A God Damn Good Evening Thanks to Bill Lloyd, Owen and Leo....
Saturday evening was the Champaign Music Fest. Owen was MOST excited about going---he wanted to see his guitar teacher play in his band Beat Kitchen. He had already told me that he thought it would be probably be best if just he and Dad went. Then he relented and said that if I really wanted to go that would be fine. I said that maybe Leo and I would go separately because Leo probably wouldn't want to stay as long as the two blondes. Owen thought that was a good idea. Then Leo announced that he did NOT want to go because it would just remind him "of the stupid parties we give." I thought about it and agreed with him----there's no way he was going to enjoy himself so I told him I'd stay home and hang out with him. The poor guy has to put up with a party on Wednesday, I figured I could give him Saturday night.
Although I would have liked to have gone it ended up being the perfect decision. Leo and I had the best evening ever. Leo is suddenly so much older and taller and well.....Leo-er. He decided we should make brownies. He was in charge, I just got ingredients out and did other sous-chef like things. We talked about him entering them in the brownie-off we have planned with a couple of friends. He was very serious about it and said he'd have to practice doing EVERYthing completely on his own before we entered. Leo has this lightness of movement when he's happy that I love. Judi and I used to call it the Leo Bounce---when he was very happy---like when she'd let him walk Wally---he'd have this bounce to his step. So he bounced all over the kitchen and I just watched him, falling in love with my child all over again....well not again exactly----just falling in love with this slightly new, older Leo. Then he shyly asked me if I wanted to watch some Sponge Bob episodes with him to which I quickly agreed. They were even NEW episodes. Life is so good. It was one of the best evenings I've ever had. He chatted away to me with the sweetest, loveliest smile. Man, I'm just crazy about him.
As I think I've mentioned before, because the boys are so close in age and generally get along so well (despite the squabbles, etc.) we often do everything as a family. As they get older I realize how important it is to do things one on one.
When Ernie and Owen got home, Owen was on such a high I would have sworn he'd had a beer or two. Good Lord I'm going to have watch that one. But he had a fabulous time. LOVED the bands, LOVED seeing people, LOVED finding a booth in the crowded Fries and Peanuts, LOVED the pizza and lemonade, LOVED seeing his beloved Mr. McLoughlin play guitar, LOVED it all. Then he did a little routine about one band being so old he thought they should be called the Rockin Old Men, complete with imitations of them playing guitar and then stopping to say 'oh, my back, my back.' Ernie was almost in tears of laughter and no, he was not talking about the Finchley Boys.
Ernie said as they drove home Owen chattered nonstop, all the while listening to his favorite Bill Lloyd song, Trampoline, which has a line in the song about 'God damn her trampoline.' As they pulled up to the house Ernie said Owen sighed happily and said, "Dad, is it o.k. if I use a bad word? Just once?" Ernie agreed and then Owen settled back in his seat and said, "Dad....I had a god damn good time."
Here's just a few second glimpse of the two of them that my friend Marcy sent.