Busy Saturdays

To my son Tommy,

We seem to be packing in a lot of living on Saturdays. So much so that I get home tired and usually forget to write to you. Yesterday, we started early, well early for us on a Saturday and were out of the house by 9:30AM right after you finished breakfast. Our purpose was two fold, to spend some quality father-son time and to let your mother sleep in.

The rainy weather seriously hindered our options but we were determined to find something to do. We headed out to Owings Mills mall which is a sad shell of what it used to be with so many empty stores. Plus the stores that are left don't bother opening at 10 on the weekend. We did some window shopping in the stores that were left and your biggest highlight was riding the escalators which we did a couple times. As we were walking out, you said you had a great time. It take so little to make you happy.

Then we hit a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts so Daddy could load up on some caffeine. You turned down the triple espresso I offered (I like to live dangerously) and opted for water instead. We sat and talked about things, most of which I felt a little unsure of what you were talking about but I smiled and nodded and tried to ask questions so I wouldn't get too lost.

You were determined to score some loot on our trip. You kept suggesting the dollar store, but instead I talked you into our local Big Lots. You ended up with a huge bubble wand and a round blue stuffed animals that you decided would be named Mr. Bubbles. I think it is supposed to be a bird but I guess the bubble theme was in your head.

We called Mommy to warn of our impending return and to see if she wanted some fast food for lunch. McDonald's screwed up our order at the drive-thru, so we had to go inside to straighten that out. After retrieving our missing sandwiches, and learning that Mickey Dees no longer provides or sells their hot mustard sauce for nuggets, we headed home for lunch.

After, lunch, you decided to switch parents for a Mommy-Tommy date. You guys went out and visited Baby Noah. You delivered an overdue present and spent some time visiting. You guys were back around 3pm when we decided we needed to get some groceries. We loaded in the car for BJ's wholesale club before dinner at the Downey's house.

Our shopping trip was a mad dash. Your mother is the epitome of shopping efficiency. She knows where everything is and how to move quickly through the store. Somehow, you ended up suckering us into buying you another toy. You made out like a bandit for the day.

Afterwards we finished the day with our normal family dinner at your grandparent's house. Dinner was great as normal, even though you stuck to your old standby of pasta instead of trying the ham and other offerings. We visited a little longer than normal and, after a quick jaunt to Walgreens to see if they had some very long q-tips for your mom, got home around 10 or 11 PM. Dead tired, we were all immediately off to bed.

We did a whole lot of nothing for the day, but we did a whole lot of nothing together, which means it was well worth it!

Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo