Fathers' Day Weekend and Ravioli (Take Two)

Kaelyn is only 9 months old, but her personality is so huge, it’s hard for me to remember sometimes, when I talk about her, that she is just a little baby. Friday afternoon was the Corps picnic, and Roger and Kae met me there. We had a great time talking with my coworkers, eating the food, and watching the games, but the true life of the party was definitely Kaelyn. She just loves people. She would entertain people standing in line for food by talking to them, clapping for them, etc. She would lean out of my arms to grab the attention of someone walking by. At one point, she literally had a group of small children surrounding her and she “performed” for them. The girl definitely knows how to grab (and hold) attention and she loves it! She gets that from Roger  We have a real social butterfly on our hands. I met more people just because she would literally make them come up to us so that she could interact with them. I think, in raising her, I will be challenged to teach her that sometimes it is better to let other people have the spotlight…but that contemplation is for another time.


It was Fathers’ Day weekend and I really wanted to make it special for Roger. Overall, it was relaxing. Because of the picnic, we were home earlier than normal on Friday afternoon. Kaelyn was so exhausted from her “performance”, that she took a long, much needed nap. That left us some time to relax ourselves. I decided to read a book outside while Roger watched some television.

Saturday was pretty much normal for us. We took our time getting out of bed and getting the day started…which is just the way I prefer Saturday’s to go. The only time we left the house, was to go to Toys-R-Us, which we did just for fun, since neither of us had been to one in well over ten years. Let’s just say…a lot has changed since I was a kid. I can’t believe the stuff that kids have now! Roger and I were just awed at how realistic and cool the toys have become! After we got home, I decided to try making homemade mushroom ravioli for the second time, this time incorporating our “lessons learned” from round one. Take two…1000 million times better. It tasted good before, but this time, it was perfect. I love Kitchen Aid! Our friend, Vickie, came over that night as well, so that we could plan out our Vegas trip. It’s always good to hang out with her. We ate dinner, looked at plane tickets, and watched some television. We all stayed up later than planned, but it was so worth it.

Sunday was Fathers’ Day. Originally, we had discussed taking a day trip to Sonoma, but Roger changed his mind when we found out that NASCAR was there…it would just be too crowded. We resolved to try again this next weekend and decided to spend the day relaxing at home. I had bought Roger two cards to go along with his present (one from me and one from Kaelyn). Kaelyn’s card had one of those recording devices in it so that we could leave a personal message. The child does nothing but say “Da Da” all day long. She was singing it just before I tried to do the recording, but of course, as soon as I opened the card and she heard “please record your message after the beep” she shut up. For the first time since she learned to babble…dead quiet. I was finally able to make her say something, though not “da da” and only after I irritated her to the point that she had to let me know. (She is also very good and accurately expressing her emotions)!

After the present, I made Roger a huge breakfast (bacon, eggs, and Belgian waffles). We were so stuffed that we didn’t even think about food again until after our normal dinner time. At Roger’s request, we had Beef Wellington….so, not the best weekend to stick to our diet, but it was special and I’m ok with that.

This was one of those weekends, that insignificant as it may seem, made me realize what a blessing my family is. If it were not for them, this weekend would have been, well, just there. Instead, doing nothing has lead me to some great memories of early family time. I’m truly Blessed!