Double Dutch

Colin,

Your and Ava's cousins from Boston came down to visit this weekend and boy did we have a great time. We all went to Dutch Wonderland for some party time...kids style. Ava, being the daredevil she is, got on every ride she could find. She especially loved the big slide and the bumper cars. Actually there is not much she did not love. She even got her cousin Lizzie, who is a bit more apprehensive, to get on all kinds of rides she would never otherwise try (Lizzie's Mommy was very happy about that). There are tons of pictures and videos that Ava loves to look at over and over again, and even a few souvenirs (not Mommy approved, but still here) to commemorate the trip.

While we all had a great time, and enjoyed the park, Daddy remembers one event in particular...a brief conversation with a Mommy of a little boy who was one day shy of his 2 month birthday. It made me smile to see such a little guy open his eyes and stare at me (his eyes were blue) as if I was the neatest new thing ever, but it made me sad to think that tomorrow would be a benchmark I would worry about for him. While I am not religious, I did ask God to let this little boy make it through the next day and every day after that so that his Mommy and Daddy would always see those big blue eyes that your Daddy longs to see. As always, a bittersweet memory that makes me smile and cry at the same time. Hopefully that will change some day, but for now I will embrace both as a way to be close to you.

Love,
Daddy