The Smoothing Milkshake

When Aaron comes home from his day group, around the time I'm fixing supper, he usually spends some time telling me about his day.  Today his group went to the zoo and he was all abuzz over the crowds of kids there.  "Mom, were they on a vacation from school?  Is that why they were at the zoo?"  He told me about the long lines as they waited to get in the zoo, and all the kids, and all the teachers and parents........as well as talk of monkeys and giraffes and the bears that played with a ball and so forth and so on.

I usually try to find out what Aaron has spent his money on, and instruct him on how to make better food choices, and encourage him not to give all his leftover money to his good friend, Rosie.  "Aaron, did you give Rosie any money today?"  And he recently answered, "No, I didn't give Rosie any money.  I bought her a drink."  Then I tell him that this is nearly the same as giving her money, and that Rosie's mother doesn't want Aaron giving her money or buying her food, and all the while I know that he'll be doing it all over again tomorrow.  But we still try to get the point across, hoping that someday it will register.  Today he said, "Mom, I didn't want to give Rosie any money today............so I told her that I didn't have any money, but I really did."  Therefore, the lesson today was on lying.  Even with good intentions, Aaron, you really told a lie.  And he asked, "So what did you want me to do?"  And I told him I wanted him to tell the truth, but still not give Rosie money.  Tomorrow is another day, another opportunity for Aaron to be honest but firm as he handles this dilemma he created with Rosie, and another day for us to be highly surprised if he remembers the lesson......or cares to remember the lesson.

As we talk about what Aaron spent his money on during his day, we nearly always talk about the food he has purchased or the food that was given to him at a day group party, etc.  On Tuesdays his group often goes to Wal-Mart.  Aaron likes Cheddar Pasta Salad, or sometimes he'll get a sub.  That's a much better choice than boxes of candy or boxes of rolls, so we try to reinforce those positive decisions.  Remember when I wrote about him going to Subway and asking for white mustard?  Yesterday he told me about his Cheddar Pasta Salad (which has a mayonnaise dressing) and he said, "I tried to eat that Cheddar Pasta Salad out in the sun and it became nasty.  You know - that mustard.  Mustard shouldn't be in the sun."  I agreed, but told him that it was mayonnaise.........and he agreed..........even as I knew that for some reason, his brain has decided that mayonnaise is really white mustard.  Whatever.

He told Gary and I, "You know at Wal-Mart, where I get the Cheddar Pasta Salad..............they know me."  We gave each other that knowing and somewhat fearful look as Aaron kept on talking, and we were stuck back there on the fact that they know Aaron at the Wal-Mart deli counter.  We hope that it's a knowledge based on the frequency of his visits there..........not knowledge based on his actions.  But Aaron is - well- unique.......and so we are sure that part of the deli employee's knowledge of Aaron is based on that uniqueness.  We can only imagine.

Aaron told us that when he walked up to the counter, before he could say anything, the worker asked him if he wanted a Cheddar Pasta Salad.  Then Aaron added: "If they keep trying to know me, maybe they'll try to give me my stuff for free!"  And he laughed at that thought, but I fully expect him to someday ask the worker at the deli counter if, since they are trying to know him, he can have his Cheddar Pasta Salad for free!  I hope they have a sense of humor and laugh.  And don't call security.

Today after going to zoo, his group went to Sonic.  Aaron got some chocolate milk shake concoction, to hear him tell it, and I do believe he did because half of it looked like it was on his shorts and shirt.  He pointed it out to me (like he had to?) and said, "Mom, look at where I spilled milkshake on me.  Every time the van turned at those turn sites, the milkshake smoothed out of the cup onto my pants!"

Hmmmm.........OK. A milkshake smoothing out of your cup really does cause a mess, huh?  Nothing worse than a milkshake smoothing out of a cup, let me tell you!  And those turn sites.......just plain dangerous for milkshake drinkers!

We're always telling him to be careful about how he eats and drips and spills.........so I have to wonder if he just told me a smooth story.

