Hank Raises An Objection

Last week I was trying to get everyone ready to leave town for my cousin's wedding.  I asked Hank to come try on his khakis, as he hadn't worn them in months, because he likes to keep it casual.

He ran across the living room and hurled himself face-first onto the couch, whined into the cushions, then slid down onto the floor like a boneless chicken cutlet.  I said, "Dude! What's wrong?"

He said, "I don't want to go to that wedding."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because it's too dignicating."

"It's too what?" I asked.

 He repeated, "Because it's too dignicating."

(I'm just spelling the word the way it sounded when he said it.  I am not sure if that's how it's correctly spelled in his Hank lexicon.)

I said, "What is dignicating?"

He said, "It is something that you don't wanna do."  Then he sighed.

The thing is, if I were a kid, I'd be exasperated with parents too, because we ask questions for which we already know the answers.  I knew exactly what "dignicating" meant the first time he said it: it obviously means a situation that imposes a state of unwanted dignity and correctness in dress, behavior, or decorum.  The etymology of his coinage was perfectly clear, like Sarah Palin's "refudiate."  Yet I wouldn't have guessed that Hank knew or even half knew "dignified" or "dignity."  But I guess he does?

Watching kids acquire language is my second favorite part of this parenting biz.  My most favorite part is eating the leftover mac and cheese off their plates.

I coaxed him into the khakis, which still fit.  And he went to the church nursery with his cousins during the ceremony, where I trust he was not overly dignicated.  He did sit nicely through the rehearsal dinner the night before.  He sat there like a dream through people making toasts, quietly dignicating some dessert.



Here are a few more snaps from the wedding weekend I wanted to share.  I go out of town for two days and you have to hear about it all week.  I know!



Here Matt is sporting Laura's feather hair barrette, which she'd tired of and clipped to his shirt. I told him he looked like he'd been decorated by a really awesome chivalric order.

Me with my dad, known to blog readers as Camp Papa. 

Debbie, my very own mom.

My date.

Kate, adorable sister-in-law.

Shorties got low.

Color scheme was apple green and pink. Preppy!

If you have scrolled through these wedding posts and now feel that you know my family enough to want to see more pics of us hanging out in my mother's kitchen, and also a rainbow I photographed, click here.

I hope you are having a good week with little dignication.