A Chilly Weekend

The sun was out but the weather was cold. Matt was out of town driving cars with the Po*rsche Club on track. The kids and I had big plans but it didn't seem to work out as the weather didn't want to cooperate. Saturday was bitterly cold and Sunday was better, but it was still chilly.

We had hoped to go for a bike ride and perhaps the Br*onx Zoo on Saturday but with a wind chill in the 20s, it wasn't happening. We were going to go to the Hall of Science in Queens but there was a police shooting that shut down the highway that would take us there. We then thought we would go to the science center in NJ, but I thought it would be really crowded and there is only one section that is approprate for Oliver's age. In the end, I decided that the kids should blow off some steam and I took them to an indoor kid's village of bounce houses, enlcosed climbing gym, arcade games, etc. Chloe had a blast and so did Oliver until it got to be too much and caused a complete and utter meltdown. That was our cue to leave. We grabbed lunch on the way home and both kids napped afterwards---SUCCESS!! On Saturday evening I took the kids out to eat Mexican food. It took our food forever to arrive and by the time it did both Chloe and Oliver had filled up on chips & salsa (yes, Oliver LOVES salsa) and flour tortillas. Oliver declared "Done!" and tried to squeeze himself out of his highchair about 5 minutes before the entrees arrived. I asked the waitress to bring the check when she set the entrees down and then proceeded to shovel my fajitas in my mouth before she arrived back at the table. When Oliver is DONE, he's DONE! I was so proud of my mad super-mom skills that day I went crazy and even stopped off after dinner at that big box toy store and let the kids pick out a toy. Oliver picked out a car (of course) and Chloe picked out the new Le*go Sta*r Wa*rs III game for the Wi*i. I picked up the "cheat book" for the game so I could explain to Chloe how to play it.

Sunday we went to church and Chloe kept asking to go for a bike ride. The child has NO concept of cold or chill and was relentless in her request. The sun was shining and I gave in. We aired up her tires and dusted off the tricycle Chloe had as a child and we went for a bike ride. Chloe has yet to master riding her bicycle on the sidewalks. She was taught to ride her bike on the running track at the high school and so she is accustomed to a smooth surface. The sidewalks in our town are jagged and cracked from tree roots. While Chloe is good on two wheels, she is not so good on two wheels on uneven surfaces. She spent most of the time with her feet off the pedals pushing her bike. Oliver on the other hand loved the tricycle. I walked behind steering the tricycle and he thought he was the coolest thing. I couldn't get him off the thing! Chloe was ready to return home after two blocks, Oliver was not. I had to keep pushing and steering him up and down the street and finally in the backyard. In an attempt to get him off the tricycle, I had to promise to bounce him on the trampoline.

The kids had so much fun playing in the yard the rest of the afternoon. It was chilly but fun. I managed to sneak inside to grab the camera and snap some photos.

Oliver pushing his tricycle around. He kept calling it a "car". He loves the thing.

Chloe on her bicycle on the patio of the house.

Riding in the backyard. We're going to have to work on riding on sidewalks.

Bouncing on the trampoline and getting some energy out.

Oliver loves being bounce on the trampoline.