Aunt Hilary flew into town yesterday afternoon, much to Robbie Manna’s delight.  He has been talking about “Hal-a-ree” all week, sure that each day was the day she was really going to come to see him.  Last night, he couldn’t get enough of her and didn’t want to leave her side.

After getting Hilary from the airport, Robbie from daycare, and me from Lawrence, Justin drove us up to the beach in New Hampshire to have dinner.  Sure it was foggy.  Sure it was rainy.  But the lobster rolls were still fabulous.  And, perhaps more importantly, the crowds of summer were gone and we had the entire covered deck to ourselves.  After dinner, it was off to the arcade on the beach and time to win tickets to ear Robbie prizes that he surely couldn’t live without.  Of course he needed a stuffed Smurf to go with his collection of toys from Joe’s Playland, namely a prized Elmo and Cookie Monster.

This morning, Robbie was beside himself to find that Hal-a-ree was still here.  Their morning together went a little something like this:

Hilary asked me if Robbie did things like this often.  I said, “You mean covering me in all of his toys while I lay on the floor?”

“Yeah.  Does he?”

“I don’t know.  I don’t often lay on the floor and wait to find out what will happen.  That’s how people get hurt.”