the fourth

Ellie and her cousin Carlee

 We're in California.  
Kent came because his work paid for him to go to Google I/O (aka Android Developers' Heaven, or so I'm told).  And we stayed for the holiday (and Kent's birthday) with his family.


Here's our trip in a nutshell:

• Kent LOVED Google I/O and came back with a slew of new gadgets
• Ellie has perfected her growling
• Nicholas loves Grammer and Papa. And Preston and Carlee and Audrey and Heidi. He says Uncle Mason is nice to him.  He's a bit unsure about Uncle Sam. Sam teases, you know.
• I'm still a bit freaked out by the lizard we found (but then couldn't manage to catch) in the room Nicholas has been sleeping in
• We've eaten tons
• Nicholas loves "the red trucks" (the ATV's) and he asks us to take him out to see them or ride in them all day long
• Kent has eaten at taco truck five or six times since we got here
• My son refuses to smile for a camera. Or even put his face in front of a camera for that matter.

 Unless he has his "blue wight gun."  Then we get his shooting-you face.  
Oh, and he'll also smile if he's in the "red truck." I mean, who wouldn't?

Last night we finished up our 4th of July celebrations by going down to the town where Kent grew up and watching the fireworks.  Ellie loved the show and surprised us by staying up (happily!) to nearly 11 pm and regarding the loud fireworks with wide-eyed fascination.

Nicholas fell asleep on the way to the fireworks, and wasn't too happy when we got there.
The fireworks frightened him 
and for the first 10 minutes of the show he clung to my neck and said in my ear "take me to the car" over and over again.  I wrapped a blanket around him and he snuggled close and closed his eyes and then every time there was a pause between fireworks he'd say
"it's over now," or "okay turn the lights back on."


He didn't watch a single firework.


As I listened to him whine in my ear, snuggled close to me, and watched the fireworks while listening to "God Bless America," 
honestly, I realized that I love being a mom.
This is what I wanted.  It's not as fancy-free or maybe as constantly fun as being single or childless was,
but I was giving comfort to my dear little boy, with my family all around me, feeling happy and at peace and watching a fireworks show
and yes, 
this is the life I have always wanted.


As soon as the show was over and they turned on the lights in the field and we started picking things up and walking away
Nicholas's head popped up and he said,
"Oh, fireworks are fun!"


He's awesome.


For the rest of the night he was chipper and excited and giving us great and detailed descriptions of the fireworks, saying something about 
dinosaurs pumping the ground and making it shake and popping things and the lights.
We went back to Kent's parents' house there and did sparklers and a few more little fireworks and Nicholas 
loved every minute of it.