The boys got out of school prior to lunch today to begin their 17.5 day long winter break, and I wanted to be first in line to claim some much needed 'boy time'. My plans were to take them to Bass Pro and Santa's Village, but to my surprise, they voted on Taco Bueno and the bowling alley instead.
The top picture is classic Will Parker; shy, demure, the patented smirk, and absolutely zero desire to have his picture taken. Just like a few others in this family . . .
Not to miss a beat though, while I was trying to get a decent picture of WP, Spider-Boy Owen had crept up behind me and 'glued' himself to the corner windows. LOUDLY proclaiming for the whole restaurant to hear "Look at me Pappy! I'm Spider-Man!" To the amusement of myself and a few others (which, if you know Owen, that is exactly what he was hoping to achieve), I quickly took a picture of him and applied the magic web solvent to the glass so that we could resume our meal.
There was no way for WP to top o'Mike's artful subterfuge, so we headed to the bowling lanes.
And yes, those are Pajama's that o'Mike is wearing. He was allowed to wear them to school this morning (my how times have changed), and decided he didn't want to put on real clothes when school was out.
Upon entering the alley, o'Mike struts in as if he owns the place and bellows, (while me and WP are 5 steps behind), "Ok, we're going to bowl, play games, eat, and I gotta go poopy." Oh that boy.....
His voice caught the attention of several senior ladies that were bowling, and after we got settled in at our alley, we had 3 different visitors. One brought popcorn for each of the boys, and one other lady (recovering from cancer) came by and loved on both boys for well over 30 minutes.
She was enamored by them, and talked and talked to them, saying that her grandchildren do not live locally. She also saw pics on my phone of Ava and Emma, and nearly started to cry when she saw Emma because she reminded her of one of her own. She is a super sweet lady; I bowl with her league on Thursday afternoons.
The 3rd picture is o'Mike with her wig. He asked if her hair was real, and she said no, and then he asked if he could touch it, and she said yes. One thing leads to the next, and before long, she has her wig off, showing only an 1" of hair left from the chemo; and o'Mike is wearing the wig while he bowls.
And of course, this gets the attention of 2 lovely 20 something young Mom's and their even lovlier young daughters, ages 4, 5, and 6. They were 1 alley away from us, and o'Mike begins to talking to one mom, then the other, all the while while working his way to the 6 year old. They shared some popcorn, and she shared some kind of dip and chips. I said what the heck, why fight fate. I can't keep him from girls. He is a magnet.
With this much o'Mike action taking place, it's hard to concentrate on bowling, but I did ok, rolled a 188, and then a 201; and WP rolled a 69 and a 102. His previous high game was 106 last year, and he needed to spare in the 10th to beat that score, and he knew this too. Amazing little boy with numbers.
WP and o'Mike are about as much alike as Jackie and Angela. Same sex, same set of parents; and the similarities end there. Total opposites.
To end the 3:18 of memories, we ended up in the arcade with fresh hot french fries, Cherry Pepsi, and $25 worth of money on the game card; which vanished quicker than the french fries. WP was Mr. Swish on the basketballs, and Mr. Tony Stewart on the race cars. o'Mike was flying from one corner to the next, and I don't really remember where all he lighted; or if he lit at all.
For his winnings, o'Mike wanted wolverine teeth, and WP wanted candy. Such a fun afternoon.
I love you boys! I love our time together and our memories. I shall cherish them forever.
- Pappy
No comments:
Post a Comment