Respite

It’s Monday morning, and I’m looking back at a great weekend. Natalie went to Aunt Ann’s for a respite weekend, and unlike last time, it was successful all around. Natalie had a fantastic time, and wasn’t homesick for a minute. Don and I relaxed a little. Most important of all, we spent some enjoyable time focusing on Aaron.

Nat was too excited to go to sleep Thursday night, knowing that Friday morning, Kallie was coming. Kallie is my sister Ann’s granddaughter. She’s six months younger than Natalie, and although they only see each other a few times a year, Nat and Kallie are great friends. Kallie's mom dropped her off at 8:30 Friday morning, and the fun began.

We spent all day Friday together at Ann's. We played with her adorable new puppy, Benny, then swam the afternoon away at Clear Lake's new aquatic center; Aaron hurling his body off the high diving board in increasingly daring stunts. When Aaron and I left Friday night, Natalie and Kallie were playing happily in the bathtub, and Nat barely had time to offer a quick good-bye.

Saturday was Aaron’s Choice Day. We ate at Wallaby’s, where he combined his two favorite activities (three, if you count eating chicken strips and fries)—watching sports and talking sports. And we laughed our way through the movie "Get Smart".

Natalie returned Sunday evening, happy and tired. "Did you miss me?" I asked. "No," she said, and ran off to play at a friend’s house.

Now, that’s what I call RESPITE.