss to realize he was saying, "She laughs when I blast her off!" And quickly insisted he show me what he meant. Oh yes. He put his foot smack on the top of the bouncy seat, pushing the chair all the way to the ground. Counting down. And then letting go. "BOING!"
He's a good boy. And a little stinker. And he's the best little buddy a mom could have.
Happy Birthday Meinie-Moe!
~Mom