Last week we took the kids to Ringling Bros. Barnum Bailey Circus. Our friends Josh and Tammy invited us to go with their kids Gideon and Sylvie.
At first I wasn't too excited to go. But with tickets at $12 a seat I relented. The seats were pretty good and the circus was entertaining. Luke spent most of the time in my lap with his hands over his ears. It was kind of loud and he's sensitive. Luckily he didn't freak out and burst into tears like he had done earlier this year at a baseball game.
For my birthday, way back in December, we went bowling. I thought it would be a fun way to spend the day before New Year's. We picked up a good deal at the local Brunswick where for $60 6 people got two hours of bowling, shoe rental, a pizza, and unlimited soda. We thought we'd invite Gideon and his dad to join us to make 6. We also invited them so Gideon's Mom would have the house to herself and Sylvie so she could clean for the New Year's Eve party they were hosting later that night.
To make the bowling experience as fun as we could we had bumpers setup in the lane. The bumpers keep all of the balls in the lane and out of the gutter where balls usually go when kids are bowling. Josh being an old pro at this also brought over a bowling ball ramp. This ramp will allow the kids to put the balls up high enough that the ball has some decent speed when it hits the pins. The increased speed keeps the action up and the kids interested.
Even with all of that Luke's interest waned about 3/4s the way through the first game. Both he and Gideon thought the circular ball racks would be more fun than bowling. We made Luke finish his game and after that one of us bowled in his place. He didn't seem to mind. Luke was also a big fan of the ball return. So much so that he wanted to stick his hands down the hole. We had to explain to him a few times that it would be really bad if he left his hand where it was. Luckily he did figure it out without having any pain inflicted. Normally he has to learn the hard way.
Alyce did well. We thought it was going to be just normal bowling but instead it was Cosmic Bowling. Cosmic Bowling is when they turn off all the lights except for black lights and other special effects. Add in some music and you have a party; if you're a teenager. We thought Alyce with her delicate sensibilities would freak out with the instant darkness and noise but she handled it like a champ. Even last year while on vacation she was very fragile when her environment changed. Since then she has been able to handle that stuff a lot better. It's amazing how things change and so quickly.
Two years ago on this very day Alyce joined the world. Mom went into labor around 2:00 a.m. and Alyce was born just before noon on October 27 2006. Our lives from that point on have never been the same.
To celebrate this occasion we threw a party for our little girl. We invited all types of friends and family. Grandma, Grams & Grandpa, Gi Gi, Jeff & Liz, Trent Lisa & Shelby, Josh Tammy & Gideon, Aunt Jean, Aunt Sue, and Mommy's brother Scott were all in attendance. The party had already started when Alyce woke up from her nap and she was greeted by a room full of people. She handled the commotion well by snuggling next to Gi Gi until the cobwebs went away. Next Lisa got to hold Alyce on her hip while Shelby did some entertaining.
For dinner we had hot dogs and Grandma's Award Winning Chili. They must have been a big hit as there were only two hot dogs and half a bowl of chili left at the end of the night.
After dinner we opened presents and there were a lot of presents to be opened. Alyce received everything from wooden trains, clothes, push toys, crayons, kitchen supplies, and a new baby doll. The biggest present for Alyce was an appearance by her friend Gideon or Gid Gid as Alyce calls him. Alyce opened up a few presents but became frustrated when she couldn't get into any of the hermetically sealed packages.
The last major event of the night was the birthday cake. Looking at the video below it is obvious Alyce didn't really know what was going on other than the fact she new it was about her. Next year she won't need us to blow out her candle like we did this year. She was a big fan of the cake and ice cream. She ate almost all of it by herself; sharp contrast to last year where she didn't even take a bite.
As mentioned in an earlier post the family had an Independence day party to attend on Friday night. This party was being thrown by our friends Josh, Tammy, and their son Gideon. A lot of the other attendees were old friends of mine from a previous job. We did show up a bit late to the party as Alyce got to her nap late and thus slept in a bit longer. It was to our benefit though because we kept Alyce up past 10:00 (bedtime is usually 8:00) for the second night in a row. Throughout the entire party Alyce was a perfect angel. She stayed in the back yard and sat in our laps during the fireworks display. This fireworks display while not a professional show like last night was a lot closer and louder to Alyce. Surprisingly Alyce wasn't scared of the noise or the flashes.
The big entertainment for Alyce and Mom at the party was baby Gideon. Gideon is four weeks old and Alyce was allowed closer to him. Alyce was quite interested in the "baby" as she kept saying "baby", pointed, and smiled at Gideon. I believe there is a picture floating around of Alyce holding Gideon, but I do not have it. Alyce didn't have any problems with Mom holding Gideon, however she did have a problem with me doing the same. She wanted to get into my lap any time I was holding Gideon. It will be interesting to see how she reacts whenever she gets a brother or a sister.
Yesterday Mom went shopping with our friend Tammy and her son Gideon to the mall. There was much shopping success as Mom got Alyce lots of summer outfits and a few spring ones for next year. The above picture is my favorite out of the bunch. The matching hair clip finishes the whole outfit. Enjoy a better picture of her haircut as well.
We had dinner last night with some friends Josh, Tammy, and baby Gideon. What made this dinner so much different than any other dinner Alyce has been to in that this was Alyce's first interaction with a true baby. Most of the time she plays with other kids her age at mom's Jazzercise class. Alyce did about as well as you would expect a toddler to do around a newborn. She was interested and mostly gentle. It will be interesting to see how she reacts when the baby doesn't go away after dinner.
Also, Alyce also got her first taste of being behind the wheel. They grow up so fast.
On Saturday mom and I both went to the hospital to see our friend's new baby Gideon. He is a cutie and we hope that 30 years from now he and Alyce will get married (hey you never know).
While we were at the hospital Alyce was hanging out with Grams and Grandpa. Grams doesn't like being called Grandma because she thinks is sounds old. Even though she isn't "Grandma" she still gets the joy that comes with being one. Alyce spent most of the time playing in the water on their deck or watching animals on the deck. I know Alyce is having a good time at their house because whenever we drop her off for babysitting she is never sad to see us go and doesn't come running to us when we get back. Grams and Grandpa are going to be big help next weekend as we go on a mini vacation for 4 days. I can't wait!
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