Greetings and a happy Independence Day to everyone in cyberspace. I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday celebrations. I had a great time in spite of a migraine and accompanying symptoms.
It's been a year since I started this blog. I had high hopes for it. I thought it might generate some income for my family--it hasn't. I thought I would be able to reach people--I have. In all, it's been a great opportunity to archive my life and work out emotions that require more than just a status update.
Last year we took Jeremy and Bekah to see fireworks. They hated them. It was pretty much a disaster. They were terrified by the sounds and spent the entire time with their eyes shut tight and hands over their ears.
This year, we thought we would plan better. Jeremy's diagnosis helped make sense of his reaction to what we felt like was a celebratory event. We figured, we would leave him at my parent's house and take the other two kids to see fireworks. Our thinking that was Bekah might enjoy them on her own, without the power of her brother's suggestions.
Jeremy was going to stay overnight at my parents' house. I was a little nervous about him sleeping away from home but I thought he would enjoy it. He seemed excited by the prospect of it. Bekah seemed excited to go see fireworks. I underestimated the sibling love, though.
Jeremy and Bekah are only 16 months apart. They have always been close. They share a room and when one of them is not around, the other spends most of their time asking when their sibling will return. It's sweet because I know they really enjoy playing with each other. Don't get me wrong, they are like all brothers and sisters. It sometimes turns into an MMA match and quickly at that.
Today I took Bekah to see Despicable Me 2. She has been struggling with me being gone more in the evenings (between working and just having coffee with friends). I figured we needed a little girl time together, alone. When we got home, Jeremy bounded off the couch to greet her. I asked Brian later if he asked about her at all and Brian said he had, regularly.
We did have dinner at my parents' house. The plan was, eat dinner, hang out and then take off, leaving Jeremy there. Thankfully, I've been a parent long enough to know that plans need to be fluid. Upon hearing about the plan, Bekah balked. She didn't want to go see the fireworks. Jeremy also balked. He didn't want to stay at D'da and Bubba's house by himself. Fine, we said. We'll just go home.
My parents suggested driving near to the fireworks and just letting the kids see the lights. The sound is what unnerves them and so we would be able to watch the show but not get freaked out. So we set out toward Woodstock after fueling up. I was still not feeling 100%, but I didn't want my family to miss out.
We debated parking in a few different spots but then decided to drive to the school adjacent to Emricson Park, where the fireworks take place. I figured, correctly, that we wouldn't have time to park and find a place. It was packed. We found the school just after the display started. With nowhere to set out our blanket and spread out, Brian pulled into the parking lot of an apartment complex right across from the school. We turned of the interior and exterior lights of the van, put up the windows (at Jeremy's insistence) and watched the show.
Jeremy still had his hands over his ears. He asked us, rather loudly, to shut the windows twice or three times. He couldn't figure out where he should be to watch them. He was concerned about his imaginary friends (apparently they were in another car in the parking lot also observing the show). He comforted Doug (which surprised me, because Doug was not fussing--to which Brian pointed out that he wasn't fussing because Jeremy was comforting him).
It was kind of the craziest fireworks outing I've ever attended. We didn't have to fight the mosquitoes, throngs of people, chase Doug around non-stop or worry about the noise. Someday, I hope my kids and I are able to experience fireworks al fresco. For now, this wasn't a bad way to go.
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