Septemberfest

Joe and I recently took AJ to Septemberfest at our church. AJ is going to be baptized in a few weeks, so Joe and I are trying to become more involved with the church community. We have decided to raise AJ in the Catholic church and to go to the same parish where Joe was baptized, went to elementary school and was confirmed.

This was the first event that we went to with just Joe, AJ and I without our extended family. It was a free-for-all on seating with tables set up for 8, so our little family of three needed to make friends to find a place to eat. It is fascinating to me how easy it is to strike up a conversation with other parents once you have kids. Being a parent is the key that gets you into the club of friendly random encounters around town. Suddenly I am finding myself trading stories with strangers about feeding times, diaper changes and when to introduce solids. Even Joe has been drawn into these conversations, and he is generally not chatty with strangers. It is interesting that the parents often don't ever exchange their own names, but you still know the name, age and potty habits of each other's children.