Memorial Day Weekend

We had a ton of fun this Memorial Day weekend with all of the Wanamakers. To start the holiday, we lunched, napped and played with Uncle Brian, Aunt Marianne and Twin Cousin Caroline. Aunt Marianne was so adored by her nephew that she received a never-before-seen, private, a cappella song. Caroline tried to show her cousin the value of naptime, but Simon was too distracted to listen.

All of the Wanamakers (impressively) then convened in Kansas City for Jiggle Jam. To avoid a breakdown at the festival, Simon and I attempted to squeeze in a quick feeding by crashing a private corner serving as a temporary refuge for dads. Unfortunately, the dads were too much of a distraction for Simon, which dashed my plans of going unnoticed and prolonged the already awkward moment. We had a great time dancing and singing to They Might Be Giants with Papa and Nana and all of the cousins, aunts and uncles. Being a neurotic parent, I was sure the rasping felt in Simon’s chest during the first song was an indication of pneumonia, but quickly realized it was simply symptomatic of a love for music; my little man was singing along with the band. By the end of the set, each of the cousins had melted into the lap of the designated adult who was holding him or her. Simon had a second burst of energy during the encore that allowed him to once again bob up and down, flap his arms and sing with his Uncle Scott, with whom he had developed a strong bond over a shared appreciation of fine watches.



After Jiggle Jam, all of the Wanamakers met up in Topeka for the Memorial Day weekend festivities of playing, eating, wine consumption, more eating and wearing out Nana Lou. It was a great time of bonding with Twin Cousin Caroline, sweet, affectionate Mo, and fascinating Big Cousin Nick. It was also a great time for us adults to spend some time together and catch up in between feedings, naps, and child-induced exhaustion.