Busy Weekend

Another busy weekend has come and gone in the Olinger household. Here are some highlights:

Friday evening: Scott and I took the kids to the picnic outside Riverside Theatre to celebrate the opening of the show Stones in His Pockets, which Scott says is excellent and which I am sure I won't get a chance to see as I hate to spend any more time away from my babies than I do with work and skating. Kids ate baked potatoes and corned beef sandwiches. Well, Milo did, anyway. Violet has been suffering a little tummy bug and she was not interested in eating much, though she made the discovery that by crumbling her roll, she could make it snow on mommy. Scott and I chatted while Milo begged to go home and Violet charmed the pants off the small crowd. At one point, two little brothers were sprawled at her feet, blowing her kisses. I think we might be in trouble...

Saturday morning: Skating lessons! I toiled away, not particularly successful at anything. Taught one group of tots and had a pretty good class. Then Milo came for his lesson. He got on the ice with me and I gave him a good morning hug and kiss, since he'd been sound asleep when I left the house. I spoke with the group instructor about moving him into this class as he was beyond bored with the Parent/Tot-Snowplow 1 group and when he's bored, he clings to my bum like a barnacle. Really -- he presses his face into my right cheek. Makes skating terribly difficult. Anyway, I held one hand and the other instructor took the other hand and we went across the ice that way. He was reluctant to introduce himself, but quickly amended my suggestion that he was George. "I'm not George! I'm MILO!" and answered correctly that he is "Three!" When the instructor realized he'd misplaced his clipboard, I took the opportunity to find it. I came back and Milo was absorbed in an activity, so I slid the clipboard behind the instructor and skated away. Thus began Milo's first lesson on-ice without mommy. He did pretty well -- I ducked and hid behind the boards and the vendor cart so that he wasn't able to see me peering out onto the ice at him. He skates pretty much like you'd imagine a three-year-old to skate -- not very fluid nor fast, but he doesn't fall often and he keeps plugging away at it. I think he's doing pretty well considering he started skating at the end of May and has been out there maybe a dozen times.

Saturday Evening: Scott moved scenery that had been evacuated to Cornell after the flood waters receded from Theatre Cedar Rapids while Violet napped and Milo played. We ate and took a long walk. Both kids tired of the stroller before we got back, so we came back carrying children and pushing an empty stroller. Milo did not think it was funny when we suggested that he push his parents in the stroller.

Sunday: The day started off pretty lazy for me. In fact, it took me a good hour and a half before the coffee kicked in and I was willing to open my eyes fully. We went for brunch and had a pretty good meal, though I was kicking myself and pretty upset because I'd given Violet a molten bite of my sweet potatoes and her reaction was swift -- poor little thing looked so panicked. I did cry about this because I felt so awful. It wasn't really a good weekend for the poor girl and her parents. Scott had accidentally guided Milo's skate-clad foot into her eyebrow and I tried to burn her tongue out with sweet potatoes. Good thing she's tough...

Then we went to Toys'r'Us to shop for Violet's first birthday. Which is tomorrow. She is pretty tough to buy for as she's mostly interested in playing with whatever Milo's doing. In fact, she often drapes the other Wii controller over her neck like a boa. She's very much into exploring right now and doesn't settle into playing with toys per se, yet, but that's totally normal. Interestingly enough, she was the only one who didn't poop while we were at Toys'r'us. I'm sure the staff was wondering what our issue was -- couldn't we afford to flush at home? Anyway, we ended up purchasing a soft June doll (from Little Einsteins). Violet did hug it -- which was about as interested as she was in anything -- except for an odd package of Floam that she brought us three times. Floam is not recommended for children who would eat it, and she likely would as she was calling it "cra-kuh" -- which, in Violetese means "food I can feed myself." After wandering through the store twice (and to the bathroom thrice), we finally went on our way with the biker scouts that Milo was promised as a "pooping on the potty" prize two months ago when he started potty training. They vanished from store shelves the instant that he decided that he was ready for underwear grrr...

On to Target where I manage to get everything we needed for the week while trying to entertain Violet, who is an hour past her naptime. We're checking out when Scott goes over to the service desk. I think he's going to complain aobut something, but no... He practically ambushed the poor stockperson that he notice stocking Wii Fit games onto the shelves. So now we have a Wii Fit.

More on the Wii Fit at another time, but suffice it to say, I did every exercise currently open to my very unflattering Mii. Because looking in the mirror at myself isn't depressing enough, now my Wii alter-ego is looking back at me as fat as I am in real life...

Then we had a lovely dinner at Scott's parents. Kids were relaxed, Dianne had been jammie shopping, and Richard was agreeing with us about voting for Obama. Dianne's choice in jammies for Milo was a point of hilarity. Apparently my sized 3T son isn't ready to wear big boys' size XS. Which is probably a 6-8. So she took up the pants, but did not take in the waist. The result: a pair of pants as long as they are tall... and a shirt that comes down to his knees. It's fine, though, he'll be able to wear them for four years...

My father-in-law, with whom I have not always agreed, asked me if I had ever considered running for public office. I said, "Why? Am I that full of sh*t?" Nope, he just thinks that I have a good way with words and can tell a person where to shove it in the most positive way possible. I dunno... I guess we'll see what happens when I get involved with the PTA, LOL!