I realized about halfway through my wife's Thanksgiving Vacation (ahem, Fall Break) that I hadn't blogged the previous day. Forgive me and my aging brain.
We finally got to go to Sam Ash today. It wasn't as magical as I had hoped, but I know he still had fun. There are far more demo keyboards at Sam Ash than there are at Guitar Center, and each of them seemed to be set to a different sound. It was very difficult to keep up with my son as he ran from super-expensive keyboard to super-expensive keyboard, watching him slam the keys while I quickly turned down the volume. Eventually he figured out how to turn it back up. He even turned on a few demo songs and "play along".
The highlight of the trip, for me, was when we went into the cymbal room and he checked out the cymbals and hi-hats. The highlight of the the trip, for him, was when he discovered the industrial stepladders in each section of the store. He climbed up each one, and not a single person said anything to either of us. I spotted him as I let him climb up a few steps, and he cried when I pulled him down. I'm sure he would have made it up and back with no trouble, but I'm also not a complete idiot. Add it to the list of things I hope he'll forgive me for someday.
After leaving Sam Ash and purchasing nothing (!), we headed to the Plaza at King of Prussia for some exercise. The only things I really wanted to do were use a coupon at what is probably my favorite place to buy clothing for him, 77kids, and eat lunch. We managed to do both before he told me it was time for a nap. He was his usual charming self as he wandered the mall. He stopped at one of those children's ride-on vehicle areas to talk with a little girl, and eventually pulled himself up on to one of the rides. Normally I wouldn't have thought it a good idea to put him in one of those vehicles, but his determination to get in the driver's seat changed my mind. Also, I happened to have 3 quarters (3!?!) in my pocket. He held on tightly and maintained a serious and determined face throughout the entire ride. I captured it on video for my wife. How fortunate we are to have the means to record moments like these using a device we keep in our pockets.
As naptime drew nearer, the mall grew full...er. This being the day before Thanksgiving Vacation, I deduced that the area students must have had early dismissals at school. Luckily we had already visited all of our favorite stores. We headed out in the rain and into the car where I drove and he slept.
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Thanksgiving consisted of three different get-togethers spread out over the entire weekend. The best part about it, of course, was spending time with family (especially Mommy!) in a much more positive arena than recent events have allowed. It feels so good to see the effect our son's smiles and giggles have on those who haven't had the easiest time this year.
I'm roughly a third of the way through this experience, and though I don't look forward to it being over, I do hope the next few weeks go by quickly (for my wife's sake). It's nice to have our whole family together- whether we are test driving a car, picking out a new car seat, or just relaxing at home. I will certainly miss this when it is gone.
I also know how lucky I am to have had it at all.
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