Say My Name
Remember back in the days when Ror would get hysterical if you called him anything but Rory Elio? Those days are gone. So far gone, as a matter of fact, that he’s gone to the opposite end of the spectrum. He DEMANDS to be called Batman. A few nights ago, he kept getting out of bed to give updates on his sleep status: “Dad? I’m still awake.” “Go back to bed.” Five minutes later, “Dad, I didn’t go to sleep yet.” Finally, Chris got frustrated and carried him to bed and said, “GO TO SLEEP.” He replied, “Call me Batman.” “Go to sleep, Batman.” Suddenly, he zonked out. It’s his new response to any request. “Rory, sit down.” “Call me Batman.” “Sit down, Batman.” Immediate compliance. Strange but true.
Connor was the official pimp of Kelly’s wedding on Saturday, and chatted up every beautiful girl in the place, from Kim Dinger to Erin Womer. His love for Kim Dinger, long since gone dormant from not seeing her for 8 months, has been renewed and rejuvenated. Kim and her date sat with Chris and Katie and the kids (I was at the bridal table) during the reception, and Connor questioned Kim about her date—“Is that your husband?” “No.” “So, you’re not married?” “No.” “You’re beautiful.” They had a very dramatic goodbye scene when Kim left. Later, one of the bridesmaids asked him to dance, and he said, “I’ve got a lot of girls who want to dance with me—Kim, Katie, Mom, Kelly…I’ll try, but I’ve got to dance with them first.” He practically tore a hole in the dance floor with his flying feet. When things really got going, the DJ handed out fluorescent cowboy hats and glow necklaces—the perfect accessories. Before the night was over, he was doing handstands and break-dancing. He danced with his godmother and remarked to me, “Wow, I’ll bet Aaron’s happy that he married her.”
Riley Kate took the prize as most-admired at the wedding (other than the bride and groom). People kept telling her how pretty she looked, and she would respond, “Yes.” She also made us proud when she attempted to prevent what she thought was a kidnapping. My good friend Vanessa’s husband, Gary, fell in love with Reagan and held her many times throughout the night, and several times, he took her out onto the dance floor to dance with Vanessa and himself. The first time he attempted this, Riley-Kate must have missed the part where Gary asked Katie if it would be okay, and took off across the reception hall screaming, “He’s got Reagan! He’s got Reagan!” She then ran out onto the dance floor, and since Gary remained oblivious to her tugging on his pants, she ran over to the bridal table to make me aware of the situation. I couldn’t have been more proud.
Reagan didn’t exactly dance the night away, but she did get to meet and greet lots of Mommy’s friends from high school and college, and was pleasant throughout what must have been a very long day for her.
We’ve returned refreshed and excited to hear all about Kelly and Aaron’s Vatican Honeymoon, and we are now focused on our next big Elio family event—closing on the house on July 28th!
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