Tomorrow, by the way, is popcorn at the theater.  Full of butter that we tell him not to get because he doesn't need it but he always does get it...........and he shares with Rosie or gives her the second bucket, his refill.

See how well I know Aaron........without even trying!

Look What I Found!

Aaron went out to spend some time in the mulch this morning, relaxing as he so often does before we leave for his day group.  I heard the door close as he went out through the garage, but soon the door came back open.  Hmmm.....that's unusual, I thought.  I could hear Aaron's heavy footsteps coming through the house and then his familiar thump, thump, thump up the stairs.

He headed toward my room.  "Mom!  Look what I found!"  And he barreled into the bathroom with a frog......or a toad, Aaron says......holding him up very proudly for me to see.

Aaron and I have both seen the toad hopping in the front flower bed.  I've told curious Aaron to leave the toad alone......that the toad is there to eat bugs.......that the toad will be scared to be captured and held............all of which means nothing to Aaron.  So he placed Mr. Toad in my sink and Mr. Toad promptly jumped out and landed on the open lid of my face powder.

OK, Aaron.  The toad is going to have to go outside.  Aaron had toad pee on his hands and on his shorts, but that didn't bother Aaron at all.  He was very excited to have this "cute" toad in the house, in my bedroom and bathroom, and didn't want to end the fun too soon.

Of course, I told Aaron that I would take a picture to capture this special moment - and then he must take the poor toad back outside.  Aaron held the squirming toad while I snapped these pictures, and the pitiful little guy starting squeaking.  I haven't often heard a squeaking toad............neither had Aaron..........and so now Aaron was more fascinated than ever.

Finally the photo session was over, Aaron put the little toad outside, and washed his hands.  He put the toad back in his flower bed home.  I wonder if the terrified toad has moved on to a new flower bed........or a new house.......probably a whole new neighborhood!

We may find out tomorrow morning when Aaron goes back outside.  Poor toad!  Poor me!

"Oh It Rained, Rained, Rained......."

When most families get together for a holiday, a reunion, a birthday – whatever the occasion – conversations will almost always turn to the family stories that have been shared over and over again through the years.  These stories form the common thread that weave a family together, generation after generation.  Some stories are very old, some are within more recent memory,  some are very new, and some are still to be made and told.  Those memories, those stories, are the stuff of legend within that family……….held dear to the heart and treasured as much as, if not more than, the oldest antique piece of furniture or knick-knick that we have handed down from child to child. 

Many of the stories that my family share when we get together involve the fun that we had with my parents, Jack and Beth King.  Somehow over time, my dear dad became the brunt of many practical jokes and funny stories.  But don’t think for one minute that he was entirely innocent.  We all remember the story of how Mary Beth and John were playing upstairs in the Elmore addition house.  They were very young.  Dad oh-so-quietly climbed the stairs, holding a small brown bag that he had blown up.  He got near the top of the stairs, still undetected, and popped the bag loudly.  There was total silence for several seconds, and then little Johnny said, “Mary Beth did it!”  Oh yes –  when we're all together, we love reminding Pastor John of his evil ways.

Dad was very kind and loving, and extremely patient.  He was also quite smart, so we know that many of our jokes were probably no surprise to him.  We suspect that he went along with them in order to give us a good time and a good laugh, even if it was at his expense.  One of our earliest big jokes involved Diet Dr. Pepper.  We girls were watching our figures and so we drank lots of Diet Dr. Pepper.  Dad gave us a hard time about it, telling us that he should buy stock in the company, etc., etc.  Unknown to him, we began saving all of our empty cans.  Any time someone drank a can we would secretly take the can down to the basement and stash it away with all the other cans that we had saved.  Finally, we thought we had saved enough for our plan.  On a Saturday morning, when Dad had to go to work for the morning, we brought all the empty cans upstairs.  We emptied the refrigerator in the kitchen, except for a gallon of milk, and filled it totally full of Diet Dr. Pepper cans.  We put full cans in the front and hid the empty ones in the back.  It was a beautiful sight!  When Dad came home for lunch, we all managed to be hanging out in the kitchen.  Mom asked Dad to get the milk out of the frig and when he opened the door, he gave a gasp and stepped backward as if he had been hit.  For a second I wondered if we had gone too far!  But he recovered and then we all had a very hilarious time.

