Day 5

Today was our fifth consecutive day of family togetherness. I did have to go to work on Friday, but P stayed home with the kid and even took her sledding. Other than that, it's been the three of us together . . . a lot. We haven't come to blows yet, mostly because we still have so many baked goods to pacify us.

On Friday evening, the three of us headed to the "Garden of Lights," where we enjoyed a horse-drawn wagon ride through the woods and gardens. The light display is pretty similar every year, but it was still well worth the trip. As the horses pulled our wagon through the quiet, snowy trees, no one aboard was saying a word. That is, until the kid sitting between me and my husband said this: "I smell something stinky in the forest." Everyone on the wagon (a dozen or so people) started to laugh. I'm sure our fellow passengers had noticed the manure smell, but since all the grown-ups knew where it came from, it didn't seem worth mentioning. When you're three, however, gross things are always worth mentioning. You should hear her exclaiming when she farts in the tub.

On Saturday morning, I mustered up the courage to go to my Weight Watchers meeting. Somehow my Christmas calories hadn't caught up with me, and I was still pretty close to my goal weight. The crowd was mighty sparse, though. I am fairly confident that it will be packed next week, when the New Year's resolution people show up. They come every year for a few weeks - you can set your watch (or at least your calendar) by it.

Later in the afternoon we headed to the movie theater to see "Bolt." Previously, P had stated that he would not take our daughter to see a movie again until her age was in the double digits. An ill-fated trip to see "Kung Fu Panda" had ruined him for movies. However, with both of us there, we could tag-team her and keep her in her seat. We also had a bit of luck running in our direction for once. The newspaper indicated that the movie started at 1:30. I happened to look it up online and found that the paper was wrong - the actual start time was 1:10. So, we showed up at the right time and no doubt lots of families showed up at the wrong time. In any case, there were only a few people in our particular theater. Also, the movie itself was really good. If you have kids and are feeling brave, check it out.

A and I wrapped up the weekend with a trip to the "Jumpity-Jump Place," while her dad stayed home and watched football. The "Jumpity-Jump Place" is one of those joints where you can fling yourself around on giant inflatables. Parents get to jump for free - rock on! She and I jumped and played for an hour, and I'm hoping someone will fall asleep early tonight. And by "someone," I mean me.



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