Aaron

Since I just got a job 2 or 3 months before we learned of his coming.....Aaron was a bit of a surprise.....but I'd look at him after he was born and find myself saying to God - What a great idea! ....Thank you!...In fact a day never went by that I didn't look at him... marvel....and give God thanks. All of us were so pleased to have him and even his young siblings considered it a pleasure to help take care of him.

I liked writing in the notebook I used for memories of him -(Like his word for hamburger was hang-ga-ber - Earlier it was hammer) and about his very early logic and ideas. One Sunday he was talking about someone named Georgie. We asked him but couldn't figure out WHO Georgie was until that night after everyone else was in bed and I went up to go to bed and found he was still awake. He talked about Georgie again and as I tucked him in he said Georgie was swallowed by a big fish! (Georgie was Jonah!)Other nights he'd talk about his grouchy legs. (He meant itchy.)

Sometimes he was professorial. We have an audio tape around somewhere on which we recorded his ideas about the new baby due in January. He proceeded to explain that the new brother (he was emphatic that it was NOT a girl) would be coming with a cord attached. He tried to explain. Not accurately-but authoritatively.

Here are a few other things I wrote about when he was little:

• He liked to take his turn praying and one time it went like this: ..."a Adam grounded for a month - a Adam, a carrot, a butter, a jelly.” (Yes. That was supposed to be a prayer - but remember - he was pretty little at the time... :-)

• When the T.V. was on and there was something on he thought was scary - he would cover his ears - but his eyes would not leave the screen!

• Whenever I'd take him to the store he would say Hi to people as we passed them. I was proud of his unabashed friendliness.

• One morning when he was about 4 he asked if he could have some hog milk. He hesitated - wondering if he had said the right thing -and I didn't know what he meant. Then Adam laughed and said Oh! He wants eggnogg!

• January 1981 I wrote: Aaron was overheard asking his daddy over the phone - Daddy, when you get home - can we talk about the world?

• He and his sister Heather had fun together. Aaron was her little brother....Adam was Lee's. (That is how I prepared her for no longer being the youngest and she took to that idea enthusiastically.)

Aaron went through a period (at 3) when he loved to run.- He often asked someone to say -Ready, Set, Go!- then he would take off down the hall or around the house. He had a strong pair of lungs...(which, I considered, gave extra volume to his voice box. :-) Little did we know that perhaps this all pointed to his later becoming a great long distance runner. But - determination was the most important key to his being a successful athlete which culminated with his making All American in college. He set an excellent example of grit. It was a fun ride raising him and we were so blessed!