There were several summers that Mom and Dad were able to rent a house at Myrtle Beach for a real family vacation.  On one trip down to the beach, we stopped at a gas station and Dad laid his glasses on the car seat while he filled the car with gas.  He told us over and over to be careful of his glasses………..and you can guess the rest…………he’s the one who sat on them and smashed them pretty flat.  Yet instead of acting upset, he took it in stride and we all laughed and laughed, and forever after he was teased about those glasses. 

It was also at the beach, if I remember correctly, that we started the squirt gun legend.  Back then we only had the fairly standard size squirt guns – not the huge guns that are made now.  We brought enough squirt guns for everyone to have one at the beach – except for Dad.  He made a big production of not having a gun, even as we would sneak up and squirt him with no mercy.  This continued when we returned home after our vacation.  Dad eventually became sick and was diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg.  He would sit in his easy chair with his leg elevated, reading and resting as he waited to get well.  And did we show him mercy then?  Well, no!  We would still, every so often, run in to shoot him with our squirt guns……..and the poor man couldn’t even run!  One Sunday when we returned home from church, there sat Dad in his chair with his leg propped up……….wearing a raincoat………and as we entered the room, he held an open umbrella over his head.  How typical of Dad……..playing along, and encouraging the fun and laughter. 

We finally gave Dad his very own squirt gun at Christmas.  We wrapped up a new squirt gun for each of us and opened them one by one, making sure that Dad opened his last.  All the time that we were opening our guns, he would ask where his gun was.  When he finally opened his very own squirt gun, he was so delighted and held it up to act like he was squirting us………….but we had removed the trigger!  Oh, the laughter! 

On another Christmas, we blew up a balloon and taped it inside a box.  Then we carefully stuck straight pens through the box, facing the balloon inside but not touching it, put a lid on and gingerly wrapped it.  On the outside of the box we wrote Dad’s name and then “Squeeze Before Opening!”  The balloon would pop and we would be successful!  We placed the box under the tree, not realizing that we had put it near a heat vent.  One night during supper, the heat came on and soon we heard a POP!  Our eyes were huge………and dear Dad didn’t act like he heard a thing.  I wonder if he did but just wouldn’t spoil our fun?  Later we re-did the whole balloon gift again, placed it away from the heater, and on Christmas morning had a wonderful time watching Dad squeeze the box and act very surprised. 

We were a singing, musical family.  On those long drives to the beach we would often sing, and somehow the song that we sang to torment Dad was “Oh It Rained, Rained, Rained.”  We’d sing – “Oh it rained, rained, rained forty days and forty nights; and the animals came marching to the ark. Oh it rained, rained, rained forty days and forty nights, and the animals came marching to the ark.  To the ark; Noah’s ark; and the animals came marching to the ark.”  Then we would leave off one word at the end and sing it again – there was probably more to it than this small part, but this is what we all remembered over the years.  Over and over we’d sing that song, leaving a word off each time…………and then start the whole thing over again.  Dad acted tormented by this, and so we sang it again and again.  And no matter how old we were, any time that we got together, we would sing this song……..in harmony……dragging it out, singing off key at the end and then finally hitting the right notes…………..all the while watching Dad act like he was going to leave the room, shaking his head and rolling his eyes…………..but loving every minute of it.  No get-together was complete until we had sung “Oh It Rained.”

One weekend when Jan and I were in college, we plotted with Mom on a surprise for Dad.  Jan and I went home on a Friday, arriving before Dad got there from work.  We hid in Dad’s coat closet when he pulled into the driveway, and waited for him to open the closet to hang up his coat and put away his ever-present hat.  He was taking forever!  And while we waited, we heard him telling Mom how much he missed us and wished he could see us.  I’ll never forget those words.  Finally, Mom suggested that he hang his coat up and so when he opened the door we jumped out and he staggered back……….and once again I wondered if we had gone too far. 

