Nuptials

We just got back from a whirlwind trip to Washington, DC where we saw a few exhibits at the National Zoo (we did see the Giant Panda Cub), the Natural History Museum (unfortunately, the Insect Gallery was closed, although we did see some of the Korean exhibit until Xavier lost interest and wandered off to see the Early Human exhibit), and, not coincidentally, my cousin John's wedding to a lovely woman named Tricia.

The kids had a great time riding on the Metro, jumping on beds at the motel, and also going to the zoo and museum (although when asked what their favorite activity was on the trip, Gwen said, "The gift shop!") Still, there was a lot of apprehension about the wedding itself. Xavier took the wise course and fell asleep in the car on the way over, but Adam made the mistake of saying that weddings were not designed to be fun for kids, so Gwen was in a funk before we got there.

I held Xavier on my lap, and even though he woke up, he was pretty quiet through the ceremony. Adam picked up Gwen, and she leaned her head against his chest. "I can hear your heart beating, Daddy," she whispered.

"Is it saying, 'I love Gwen, I love Gwen?'" a reference to a joke we have with the kids.

"No," Gwen replied, "It's saying, 'When are we leaving? When are we leaving?'"


Still, it was really nice seeing my cousins and my cousins' kids. I got to meet my cousin Jimmy's girls, which was nice; Jimmy's oldest, Caroline, and Gwen were born at about the same time, so his wife Lisa and I had exchanged a few baby gifts six years ago. My mom had been a little worried that if the kids all got together, Xavier would feel left out -- Jimmy's second girl Jameson is about Xavier's and my niece Chloe's age, and his third daughter a little younger than that. I guess she figured that Xav would feel like an outcast amongst all that "Girl Power".

As it turns out, she needn't have worried. Chloe slept through the wedding, so I don't think she got a chance to meet Jimmy's girls until later. Gwen and Caroline sized each other up, but didn't say much.

Suddenly Xavier leaped out from behind my skirts and began "working the crowd" as it were -- which seems to be his tried-and-true technique of acting like a lunatic. Jimmy's girls were delighted with him.

So much so, that when I stopped to talk to Jimmy's wife Lisa at the reception, her daughter Jameson jumped up and said with an expectant smile, "Where's the boy?"