Feeling a little sentimental

Memorial Day weekend always makes me a little verklempt.  You see, it was four years ago this weekend that this little thing ...

... worked past her many difficulties getting mobile and finally got a move on.



Memorial Day weekend 2007 was when Liza had her first run-in with the fountain in the children's garden:

Last year we took her back to the garden - again - on Memorial Day weekend, and again with the fountain encounters ...

So it was only fitting that we drag her back for another encore this year, this time with a kid who is almost exactly the age Liza was when she first saw the fountain:



While we were there, my butterfly-obsessed kid had to stop by the glass house in time for the release - just like last year.

And then today we visited our former neighbors for their annual party, complete with the "runts vs. 'rents" kickball game, which we had to move to an actual field this year because some of the runts are strong enough to actually kick the ball past second base.

This was the first year that I wasn't too hot, too tired, or too tied up with kid duties to participate, and I actually had a really good time.  The fact that I scored a run and caught somebody out on a fly ball didn't hurt, either.  We're going to have to be careful next year - after a previous record 35-2 parental win, this year we called the game after 9 innings with the score tied at 14 all.  We were generous with the scoring - dude, we totally could have gotten the 2-year-old out instead of letting him score twice - but they're gaining on us.

Even in 2006, it wasn't a Memorial Day party without a trip to the pool ...

And that's still true today.

So now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go hum "Sunrise, Sunset" to myself while rocking quietly in a corner.  Ta!