It was hilarious to see jokes backfire on Dad.  On another weekend after the coat closet surprise, Dad hid in our closet when we came home.  However, Mom came down to greet us in the driveway and whispered to us about Dad being in our closet.  We stood in the living room and talked in whispers to Mom with exaggerated oh’s and ah’s that Dad couldn’t hear……….seeming to tell all sorts of exciting news……….for a long time………and finally we heard our closet door open and heard Dad muttering as he came down the hall and looked at Mom and said, “You told them, didn’t you?”  What a guy!

I could write much more………about how he so disliked plastic zip-lock bags or wrapped cheese slices……..”Those are from the pit!” he’d exclaim.  So Jan would sometimes make his lunch for work and tape the zip-lock bags closed even more and leave the cheese wrapped for him to undo.  Dad would talk about having to hide under his desk to open his lunch because he never knew what would be in it!  How we would rearrange his very precise desktop at home, moving his papers around and listening to him mutter as he put them back in order……….and we laughed.  How we would hide his favorite candy, Hershey Kisses, all over the house in random places for him to find.  Kathryn told me about the poster we hung inside his closet door that said, “Just when I figured out all life’s answers – they changed the questions!”  So true for Dad as he endured life with five crazy kids!
 

Years later, when all of us were married with kids of our own, we were together for his birthday.  And what were some of the gifts he opened?  A pair of flattened glasses; an umbrella; a squirt gun with a missing trigger; a Diet Dr. Pepper can; a balloon.  The memories that these items brought back were the true gifts.  Gifts of such fun times, of laughter, of closeness, of the joy of family. 

Tomorrow, May 2, is Dad’s birthday.  He would have been 86.  Dad’s in heaven now and has been for over 3 years.   I can still see that sweet smile and hear his happy laughter.  We miss all the fun times with him down here.  During the family visitation at the funeral home, the five of us kids joined hands at his casket and yes, we sang “Oh It Rained” one more time to Dad.  One of my nieces walked over and for a second she covered his ears.  So sweet and funny…….to us.  And we ended by making it through one verse of his very favorite hymn – “Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.” 

Happy Birthday, Dad!  Thanks for teaching us how to laugh…………..and how to trust.  I hope that we can sing to you in heaven…………..and laugh………..for all eternity! 

When I Talk.......

Aaron's still not feeling 100%..........plus he was very grouchy this morning.............so he stayed home.  Again. Sigh.  I love Aaron, but the talking..........the snorting........more talking.........

Here's how he described his stopped up ears:

"When I talk, I can hear my voice through my ears."

Yeah, Aaron......I know.  When you talk..........and talk...........and talk...........I can hear your voice through my ears, too.

Sigh.

Grape Trees

We finished planting our vegetable garden today, which made Aaron very happy.  Long before planting season is upon us, Aaron begins talking about the garden - flower and vegetable alike.  He wonders which perennials will return in the flower beds..........what new flowers will I plant...........and what we'll decide to plant in the vegetable garden.

He's full of ideas, wanting us to consider planting "something different."  He has suggested strawberries; cantaloupe (which we did try one year); sunflowers; and a variety of other flowers and veggies and fruits.  He was discussing his gardening ideas one night a few weeks ago while we played Skip-Bo and said, "Mom, how about if I give you a new idea of what to grow?  How about grow a grape tree?"

The thought of a grape tree made me smile.  I almost didn't want to correct him because somehow a grape tree just pleases me.  Later, though, Gary and I both told him about grape vines............but I still think Aaron believes that grapes surely grow on trees, like apples and pears.

