William and Roses

We have been besieged by roses.  Walking through Newport yesterday I was flabbergasted--roses every shade of pink, orange, red, and yellow.  And cream.  And white.  And, it smelled heavenly.  The beach roses are in full bloom.  Along with the voluptuous bushes of simple, wild roses, that seem to hit you with a wall of scent as you round the corners of the cliff walk.  Yeah, I'm never leaving.

Yesterday was William's fourth birthday!  He's king of the subdued celebrations--we sang him Happy Birthday once or twice and treated him to a huge plate of French fries and cheese pizza--but, other than that, it was a pretty low-key day.  And, funny enough, he liked it!  In general, he likes afternoons of exploring parks, meeting new friends, and running, crazy-like, from his frustrated parents.  He wakes up slowly, like his Mama.  And is usually a terribly ornery grump until he's ready for the day (also like his Mama).  He has moments of beautiful politeness, and kindness, and patience.  And tends to be protective of his little sister--when it suits him.  He can sing Anchors Aweigh better than his Grandma, and can correctly identify every single Batman episode, with the coordinating villain, within seconds of the episode's start.  Oh, man, I like him.  I like him a lot! 

Just a few more days and we'll start packing everything up.  I'm distracted.  And a bit sad.  So, don't mind the deluge of beach pictures this week!