A Visit with Steve

My brother Steve flew in for a visit on May 1st. He called me out of the blue and said, "Hey, I want to come see you. When is a good time?" We found an airfare deal, and two weeks later he was here. It was so much fun to have him! 

We spent the week mainly lazing around eating, and ended up playing racquetball a lot. On Saturday we were planning to go to the beach, but the forecast said thunderstorms all day, so we decided to hit the mountains for a picnic and hike instead (where it wasn't supposed to rain). 

As soon as we started unpacking the van, Emma FLIPPED out because she saw an ant. No amount of talking or bribing would help her out of the back. Two old people pulled up to explore the area, and after listening to her sobbing for 5 minutes, they turned around and left. That's one nice thing about having kids, you get privacy when they have tantrums. 

After an overly sufficient amount of coaxing, I finally picked her up and set her on the ground. She proceeded to spontaneously com-bust, and when she realized nothing was happening, she calmed down and eagerly led the way to the picnic shelter.

After arriving, she immediately saw a few more ants, as well as a fly that flew in her face. She completely melted down again and refused to even stand on the ground, in case an ant decided to crawl in her sandal. She clung to Mike for dear life and wouldn't let go, even to eat. 

By this time, Steve was becoming incredulous. "Really, Emma? Seriously??" Steve is not one of those guys that melts whenever a cute blonde with big blue eyes starts crying. It was because of this fact that we made food immediately and started eating it. No one wants to piss off Steve.

Soon after eating, or rather during, Matthew noticed a couple of big green caterpillars scooting along. After squashing the first one, we got him excited about picking them up and making friends. He happily tried to share his sandwich with this one.

After seeing Matthew hold one, Emma couldn't bear to be left out. With the help of Steve, Emma touched the caterpillar. She never went so far as to hold one, but even touching one was no small accomplishment for her, and we were hopeful she was starting to change her mind about the bugs.

Just as a side note- it's taken years, but Steve and Mike have finally become comfortable enough with each other to sit that close on a bench. I'm not sure what that means, but it's relieving to know they aren't throwing punches at family gatherings anymore. 

And now on with the story.

After our picnic, Emma once again saw some bugs on the trail back to the van. We had planned to go hiking, but she was hysterical enough about seeing bugs that after an unbearably loud drive over to the trail, we finally decided to just bag the hike. 

Mike, Steve and I were all disappointed, and feeling irritated, I just kept driving through the state park. I was pleasantly surprised when the trees opened up to reveal a lake. We decided to dip our feet in the water instead.

 

At this point, the story should have happily ended with us kicking and splashing in the water, one big happy family. Sound too Brady Bunch? That's because we aren't on TV. This is real life, and not very often are all of us happy and care-free at the same time. That's why it's important to carry a camera, so we can remember when it actually happens! Here's what really happened:

Emma, being Emma, was the first one down to the water and her shoes came off immediately. She didn't think about bugs ever again, the whole trip. Matthew on the other hand, saw the water and absolutely lost it. He kicked, screamed and panicked about not wanting to get in the water, until Mike finally carried him off to the van to rest.

In the meantime, the rest of us enjoyed the lake, including Daniel. Steve helped him walk around on the rocks and kick his little feet in the water.

Emma was in her element, walking back and forth along the bottom step.

Soon she got bored and went out deeper and started jumping into boat waves as they rolled in.

After awhile, Mike came and hollered at us that he wasn't going to wait around much longer.

I was kind of bummed.

And we didn't really rush away.

 

I'm glad we didn't because I got this beautiful picture of our daughter that we wouldn't have had! Dipping your feet in a lake has a way of wiping away all your worries and cares. Too bad Matthew didn't give it a chance! Hopefully next time.

Overall, even with the kids flipping out on their issues, it was a great day. We got some good pictures and some fun memories. And it's not every day you get to go on a long car ride with Steve. That experience makes a lasting impression, let me tell you. Luckily it's a good thing, and I can't wait to have Steve visit again. He's just ultra cool like that.