Easter With Joshua

So life went on with Joshua, and life was good.  Every once in a while we would get a call from The Agency to take a 17-year-old for respite, but we always said no.  We settled into a nice rhythm.  Joshua continued to go to daycare.  Tiernen worked on her graduate work.  Darryl and I went to work.  We were a happy family of four.  

Joshua grew and picked up words and started having opinions and was an overall great little boy.  

That year, my cousin was getting married in Brooklyn the Friday before Easter, so we packed up the whole family and drove to my Aunt's house in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey (where Jersey Mike's originated, for those who care... I don't, by the way, but I digress).  On Friday we went to the wedding and Tiernen stayed at my Aunt's with Joshua.  

On Saturday, the weather was perfect, so we took a walk to the beach and boardwalk.  My Aunt was all excited because apparently over Easter weekend you can buy tickets 50% off and use them all summer.  She had me buy a ton for Alexander and Miles (her grandson and my nephew).  She added, "and Joshua too, so he can come visit Aunt Cathy and go on the rides."  Of course, the unspoken truth was that we didn't know IF we would have Joshua in the summer...  

We walked on the boardwalk and walked on the beach (did you know it is EXPENSIVE to go to the beach in New Jersey?  We are talking $10/per person per day.  Nope, not me.  Give me free Maine and California beaches...)  Still, this was April and it was still way too cold to swim, so New Jersey couldn't cash in on it's beaches.  We were allowed to walk as much as we wanted.  Joshua looooved it.

We played cheesy boardwalk games and a little girl gave Joshua a stuffed animal that she won (awww).  We ate New Jersey shore pizza and ice cream and looked at the empty cages that would soon be filled with hermit crabs with obnoxiously painted shells.  If we have Joshua, we've come in the summer, we decided.  If...

The next day was Easter.  Joshua had only the faintest understanding of Easter.  He knew he did NOT like the Easter Bunny and WOULD NOT sit on his lap for a picture at the mall.  We had one of Bram the year before and were hoping to have one of Joshua.  Nope. He made that pretty clear:  No Santa Claus.  No Easter Bunny.  We woke up and presented him with his basket that was left by the Easter Bunny.  He was mildly interested in the school bus and the organic snacks.  Mostly, he was interested in Alexander's toys that were on my Aunt's porch.  

We had had Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, my nephew's birthday, and now Easter with Joshua.  Summer was coming and we would have Fourth of July and then Joshua's second birthday.  My extended family was used to him and more importantly, he knew and loved them.  

I didn't want to think about the upcoming court cases and Joshua going home, but that's just a part of foster care.

The shittiest part.