Isaiah's Uncle John, Ruth's older brother, flew into town tonight and we picked him up at the airport.
I've been to the airport plenty of times before, but it was exciting for Isaiah. He's also been there a few times, but not since he was a little guy so it was kind of like his first time again. It was even more exciting because John's flight didn't arrive till 10:40 pm.
He not only got to go to the airport, he also got to stay up really late. As we were driving to the airport he called out from the back seat, "I'm glad you're with me on my first adventure, Daddo!"
We parked the van on the lower level of the parking garage and took the elevator to the top. We could have walked across the passenger pick-up zone on the lower level, but I thought Isaiah would get a special kick out of riding up in the glass walled elevator and I was right.
He stepped into it just like he would any old elevator. He thought the glass was neat before I pressed the button, but when it began to move a sequence of emotions crossed his face. At first he was unsure, then interested, and finally delighted by the experience of watching the world move vertically around him.
Inside the main check-in area of the East Terminal of Lambert Field a red and white monoplane hangs suspended about twelve feet off the floor. When we entered Isaiah called out once again, "Look, Daddo, there's a real airplane in here! Let's go see it!" Ruth checked the arrivals monitor and saw that John's flight had arrived. She went down the escalator to the baggage claim area to find John while Isaiah and I went to look at the airplane.
I thought I'd probably be answering question after question until Ruth and John came looking for us, but his curiosity was quickly appeased and we rode the escalator down to find them. As we rounded a corner I pointed to Ruth and John and told Isaiah to run to them and give Uncle John a big hug. He ran to them, but he was so excited he lost track of his feet and fell laughing right in front of them.
When we got to the van Isaiah reminded us, as he had reminded Ruth several times today and as he had pointed out to me as I strapped him in to leave for the airport, that Uncle John was riding in the back with him.
Ruth had brought Isaiah's pyjamas for him to put on at Uncle Mark's house when we dropped John off there. You'd think that after a day of playing at Rupie's house and not taking a nap that Isaiah would be running out of steam at 11:30 pm, but you'd be wrong. He was hopping around making noise and bouncing off the walls. Ruth and I were tired, though and ready to go.
"Go give everybody hugs, Son, it's time for us to go."
"No! I'm staying right here."
"One..." I said holding up my right index finger.
"I'm staying."
"Two..."
"Don't say three and don't spank me! I'll giv'em hugs, but I'm not leaving."
"You hug everybody and we'll take up the matter again afterwards."
He ran and gave Uncle John a hug, but before he before he was done Uncle Mark had brought out an early birthday present- a stuffed E.T. I'm probably in the minority of my generation, but I never liked E.T. Isaiah does, though, and he's sleeping with the spam-colored stuffed version of him as I type right now. I wasted about 15 minutes and probably as many miles taking the long way home in the vain hope that he would doze off on the ride, but he was glad to go right to bed with E.T. when we got home so it was no hassle getting him to settle down to go to sleep.
It also helped when I told him about the old traditional rule that if you're awake at midnight on the night before your birthday you don't get any presents. He's not the only one who can use his powerful imagination to manipulate others.
Today's bonus image This car has been sitting there with the hood up for four days now. I snapped a shot as I passed at speed on the way home tonight. When I got home and looked at it I was puzzled at how it turned out. The camera was six feet off the ground- how did I end up with an opossum's eye view?