Angie and I had the good fortune to fly to Kansas earlier this month for a long weekend with our wonderful family.
It was a special occasion because we got to meet our Nephew Emmett.
And our niece Eva has now grown to the point of being an absolute treat of entertainment to be around. Here she is opening her Yuletide gift from us. And Hugging it.
And Kissing it. Viva La Lambie!
Here I am, feeling the joy of the small things.
while watching the Chiefs game on saturday afternoon.
Mommie and Son!
While I was home I was asked by my parents to eliminate old storage at their place. I was surprised to learn my old 4 track still works. I had to kick start it once, but otherwise it actually seemed to work better than I remembered. I don't know when I'll set about going through the 50 tapes I found with it, but at one point I may.
Here is my brother Royal. My wife is always putting things on his head.
We played Butt or Elbow. You decide.
Eva is sort of a show stealer, no matter what she is doing. I really love this child, and getting to know her as she develops is such a treat. Nothing feels better then when she see's me, smiles and says: "Uncle".
I won't always be able to hold Emmett on my lap, so I tried to suck up as much of it as I could.
Tummy Time with assistance from Royal!
We took a day trip to Lawrence to see my cousin Stu and then my cousin Cate. Here is Angie kicking it with Stu and Lori's wonderful dog Elroy.
And dad kicking it with Elroy.
Daddy drew doing his thing. It's fun to see someone being a dad. They don't always have the easy job. Sometimes they are the only person who has to put a foot down. Having a dad strong enough to do that is the most valuable things a kid can have. Kudos for my new brother for making it look so easy.
It's just so nice.
The day after Angie and I came home Devin and Dylan went to Kansas. Here is Bootsie when we stopped by one day to feed him. Missing his daddies and hanging with Bowie.
There is nothing in life that I have encountered that makes time feel as fleeting as only getting to see my sister's children infrequently. My own youth can pass me by, I'm fine with that, but I am having a hard time not sucking up as much of theirs as I can. I'm so happy for Adrienne, she is doing one of the jobs she always seemed put on this planet to do and she's doing it so well. Seeing my parents taking their part in the continuum is a very powerful thing as well. Mom and Dad have become Grandma and Grandpa. Brothers and Sisters are now Aunts and Uncles. Time changes and passes quickly. It's a reminder to not be petty, to be smart and a little less smart ass and a lot less ass-hole. Their is wonder in the world always, it's worth taking notice of as often as possible.