He was looking out our upstairs bathroom window one morning as I got my make-up on.  He saw that the yard was full of those little twirly seed pods from the maple tree.  "Mom, you know those helicopter things that come off the tree?  Where do they come from?"  I pointed to the maple tree out in the yard, but at first Aaron thought I meant the Golden Rain tree.  I said no and pointed again to the maple, and Aaron said, "Which tree?  That one?  The green one?"

Well, Aaron, they're all green.  It's the one with a million little helicopter things hanging from it..........yes, the green one!

He loves the Lamb's Ear in the front flower bed because it's so soft.  If someone mentions it or asks what kind of plant it is, Aaron immediately yanks off a leaf and hands it to the person so that they can feel it.  It's a good thing that it's a sturdy plant!  He often sits near the Lamb's Ear when he's in the mulch, and he will talk about how soft the leaves are.

Today I bought our vegetables to plant in the garden.  I had a few of the tomato plants on the kitchen table.  Aaron never can resist touching plants.........or pulling or picking or snapping off.   As he walked by the table, he saw the new tomato plants and of course, reached over and felt one of the leaves.

"Mom, these are a weird kind of softness.  What kind of soft are they?  A hard kind of soft?"

I guess when compared to the sweet softness of Lamb's Ear, the tomato leaves are a rather hard kind of soft. Who else but Aaron would talk about a hard kind of soft?

And later, when I walked past the tomato plants, I reached out to touch the leaf that's a hard kind of soft.  Aaron's right - as usual.  The tomato leaf is a hard kind of soft.

If I stop to see the world through Aaron's eyes, there just might be grape trees after all.

Zombie Aaron

Aaron got up yesterday morning around 7:00 and came downstairs.  I could tell right away that he didn't feel well.  His voice is deeper in the morning and even more monotone, it seems, than his daytime monotone.  He flatly said, "Mom, I don't feel well."  He then told me that he didn't sleep much; although according to the even breathing on the monitor he slept just fine.  He told me that he had a sore throat.  As he talked I could tell that his throat was swollen.  I eventually decided to let him stay at home and he was very happy about that decision.

He tried to lay back down but couldn't sleep, so he showered and went about his morning.  I could tell as the day went on that he was getting all stopped up.  He was snorting, as he always does with a cold, and sounding more congested.  Later, as we talked, he said, "Mom, there's something in between my throat."  That's it.  The only description I got of how his throat felt was that there was something in between his throat.  Try telling that to a doctor, I thought.

Last night I took his temperature and he did have a low grade fever.  He was relieved that the beeping thermometer gave proof of how he was feeling.  He asked, "So this means I'm not feeling well?"  Uh.......I guess you could put it that way.  This tangible confirmation of how he wasn't feeling well almost made him feel better.

This morning I woke him up before 7:00 to check his temp, and to make a decision about seeing the doctor today.  His temp had gone down some, but he was still very congested.  Why do these things seem to always happen on a weekend?  Aaron tends to get ear infections or strep.  With that in mind, I went ahead and made him an appointment at McConnell Air Base to see his Primary Care Manager.  I had to wake him up at 8:45, very unusual for him.

The drive to McConnell was very quiet............which is very unusual.  Other than a few random, small comments, Aaron was very sedate.  We were listening to music and with one of the songs that he especially likes he perked up and said, "Cha, cha!"  I laughed and he smiled and then he was quiet again.  He was becoming very, very sleepy.  His morning meds were partly to blame, but when Aaron is sick he really shows it outwardly.

By the time we walked into the clinic, he was so slow.  And when we were in the exam room, he was sitting up on the exam table..............weaving back and forth, eyes going back into his head, eyelids closing, and scaring the poor tech to death.  She finished her triage and I told Aaron to come down off the table and sit on a safer, lower chair.  I helped him and as he edged over to the chair, he began to weave............and ran into me, which pushed me back into my chair.  This was getting a little ridiculous!

