walking in Memphis

We are all having a fabulous time in Memphis! Today Dennis shopped with the girls and scored a new Little People playset (woodland something--it has a Robin Hood type character and a treehouse with catapult). He ate a fabulous lunch at Abbay's (home cooking/fast food that was really very good) and shopped more and then we all headed back to Steve's and Julia's for a while. He enjoyed a brownie and 'helped' Steve rake the yard and get it ready for grass seed. He played with the rake for a good while before coming inside to play with his new toys.

The word list has expanded again. Now we can add: cutie patootie, hot tea, precious, corn dog, cold, car door, cup, pig, and Charity. He's decided he can say any word he wants to now, and it's fun to watch him wrap his mouth around the new combinations of sounds and syllables.

Tonight, Dennis enjoyed a nice supper with Gran and Monte at O'Charley's and then a fun bath back at the hotel room before bed. He apparently performed a floor show at the restaurant, yelling a loud conversation to the little kid at the table behind him. Gran was nice enough to give him a bath, and he was so excited that he tried to climb in the tub a few times before the bath was ready. Mommy went out with a friend from high school (Charity) and joined Steve and Julia at the Memphis in May Barbecue festival. The food was incredible, the size of the event was unbelievable! We enjoyed the eating and the walking around to check out the booths. After we ate our fill and visited and saw everything, Charity and I headed out to tour downtown. We rode the trolley to Earnestine and Hazel's where we enjoyed some incredible music from the jukebox, blues and motown (see link at right), then rode the trolley back to where we started and walked up and down Beale Street, taking in the sights. Charity gave a great tour on our way to the barbecue, showing me the stadium and the museum and the park and Sun Studios (where Elvis recorded his first record). I experienced a tiny bit of the flavor of Memphis today, and I had a wonderful time. I can't wait to bring Dennis back to visit the Children's Museum and to ride the trolley.

Now he's sleeping quietly in his Pea Pod while I type, and soon I will be stretched out on the sofa-bed mattress (on the floor for more comfort) next to his pod, slumbering before it's time to return to real life tomorrow. Real life's going to be bit different as I settle into the routine of my new job. My new boss is less than two and a half feet tall, only has 12 teeth, and is 31 years younger than me! I can't wait!