TBA Day 3: Everybody's favorite

We all love to eat on the river walk.  It's our favorite thing about coming to convention, honestly.  

Okay, so it's everyone's favorite thing to do except Ryan.  He hates it.  I mean, he wants to go for a walk, but we all know the star of the show for him is somewhere between the elevators, the hotel, and the swimming pool.  I think I captured the closest thing to a typical show of emotion I could right here...

Blerg... too many people!

Once he calmed enough to ask, we gave him daddy's iPod with those lovely volume controlled headphones, and much stimming ensued.  

Still, even with headphones, it was just rough.  If you've ever been to this part of San Antonio, you know that a trip to the river, close to the mall means pan flutes.  Amplified, often off-key pan flutes playing everything from Pachybel's Canon to Hotel California.  It's a bit much at times, and to someone who doesn't seem to posses the skill to block out crowd noise, etc., loud pan flutes don't make for great dinner music.  

Once the little guy finished his burger... yes, you can eat a cheeseburger with both hands over your ears... it was fry time.  While we waited for him to finish his fries, a couple of pigeons decided to land on the table behind him.  

Those rats with wings bothered Ryan far less than the few flies that come along with eating outside.  Richie thought they were awesome!  

The kids' meals came with the option of a dirt cup or ice cream for dessert.  Ryan ate his ice cream, and Richie was not at all interested in his dirt cup.  Maelynn wanted the worms, but not the pudding.  So I took them to the back and rinsed them off licked them off so she could enjoy them.  And boy, did she enjoy them!  

Would you believe that face got so messy from just he pudding left on the gummy worms? 

Then things got serious.  Ryan discovered that he could have both dirt cups, minus gummy worms.  He wasted no time figuring out that he could also use both spoons.  

This is the outing of the day when we're here for convention.  I've tried to go to the exhibit hall, which is a fun place to see friends, but last time it was just too hard for him.  Too much noise, way too confusing, way too many drumsticks and mallets... it's too tempting.  So we have fun at convention in our own way.  

Walking around after dinner, going to see the blue elevator at the Hyatt, and watching the elevators at the Hyatt, Eric and I talk here and there about things we used to do.  For a fleeting second, the idea of running off to dinner or enjoying the evening listening to jazz on the river sounds refreshing.  Then one of their tiny voices breaks through the memory, and I look down to the child at the end of my arm, smiling up at his mommy, and I remember what I wanted most in the first place. 

Yes, I was happy and having fun, but I wanted to be a mommy.  And there isn't one challenge, special need, or sacrifice that would make me trade these kids.  I'm grateful for the chance I had to get to live my band director dream for a while, and I'm even more grateful that I get to do fun stuff like lick the pudding off the gummy worms. 

Thanks be to God!