On Kettle Korn, patriotism, happiness, and the occasional tantrum

We had a wonderful 4th of July here in San Diego, and hope yours was lovely too. We had lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, then went home for a leisurely nap, and ventured out again at dusk for fireworks at the local high school, which were awesome. It was Nick's first experience with fireworks since we didn't go watch them last year; he was just too small and I was just too tired! Anyway, his favorite part of the fireworks experience had nothing to do with fireworks. He had his first taste of Kettle Korn and it was over. The love affair has begun. I am the world's biggest Kettle Korn fanatic, and I've clearly passed this trait on to my son. A friend of mine in grad school said she'd never seen anyone eat as much KK as I could in one sitting. Well my friends, Nick caught up with me pretty quickly. He got tired of us handing him one kernel at a time and proceeded to stick his own hand in the bag to feed himself.

Good thing you can't get KK just any old place at any time. Next time will either be at the fair or on 4th of July 2009.

Anyway, this entire weekend he has been in the BEST mood, aside from the moments when he needed to "demonstrate his independence" as the book calls it (read: act like a crazy monster man and humiliate mama). He really only threw one tantrum this weekend (knock on wood - it's still Saturday evening as I write this) and that was at the park. He's obsessed with "big kids" and wanting to do what they do. Well, wouldn't you know there were bunch of five year-olds playing soccer and he was SO mad that Dave and I wouldn't let him go and interrupt their game. Hmmph.

Then he wanted to walk all alone down the concrete path that runs the length of the park. We let him go. And as I watched from behind, I got teary eyed. I remembered someone telling me that once children learn to walk they begin the journey out of your arms and they become the world's child, not yours anymore. I don't know. It was a mushy mama moment. It seems like he was just born yesterday and, snap, there he goes walking down the path away from me in big-boy shoes and I know that, snap, I'll turn around again and he'll be walking down another path toward kindergarten. It's just going by so fast. Too fast.

But I enjoy the hell out of every moment, I'll tell you. Even the ones that make me crazy. No one will ever be able to say I didn't savor this time, because I have in every possible way. And on weekends like this, when he's just as sweet and happy and giggly and fun as he can be, I try as hard as I can to stop time.

Okay so on with the happy pics and pics from fourth of July in his spiffy red-white-and-blue shirt, white linen roll-up pants, and blue Robeez sandals. Doesn't he look patriotic?