My signal of acceptance that Allen really has moved his family to Las Vegas
is my willingness to visit them! As an add-on
to a work trip to LA, I made a weekend stop-over in Vegas to see
my "little people," who I hadn't seen since Sawyer's birthday party
in August. Bad auntie! Susan decided to join me so we flew in on Friday morning
and by noon we were giggling over Walker's....how shall I phrase this?....beer
belly / muffin top. He is H-U-G-E! And 100% adorable.
He started crawling a few
weeks ago so he was definitely on the move and we loved chasing after him. I
started playing a game of blocks with him, and I had him giving me belly laughs
within 5 minutes! Love that! But, what I really loved was discovering that
underneath that baby fat are two little dimples on his cheeks!!! Oh, how I love
a man with dimples!
By mid-afternoon, we were headed to Sawyer's new school (a gated, private
school, thank you very much!) to pick him up. Is it ok to admit that I was tickled
pink that when he laid eyes on me, he lit up and raced over to give me a hug??
Talk about the pleasing satisfaction of an auntie!
On this particular Friday, it was Dr. Seuss' birthday, so Sawyer told me all
about his snack time of green eggs and ham and his craft time, during which he
made a cute
Cat in the Hat red-and-white paper hat. I just love a
4-year-old’s enthusiasm!
We left the school and headed to their new home, which is only 5 minutes
away, so Susan and I could see their new digs. Thanks to the housing crisis of
the past few years - and the fact that Nevada took an enormous hit in the
housing market - Allen and Joc bought a 4-bedroom, 3 bath house, with a pool
for $309,000. AGH!! I can barely get into a 1,500-square foot, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom
townhouse for $400,000!!
Their house is very much in the Las Vegas mold - stucco walls, tile roof,
etc., but they'll put their touches on it and make it great. It'll be a really
nice house for them for the next few years while they live in Vegas.
On Saturday morning, Allen and Sawyer came to the JW Marriott, where Susan
and I were staying in a full-on suite/apartment! I LOVE having
"status" with Marriott!
We had a living room and dining room... ...plus a huge bedroom, 1 1/2 baths
and a walk-in closet.
The night before, I casually mentioned to Allen that it might be fun to
have a sleep over with Sawyer. Well, the little guy was IN! He came into our
room, jumped on the bed with me (after I gave him permission to jump on the
bed: "Mommy and Daddy don't let me jump on beds.") and explored for
about 10 minutes.
Allen pulled him over and said, "Sawyer, you don't have to make a
decision right now, but I want you to think about whether you want to do a
sleepover with your aunties tonight in the hotel." Before Allen barely got
the last word out, Sawyer blurted, "I don't need to think about it. I want
to do a sleepover!" Allen asked, "Are you sure? Mommy and Daddy won't
be here; it'll just be you and your Aunties." To our delight, he replied
again, "I don't need to think about it. I already made my choice. I want
to do a sleepover with my aunties!" And this is why he's my favorite
4-year old!!! A man who appreciates two women willing to put him up in a
$700/night hotel suite!
We spent Saturday just lazing around, enjoying Allen, Joc and the boys. We
went to breakfast at their usual place and then went hiking in Red Rock
State Park, which is only about 20 minutes away from their home.
We had a really nice hike to "Sawyer's Rock", which he and Susan
conquered with ease.
Then we found a little alcove where a small waterfall was creating icicles
on a small tree. Who knew you'd get icicles in the heat of the Vegas desert?!?
Sawyer had exactly zero interest in being photographed with me. Stinker!
How sweet is this little face??
After our hike, we went out for a yummy lunch and then had some quiet time
(which the aunties needed as much as the boys!).
That night, Allen and Jocelyn brought Sawyer over to the hotel and we all
hung out for a while. We did a small celebration for Walker's 1st birthday, which is in a week, but he wasn't very interested in the cupcake put in front of him. Maybe when he turns 2!
As Sawyer said goodbye to his parents, he looked like the cat that ate the
canary! He was soooo excited to spend the night with his aunties.
And it goes without saying that his aunties were just as excited!
During dinner, Sawyer kept asking for stories so we made him give us the
first sentence and then we went from there. It’s amazing how creative we
had to be to make up stories about “Captain Sawyer (aka Soy-Dog)” and his
conquer of Sawyer’s Rock!
On our way back to the hotel room, we passed a large water fountain so we
took the opportunity to teach Sawyer how to make a wish. He'd never heard of
making a wish, so we gave him a “magic” penny and set him up at the edge of the
fountain. He wasted no time in throwing his penny in the fountain and yelling “I
want to be R2D2!” Hahaha….he’s so into Star Wars right now!! Susan and I loved that he wanted
to turn into R2D2!
We all made our wishes and went up to our hotel room. Susan went into the
bathroom to get ready and I started to put on Sawyer’s jammies. All of a
sudden: water works. Crying?? Why is he crying??? We’re just putting on
pajamas!!
He looks at me with trembling lips and tears running down his face and
wails, “I changed my mind! I don’t want to be R2D2! I want to be Sawyer!”
Well, what’s a quick-thinking auntie to do? With a panic-stricken 4-year-old
in front me, I hatched the idea that if you can make a wish by throwing a penny
in a fountain, then you can un-wish a wish by throwing a new penny in the
fountain!
Off we went, down the hall, down the elevator, through the lobby until we
reached the fountain. I grabbed Sawyer – clad in nothing but stocking feet and
his pajamas – and placed him at the fountain’s edge, where he quickly threw in
one penny and yelled, “I don’t want to be R2D2!”, followed by a second penny
with the wish, “I want to be Sawyer!” Problem solved. After $0.03, Sawyer walked away with a big smile on his
face, secure in the knowledge that he’ll be himself!
After a short bedtime period in which Susie had to make up yet another story
about Captain Sawyer, it was lights out for everyone! Is it weird that Susan
and I both went to sleep the same time as the 4-year old??
Then, at 6am on the dot, guess who was up-and-at-‘em?!?
The good news for him is that his aunties are
always ready for a pillow fight! Although I have to say, age is catching up with
me! A 90-minute pillow fight is exhausting! But it made the little guy happy
and that’s all that matters!
It was so fun to see Sawyer and Walker! I just love these little ones and am
sooo excited to return in a few months to see them again!
Last week, I started working on an assignment that will take me to Seattle for the next eight weeks. I think the project will be very interesting from a professional development perspective – we’ll be providing communications support leading up to the second wave of a workforce reduction – but it’ll be physically demanding (a six-hour flight both ways every week!) and emotionally draining. It’s tough to message, “Thanks for your service, but we’re laying you off.”
