February 17
In which we soothe freezer burn with sunburn.
Yes, it has been awhile. No, we did not fall off the end of the world-- as much as it sometimes feels that way here at the edge of the continent.
They told us that Massachusetts wasn't necessarily colder than Kansas, but NOBODY warned us about all the crazy snow! Instead of kids with shovels, grown men with Jeeps hit you up for cash to clear the driveway. After hours of digging, I paid a man with a plow $50 to scrape a place for our cars. I was more than happy to part with the money.
Still, Grandpa Winter did not spoil our Christmas. Owen baked cookies in school and opened a gift or two before we headed West. This year, one of his gifts was a collection of costumes. Dr. Hess is pictured, left. The gangsta' look that follows wasn't actually one of the costumes. He took the net from a butterfly catching game and made that particularly charming look. As his parents, we couldn't be more proud (or frightened!)
After a few presents at home, we loaded up for the airport and spent a week in Kansas City. Mom and Dad visited friends and family, the grandparents spoiled Owen, and we all had an all around good time.
Highlights of the trip included another visit to Tightwad to play guitars and golf carts with the cousins while dogs gnawed merrily on Santa's reindeer (at least what was left of them). We also stopped in for fun at Aunt Loretta's and Uncle Joe's in Paola where Owen decided John and Joe were the best hide-n-seekers ever. Grandma Pat sent us a foam disk launcher in memory of that particular fun. Dad now knows what it is like to stand before a firing squad.
Repeatedly.
After returning home, we were only solo for a short time before Grandma and Grandpa Henshaw came for a visit. They got to bear witness to the wonder and horror that is Owen's school: The first night they were here, Owen stood up at the dinner table and gave a speech about the life of Martin Luther King. I'm ashamed to admit it included more facts about the man than I ever learned.
"And he's only three," they exclaimed.
"Yes," we said. "And he's behind on his physics homework."
Robin and I are officially afraid of that school.
Being terrified of the Northeast, we did the only thing we could do. We fled South to Mexico.
Robin forged the way, Owen and I came a few days later. (This is because Daddy has less vacation than he used to and Owen-- I kid you not-- was warned he may fall behind if he misses too much class.
The boy did great on the 6-hour flight to Puerto Vallarta; especially considering we left the house at 4 a.m! He loved the water and the sand, although the ocean waves at noon can be a little intimidating. The dipping pool at Abuelita Pamela and Abuelito Paul's is much more manageable.
As you'll see, Robin and I let the child prance about in his underwear and, yes, we changed his clothes at the public beach. Comfort with your body starts with public nudity, I suppose.
(Of course, all of the unauthorized shirtless profile shots that Robin took have been destroyed. I'm NOT comfortable with my body. Perhaps my parents took me to the beach in a parka.)
Coming back, we learned there's nothing more devastating than trading sand for snow. I, of course, couldn't bear to put on my woolens in Mexico and, as a result, arrived in Boston wearing shorts and sandals.
In true Bostonian form, our cab driver lectured us on education all the way from Logan airport to home. He was telling me about the importance of exposing Owen to chess while I stood half-naked and shivering in the subzero winds. Finally, my teeth stopped chattering enough that I could rudely cut him off and scamper inside.
Ah! Welcome home!
