Game Playing & Weddings

We departed Saturday morning for Portland. Our dear friends Bar and Kong were celebrating their December 5th civil ceremony with a more formal wedding reception for friends and family. The decorations were simple and elegant; the happy couple was all smiles (Bar looking very handsome and Kong's beauty glowed); the setting, the Jenkins Estate in Tualatin, was beautiful (reminding those of us from North Bend of Shore Acres and the Simpson Estate).


Just as the outdoor ceremony was beginning, my little buddy discovers the joy of throwing handfuls of tiny gravel into the pond. When I asked him to drop the new fistful he had picked up, he refused. I gave him to the count of 3 before I assisted him. When I did so, he started screaming. I thereby picked him up and started to walk back towards the car, all the while he was kicking and pinching me on the arm, neck and face. I couldn't very well put him down as his screams were certain to disrupt the guests. Bear in mind that DH and I had already reprimanded him several times for other behaviors (kicking gravel onto other guests and running off into the road)... screaming during the ceremony was the last straw.


As I continued to walk down the hill, I hear the screams of my daughter erupt. I stop and turn, glaring back in the direction of the tea house (funny how a parent learns to identify the screams, cries, and laughter of their own). A moment later, my husband appears at the crest of the trail with my daughter walking beside him. Apparantly, she had continued to pick the flowers after he and I had both asked her to stop. She refused to stand quietly beside him and persisted on behaving like a toddler, rather than the young girl that she is. He thereby decided to remove her from the ceremony as well.


I couldn't believe it! Both decided to throw temper tantrums at the same time! I was so embarrassed. This angered me. I didn't want to be embarrassed. I am typically so proud of them.... of their behavior in public. Some of the other guests have children (boys) of the same age as our little guy. Their boys were angels in comparision. One of the guests (whom shall remain unidentified) always seems to look down his/her nose at us... as though anything we do or say is such a bore. Because we seldom see these extended friends, I suppose I wanted my kiddos to make a good impression. When I told my mom of the situation, she said that my 2 were so comfortable with Bar & Kong and many of the other guests (Bar's parents, Bef, Wrench, Spidey, B!, etc.) that they weren't afraid to express themselves. This wasn't their typical behavior, however.


About a half-hour later, when we had all had the opportunity to calm down, we returned to the party. Both kiddos apologized to Bar and Kong as I had requested and things started to resume some sense of normalacy. The princess started to color quietly with Kristine (a big 'Thank You' to Kristine for helping to alleviate my anxiety!) and therefore DH and I were able to tag-team the little guy. Turns out, he was very hungry and very tired.


Our circle of friends not only sports unusual nicknames - but we also love playing games. In fact, Labor Day Weekend 2007 brings the 4th annual BarCon (Bar Convention) whereby we all converge upon Bar's home for 3 nights and 4 days of non-stop game playing: boardgames, PC games, frisbee golf, a mini-fun run (just 2 participants, Kong and I), and the highlight, the Saturday night Poker tournament. There are even prizes, an auction, and gift bags for those that pre-registar. The weekend is so chaotic and eventful, my daughter believes it to be a national holiday, just as much as Easter, Christmas, or the 4th of July.


So, as part of the entertainment for the day, Bef hosted his infamous Beferdy competition and adhering to tradition, B! won for the 4th consecutive time, despite the Brutal Romanian Category. The closing performance was our little princess doing a solo rendition of her recital dance to Josh Groban's So She Dances.

In the spirit of game playing, TeacherWoman has tagged me... so here goes.
1. Find the nearest book.
2. Name the book & the author.
3. Turn to page 123.
4. Go to the fifth sentence on the page. Copy out the next three sentences and post to your blog.
5. Tag 3 more people.

Love and Logic Magic When Kids Leave You Speechless by Jim Fay & Charles Fay, Ph.D.

Parent: No way! Those cost almost fifty dollars.
Child: That is like soooo stupid.
Parent: That's it. For crying out loud, we are leaving. You're just going to have to go without new pants if you are going to be that way.


The preceding is an excerpt from a conversation between a father and a his teenage daughter overheard by the author. It was used to illustrate the following point, Wise parents never waste words trying to talk their kids into caring.


Obviously, I need to refresh my understanding of Love & Logic before the kiddos team up on me once again. :)
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ORN (as per, Wes): My long run didn't happen. 0 miles.