Our Fourth Anniversary

Four blissful years. For the last four years, every major event from Valentine's Day, birthdays, our Rehearsal Dinner, and innocuous events like...it's Tuesday, or even Wednesday have been celebrated with Chow Fun at Simon's on Bainbridge Island. Yesterday was no exception. There might be nothing truly remarkable about Chow Fun, the wide fresh noodle rice dish stir-fried with bean sprouts, chicken, egg and carrots. Except we both agree it's really good, and doesn't bust our budget the same way a Filet Mignon or Crab Cakes (oh, the delight)from the Four Swallows might. Yes, it's yummy AND practical. Such romance!

Yesterday we had the rare pleasure of a night out without any of our children. Even the littlest one who usually accompanies us on every trip (including trips to the restroom) was happily installed with Auntie Saleina and Uncle Dave. Not so happily for them, since our little bean sprout named Dylan was impressing them with the sheer available volume housed in the cavity of his stomach. Who knew that hydrochloric acid and milk could create such a (large) stinky mess? Out of the stomachs of babes...

They are a brave pair, those two. Not only did they keep the little guy through his gastrointestinal distress, they bathed him (which he hates)and didn't call us until morning. I'll be forever grateful, particularly considering that it was the first night since the little man was born that we have been apart from him. He seemed by all accounts to have been otherwise in good spirits, however. I am still in awe of their tenacity under such conditions.

We had a wonderful night out to celebrate our anniversary, in which we were able to have dinner, see a movie (Leatherheads is pretty funny) and party...a bit. I serenaded my husband later in the evening with some gushy love songs, which he appreciated so very much. It was very, very wonderful.

My son has an aversion to water that I don't really understand, but that he is very adamant about. He can drink it, dump it, throw it and walk in it with his socks - but heaven forbid you warm it up, add soap and a wash cloth and immerse him in it.

We are blessed by such a wonderful family, immediate and extended. It's very humbling. Rachel was able to be with her Grammy and Grandpa for some one-on-one time. Grandpa had a wonderful conversation with Rachel over breakfast. They haven't spent a lot of time together lately, given their dually booked schedules, but it went kinda like this...

"What do you like to do Rachel?"

"Oh, sit on my bed and think."

"What do you like to think about?"

"What it's going to be like when I grow up."

"What are you going to be when you grow up?"

"A superhero."

And...out of the vaults from yesteryear...before her preschool graduation (yes, graduation), she was asked a series of questions, such as what was her favorite food, her favorite song, and what does she want to be when she grows up? Her answer to the latter:

"A woman."

I still chuckle about her innate ability to discern the obvious without extrapolating further for the amusement of adults.

Rachel is such a kick in the pants. Grandpa spent some time encouraging her to use her wildly unbridled imagination to write stories. I concur.