FIREWORKS!!

Yes, Aaron is cute and all of that but get ready for this…. He also is very stubborn and can throw mini-fits!! Sorry to let all of his fans out there down, but the truth must be told. He is learning though that his Mama is a bit stubborn herself and if he doesn’t do what I ask of him, well then we will just put that toy away and do something else. So there!

He greeted us with a smile today. He doesn’t come directly to us or offer hugs or anything. He’s a bit too manly for that kind of demonstration. But he does stand and take his kisses with a grin and a shake of his head (equal to wiping them off I guess). He’s a funny little guy and we are enjoying our time with him though it is HARD to keep him entertained. We don’t spend 3 solid hours each day with our own boys and never did. I know that when we are home, he will be more than capable of playing without needing constant attention. We don’t have that luxury here. We have to play or wander the grounds with a six year old. We are so glad that we brought a wide assortment of things to do. We have not shown him everything yet so that we can make each visit interesting. We got a bit desperate this morning when the punch ball we brought for the ‘new’ activity popped on the thorn bushes within 5 minutes. Aaron has a great attention span though and is entertained well with books, markers and a coloring book.

And now, by request, more pointless observations and rambling wisecracks from Rob:

(Rob writing) On our last night spent in (relative) civilization, we had an apartment in the capital. That evening happened to be a national holiday, and we were lucky enough to be only a block away from the center of the city. We visited with the Carmichaels (RR family from Tennessee) in the square and sat together on the steps of what looked like a bank, watching the celebration, understanding neither one word nor one solitary note of the patriotic music. We waited until dark, half hoping to see fireworks. Julia was sure that they would have fireworks right there in the square. I wisely reminded her that we were in the center of the city, so they couldn’t safely set them off so near. Surely, I said, they will have to launch them at some safe distance. But dusk came and went with no fireworks, and then some grumpy security man ejected us from his steps, so we all said good night and went off to bed.

At around 10 PM, we were both sleeping as only the jet lagged can. It was at this hour that the locals finally decided it was dark enough for the fireworks to begin. Julia is a light sleeper, so she recognized the sound right away. I was so stupid with sleep that I first identified the sound as a man trying to break through our concrete floor with a sledgehammer. It took about three goes before I was sufficiently awake to realize what was happening. They must have chosen our parking lot as the remote location for the firework mortars. It couldn’t have been any louder if we had set our ears right next to a 20-pounder cannon barrel when they set punk to touch hole. The whole building shook with each concussion, and the shock waves were strong enough to set off car alarms. That started the sequence for the next several shots: loud bang, shock wave, then the car alarms running through their assortment of warning sounds. A few seconds of silence, then repeat.

This is not a wealthy country, so it didn’t last long. They didn’t have a lot of fireworks, but the ones they had were big. We couldn’t see them from any window, and before we could decide to go outside, they were finished. And the merciful jet lag lulled us both back to sleep.

By the way, the Carmichaels were so nice. And they’re heroes, too, for rescuing two children as they are. You have to love southerners. The Carmichaels love the people here. Just ask them.