First, lets all say Happy Birthday to my fabulous little niece who turns the big 2 today. We packed up the troops and headed to the Motor City to be in Clementine's birthday bike parade this past weekend, and oh what a time we had.
My sister likens our visits to that of a travelling group of performers, gypsies if you will, who arrive in the middle of the night, do a show and leave before you can notice that they have trashed your house and fucked your kid's sleep schedule. We left super early on Saturday morning so as to avoid the Labor Day traffic in and out of the Windy City (seriously, Chicago traffic is such a fucking nightmare!) and got there in time to have donuts with the posse before the men folk headed out to some La Mans Belle Isle Grand Prix Race thingamajig (Tim has not really stopped talking about it since he went, and I am still marginally unclear on exactly what this was. Yeah, I get it, a car race, do I need to know more?).
While the guys were doing this the ladies all helped get ready for Clementine's birthday part. This entailed anyone under the age of 2 taking a nap while my step mother played with Abby and Amanda and I talked in the kitchen. Once everyone was up we went to the Riverwalk to splash in the fountain and give my dad's wife a geography lesson (yes, Detroit really is THAT close to Canada). Our day was capped off with Pizza Papalis, so I was a happy auntie.
Clementine's birthday party was wonderful despite some spilled Kool Aid on the white birthday dress and some other mishaps. By the time the cake was served Abby was so tired and overstimulated that trying to reason with her was just about pointless. Her head is in every picture of Clementine and her cake, and I think my poor sister is going to be photoshopping her out of the present opening too. It has to be hard to be the oldest. Last year Abby was able to open most of Clementine's presents because she was only 1 and totally uninterested. This year the birthday girl was totally clued in and Abby was constantly asked to sit on her hands, which sucks, but hey, that's life. Despite a good nap Nora was also kind of a mess in a different way.
It is no secret that my kids are slightly OCD about things. Abby has to have things lined up just so, and Nora finds the most random things to obsess about. Once the party ended all the little girls were playing in Clementine's play room. She has this fun little kitchen with a fridge and a stove, and a little sink to "wash" dishes in. For whatever reason Miss Eleanor was insistent that the refrigerator remain closed at all times. She and Clementine came to blows about this with little problem, but at the end of a long day when Abby and Nora had it out about the play refrigerator door it got ugly. Really ugly.
So Abby wanted to get the eggs out of the fridge, Nora wanted to door closed, Abby tried to explain, Nora screeched, Abby raised her voice, Nora bit Abby as hard as she could leaving a huge welt and two little girls in tears. I put Nora in a time out (the saddest one ever- the only good place was on a stool in the kitchen facing a wall- it was so sad) and comforted Abby all while trying to avoid a parenting lecture from my dad (it never came, thank God). Nora apologized to Abby (gave her a hug, really) and all was well after that, but seriously, biting, I don't think I can deal with that.
Quickly after this incident we packed up the Jeep and headed out so that my sister could try to piece back her house from having us stay for 48 hours. We got home late Sunday so that I could make my belly dancing show on Monday and get Abby off to school well rested on Tuesday. Thank heavens we are about to get back into a regular routine or school and dance classes. As fun as summer is, I need a vacation from my summer vacation.
Of course, pictures from this weekend are up on flickr. One of my favorites being this one:
Don't mess with her, she'll bite you.
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