And what a way to end it. In an attempt to make up for boring holiday breaks in years past, Matt and I have worked to keep Simon busy and active during the last 16 days (two to go). He’s had three days with grandparents, including one sleepover, six play-dates with KIP friends, and four holiday parties. Matt and I have rolled out sugar cookies and gingerbread boys, set up and taken down a tree, taken two kids to the Louisville Science Center, and welcomed in the New Year with a preschool New Year’s Eve party.
We even managed a date night. Last night, while Simon was at his grandparents’ house, Matt and I went out for the first time in ages. We enjoyed a terrific dinner at the Mayan Café, went to see the movie The King’s Speech (our first movie in nearly a year, and excellent), and then came home, poured ourselves glasses of wine, and engaged in a fiercely competitive, best two-out-of-three air hockey match… …on a kid’s size table! I’m sure we looked ridiculous. But we laughed a lot, and I won!
Today, after entertaining Baron at our house for a few hours, we hurriedly cleaned the house to get ready for Sophie and Leah (and their parents) to ring in the New Year with us. Matt managed to string up Christmas lights in a non-Christmas fashion, I had treats for the grown-ups and kids, and while our attempt at a balloon drop failed (basically, a garbage bag fell on Sharon’s head at about 8:30), once Matt ripped open the bag and the balloons spilled out, the kids shrieked with joy and had a blast. Then, at around 9:00, Simon announced that he was tired and ready to go upstairs, quite happy to sleep through the last hour of his own party. You have to love a preschooler with such a healthy respect for sleep.
We’ve learned a lot these past two weeks: We’ve learned that Simon’s attention span is longer than most of his friends, that he’s learned to adapt to noisy, busy places, and that play-dates work best when we have an agenda or at least a general game-plan. We’ve learned, or been reminded of, the big difference between 3 ½ and 4 when it comes to playing games, and the big difference between boys and girls when it comes to getting dressed and picking clothes. And we’ve learned that sometimes, when we forget to be good parents, Simon can remind us. Like tonight, when I offered him a holiday cup-cake and he replied by saying, “No mommy. I need to eat a real dinner first. Can you make me a sandwich?”
Right now, my house is a catastrophe of champagne flutes and light sabers, of cake plates and bakugan warrior figures, of dirty forks and un-tethered balloons. And when I go upstairs in just a few minutes, likely before it’s officially 2011, I look forward to Cambria snuggling up beside me, if not on top of me. Tonight, no make that today, no make that these past two weeks, have brought a perfectly sweet end to a bittersweet year.
Now if the universe will just hold that thought! Happy New Year, Everyone.
“But we laughed a lot, and I won!” Excuse me while I go back and read the post about which side of the family was the most competitive or the best loser….