I gave Aaron some mints and tried to keep him talking........usually no problem there, as most of the time I try to keep him from NOT talking. The PA checked him over but was very concerned about his "mental instability."  She's very nice and thorough, but hasn't seen Aaron often and certainly doesn't understand his neurological make-up.  I assured her that what she was seeing was a reaction to his sickness and to his morning meds.  She was thinking meningitis, or overdose, or who knows what else?  She talked about getting the doctor in to check him; asked about his last seizures; had he hit his head in his last seizures; do we get his levels checked regularly; when is our next neurological appointment..............I could see where this was going.

As we waited for the rapid strep test, she left the room and I gave Aaron another mint.  I tried to get him to talk about the Looney Tunes episode that made him smile as he recalled it earlier; I let him clap when he wanted; I let him bang his foot down on the floor a time or two; I let him reach over and run his hand under the automatic faucet to see it turn on; I even let him finally open the side drawers on the exam table because he was curious about what was inside.  I drew the line when he reached behind him and grabbed a big wad of exam gloves.  But he was at least more awake, so the PA felt better about him as she further questioned me and gave me advice...........not needed, but she meant well.  The strep test was negative, thankfully.

Aaron made it to the van without falling and I ran back inside for his meds at the pharmacy.  When I went back to the van, he was asleep.............sitting up, with his bowl of Cheez-It crackers on his lap, uneaten.  A quick, in-the-van, Burger King lunch renewed him a bit.  He stayed awake all the way home as he finished munching on his fries.  That was good news!  I didn't want to leave him in the van if he fell asleep.  Even Gary can't handle the dead weight of an asleep Aaron!

Whew!  An interesting morning.  I don't remember ever being in public with Aaron, as an adult, when he's been that out-of-it.  As we ate lunch, I said, "Aaron, you're like a zombie today."  He simply replied, "No."

Well, I thought you'd like being a zombie.  "No," he repeated.

Hmmmmm........maybe if Transformers 4:RISE OF UNICRON had zombies, he'd like that description better.  Anyway, I'm glad that my Zombie Aaron is in his bed, snoring happily.  Hopefully, he'll be normal Aaron when he wakes up........ready for Skittles and Cheez-Its, and asking what's for supper!

Transformers.........Four?!

Aaron recently discovered that there will indeed be a new Transformers movie coming out..........which is grand and glorious news to him.  He loves those movies and has seen all three of them, as well as having them on his DVD shelf to watch here at home whenever he wants.  The news of a Transformers Four movie has made him very excited.  Very, very excited.

When Aaron becomes focused on a fact, or an event, or an occasion...........whatever that focus is............it soon becomes an obsession.  His obsessions involve fact finding, researching, delving, reading, listening......whatever it takes to find out as much as he possibly can about his latest focus.  Then during, and most definitely after, his fact finding mission..........he talks.  He talks about what he has read, what he has unearthed, what he has seen, what he has heard, what he thinks, what he feels, what he anticipates, what he plans..........until we are completely immersed in his focus........like it or not.  It's usually a "not" with us.  And he could care less.

We are currently being dragged into his latest focus, which is the upcoming Transformers Four movie.  This movie is projected to be released sometime in the summer of 2013.  Yes, that is a year from now.  Actually, MORE than a year from now.  A year.....plus.   365 days......plus.    52 weeks.......plus.   Gary and I will be needing therapy before this year......plus......is over.

Last night shortly before bedtime, Aaron came barreling into the kitchen.  I was preparing to get the coffee pot ready for the next morning, and Gary was downstairs.  Aaron was going to go down to say goodnight to Gary when he turned and said, "Mom!  I want to show Dad the Transformers video on the computer."  Knowing that Aaron would not be deterred from this plan, I grabbed my tablet and told him that we would find the video there.  Then he could take the tablet down and let Dad watch it.

I logged onto YouTube and proceeded to type in Transformers Four.  Up popped up all the videos pertaining to this topic, but there is only one that Aaron is looking for.  Believe me, only one.  "Mom, it's the number 45!" Number 45?  Soon I saw what he meant.  It's 45 seconds long.  Well, that limited it a little and so we hunched over the tablet, looking for number 45.  I could feel Aaron's frustration mounting as he studied the selections.  He wasn't seeing the one he wanted.  I chose a number 45, and though he was skeptical, he took the tablet and thumped down the stairs to show Gary this exciting video.

