We’ve traded out Legos (choking hazard) for trains, dinner out for pizza in, and we were far too busy playing with babies to take notes. I missed an entire hour of the Sunday morning session when Fritzie pulled me out to the garden to pick raspberries.
Eating handful after handful of the red berries, Fritzie gasped with delight every time we found a ripe bunch. “Look Mimi, it’s a good one!” After filling his belly and a bowl with berries, he pulled me by the hand around the yard admiring every rose bush, scowling at every weed. I made a mental list of the yardwork I needed to do in the coming weeks. Fall yardwork is the best yardwork: the roses stay trimmed, the weeds grow slowly and reasonably rather than springing out of the ground overnight. It’s like cleaning up the house after kids have gone to bed- you can actually keep up.
Circling the swingset, Fritzie tested every swing and finally settled on the two of us swinging side-by-side holding hands. He still calls the blue baby swing “Fritzie’s swing” but it’s now too tame for his adventurous flights. After whooping and yelling down the blue slide over and over, he insisted, “Mimi take a turn. Mimi slide.” I’m used to taking orders and clumsily climbed up the tiny rock wall (what happended to our convenient ladder?) and folded myself through the bars until I was perched at the top of the slide.
And this, this is the sight I hope to never forget: Fritzie crouching at the bottom of the slide, arms reaching up to me, his entire face lit with smiles, “Don’t be scared Mimi. I will catch you.”
I slid cautiously, not wanting to crush 22 lb Fritzie with my weight hurtling down the slide. Still, he caught me with a hug and insisted I slide again and again.
Thankfully, the church library app makes it easy to catch conference talks I’ve missed. By Wednesday morning, every talk landed in my app, neatly organized by session and speaker. I’ll spend the next six months listening to those talks over and over while I make the bed, clean the kitchen, roll out pie crusts, wrap Christmas presents and birthday presents… Our time together this conference weekend, listening or not, was well spent.
Anne Marie
The story of you and Fritzie outside on the swings is so precious! I love how you treasure those moments. The name Mimi is so so lovely.
Your family Conference posts make my heart so happy. Xoxox