On The M---!

Well, Matthew and Kim and Benji are m----- to C------ soon. (Is the word out to everyone yet, guys?) I had offered to help them p--- u- if they flew me to Richmond (and home again). So that's what we did... on the 23rd I flew from Des Moines to D.C. where Matthew and Benji picked me up. We spent the next full week putting everything they own into boxes. They own a lot! When I left we were nearly done and they still have a week and a half before they l----.

I could have kicked myself, though, and you all will probably want to kick me too because I forgot to take my camera along. I had it on the table, ready to pick up, and forgot about it until we were well on the way to the airport. I missed soooo many great photo opportunities.

We didn't know how Benji would react to all this packing and change, but he did fine. Spent a lot of time playing with packing peanuts. "8?", he would say. "8?" You know those packing peanuts that look like 8's? He liked those. When I helped him up or down the stairs, I would count them aloud (there are 12) and toward the end of the week I was there, he started counting them. "8, 9, 10, 11, 12. He would always start with the 8th step. One time I was counting and was at 9 and he said "8" and I said "No, 9" . He insisted it was 8 and ... he was right.

All week I worked on getting him to say "Grandma" . "Grandma", I'd say. Mama. "Grandma". Mama. "Grandma". Mama. "Grandma". Dada. Smiling with those twinkling eyes the whole time. He knew he was being funny. A few time I would see him saying the word with his lips alone, practicing for when he would try it out, I'm sure.

And we danced. I watched him while Matt and Kim went out for an anniversary dinner. He was "dancing" to a beat on his piano and I told him to come stand on Grandma's toes and we danced like that. He thought it was great fun! Unfortunately Kim, in her sandals, couldn't understand why Benji, in his shoes, was treading on her feet when they got home.

He's changing so, from day to day. New words, new understanding. It was great to be able to spend that much time with them. We're all so glad we will be able to s-- m-- of them when they m--- to C------!