Soon he thumped right back up.  "Mom, that's not the right one!"  Now I could feel my frustration mounting.  It was late.  I didn't care about Transformers Four or 4, number 45, Unicron, or any of it.  But again, Aaron would not let go of his plan to show Dad the video that he was positive Dad wanted to see......or should see, if he wanted to or not.  WOULD see, if Aaron had his way.

Once again, we hunched over the tablet.  "Mom, you have to type in the number 4.  And the "T" in Transformers has to be big.  And then after the number 4 you have to put dot, dot - and then Rise of Unicron."

So I typed......Transformers 4..Rise of Unicron.

"No, you have to make Rise of Unicron in all big letters."

So I typed......Transformers 4..RISE OF UNICRON.

"No!  The dot, dot isn't right.  It goes like this."  And he grabbed a piece of paper and showed me - : .   A semicolon!  And even as I told him that none of this mattered, he would hear none of it and I knew it.

So I typed.....Transformers 4:RISE OF UNICRON

And of course, the same video selection presented itself.  And once again we scrolled down, looking for the elusive number 45 Transformers 4:RISE OF UNICRON.

The one video..........the ONE video..........that he wanted was not to be seen, according to Aaron.  So he thumped back downstairs anyway to talk.......TALK......to Gary about the number 45 Transformers 4:RISE OF UNICRON movie that will be coming out in a year.....plus.   OVER a year away.

I quietly stood at the head of the stairs and just listened as Aaron talked and talked and talked about Transformers 4:RISE OF UNICRON with his very tired, ready for bed, Dad.

"Dad, the new Transformers 4 movie is coming out next summer."   (A year......plus!)   "It has Unicron in it." Gary responded and Aaron took off.

"So Unicron wakes up in the Transformers 4 movie!"
"Doesn't he look different than the cartoon?"

Yes, Aaron, but it's time for bed now.

"Dad, did I show you a picture of Unicron when it was his full body?"

Yes, Aaron, but let's go up for bed now.

"I wonder if there's a new robot?"

I don't know, Aaron, but I'm going on to bed now.

"Dad, do you think there's a new robot?"

I just smiled my knowing smile.  It's funny to hear this interchange with Gary and Aaron.  But then they came upstairs.........and Aaron turned his focus upon me as I finished in the kitchen.  My smile didn't last.

"Mom, what do they mean by Unicron was awakened?"

Aaron, I don't know.

"Mom, do you think he came back?"

Yes, Aaron!  He woke up and came back!!  Now it's bedtime!!

"They said a planet will appear with 47 spheres."

Hmmmm.......and Aaron was oblivious to our mumbles and our disinterest and our tiredness as he continued to ramble on and on and on about the number 45 Transformers4:RISE OF UNICRON movie.

He followed me into his room as I got his clothes out for the next day; he followed me into his bathroom as I cleaned off the top of his toothpaste tube; he followed me into our bedroom as I got the room ready for bed; and he was ready to follow me into my bathroom...........talking all the while........but I told him GOOD NIGHT!!

And the last thing I remember him saying as I ushered him out into the hall was, "Mom, I'm very curious.  Was he made by that yellow light?"

Aaron, I know you're very curious.........believe me, how I know!  But it's time to turn off all the lights and GO TO BED!!!!!  And he lumbered merrily off to brush his teeth and read his book before turning his light off and probably dreaming about number 45 Transformers 4:RISE OF UNICRON.

Gary came out of the bathroom as I closed our bedroom door and we both sighed together.  Gary's eyes were wide and full of..............how do you describe that look?  We are so together in this journey with Aaron that we both shook our heads simultaneously and then Gary said, "A year!  That movie doesn't come out for a year!"

Uh, Gary........that would be a year......plus.   Good night, dear.  Let's just turn out the lights.