What a weekend

Yes, it's 3:30 a.m. on Sunday. Scratch that, it's Monday. What year is it? Leo has just passed out again - the poor tyke has another rotten cold and the congestion is keeping him from sleeping well. Either that or it's his three teeth that are threatening to show up sometime soon. He's been such a good boy during the daytimes lately; it's unfortunate that we're a few weeks deep into nights like this. Max has turned himself around after picking up another ear infection last weekend. Cutest thing ever - he wandered into the kitchen Saturday morning looking sad and rubbing his ear. I asked if it hurt and he said "yes". I asked "Inside or outside" and he said "inside". Then he said "my tiny ear hurts on the inside". Heart. Breaking. Then he cried for about 45 minutes. Out of nowhere. Of course, some of that 45 minutes was in a clinic waiting room. That's the first time I've had to buy and administer pain reliever before leaving a drug store. Like I said, though, Max is much better (despite the fact that he seems to be among the 25% of kids his age to have generally grown out of napping).

So that's the Stardom context surrounding this past weekend, which was nothing short of amazing. As far back as Tuesday, when news first broke of our potential long weekend forecast, all of Ottawa got pretty excited. Things got started with 16 and sun on March 31st (I got a beauty of a sunburn on half of my face from sitting on a patio at lunch - oops). This was followed up by 19 on Thursday, and then 28-29-20 for the weekend. The previous records for Friday and Saturday were 16.7 and 21.4 so that pretty much took care of that. With the weather being so awesome, we were very excited about making some great outdoor plans for the kids for Easter. Or whatever the Jehovah's Witnesses call it:)

Friday morning, Leo woke up with his cold, but we still figured that some time outside would be good for him. We decided to join some of Holly's family members out at her aunt's cottage in Quebec. It marked the first time that Max stayed awake for the whole trip up. It was really cute to listen to him telling himself stories and singing songs under his breath in the back seat. Road trips with him are going to be great! Leo managed to sleep the whole way up, which helped him catch up a bit. Road trips with him are also going to be great! We arrived at noon and Holly was a little disappointed to find the lake still frozen over. Awesome pizza, a few games of Settlers of Catan, and more food followed for the adults, while Max spent time walking in the woods with Holly and Auntie K and playing outside with his new John Deere tractor set (thanks K&S!). Leo also got a John Deere shape sorter (apparently, they make John Deere everything, you just have to shop at the TSC). In the end, Holly found some time while Max and I were napping to get out to a boat launch where the ice had melted a little for a quick dip. Eventually, mid-afternoon, the lake ice split and started melting. It was pretty cool to watch that happen. On a 28-degree day. On April 2. Crazy.

Saturday, there was an Easter egg hunt organized at a local park in the neighbourhood in advance of the real Easter Bunny's arrival on Sunday. Parents were to arrive at the park at 9:30 to hide 10 eggs for every kid they brought to the hunt. The woman who organized it hid an additional 150 eggs. Then, everyone brought their kids at 10 and mayhem ensued. I stayed home with Leo while Holly and Max went to collect some Easter booty. Max came home with chocolates, marshmallows, jelly beans, full-size Creme Eggs and even an egg decorating kit. He sampled a ware or two and then we had to stash the rest.

Just before lunch, we decided to try to meet some friends at the Experimental Farm's Agricultural Museum. We got annual passes the last time we were at the Science and Tech Museum (the passes cover the Experimental Farm, the Science and Tech Museum and the Aviation Museum) so we couldn't really say no to the special Easter programming. In the end, we couldn't track our friends down in the sea of hundreds of kids and their parents (our cell phone died), but we still got to take in some farmy sights. Newborn lambs, calves and chicks were the highlights. There were also some eggs to collect and trade in for treats with a woman dressed up as the Easter Bunny. I believe this is the first time Max had seen an Easter Bunny of any variety in person so ever since the farm visit, he has been referring to the Easter Bunny as "she" - kind of like the Easter version of Dogma. He has also taken to randomly mentioning "Cows pee a lot".

In the final act at the farm, Max tripped and skinned his knee nicely so we ended up with a couple of tired, crying boys on the way home. Thankfully, both passed out for much-needed naps. I had no idea how much Max needed his, but he knocked himself out to the tune of 3:30 worth of sleep. Wow. That didn't really leave room for much of anything that night, but Max got himself into trouble a couple of times - once while promising to trade candies with Holly and then eating everything being traded by both sides. Yeah, that only works once.

Sunday, we received an Easter delivery from Winnipeg (thanks!!) and another local one and spent some time in the morning raking in more booty. Then we packed up for the day and headed to Nana's for some Easter fun. We started with some playground time where Leo chilled in a swing for about 15 minutes without moving a muscle...yet staying awake. Then Holly went back to the farm with her cousin and her boyfriend while Max played with Nana and Leo and I slept. I awoke and then oversaw the hiding of piles of goodies in the backyard while Max was distracted. Just missed that Bunny again! Leo was the one needing a nap this time as he dialed up 2:30 in the super-comfy guest bed. Then Max P.I. hit the yard with a vengeance, finding treats for the whole family, both high and low. The treats were high and low, not the family members. The spoils were divvied up and Max tore into his presents. Eventually, a wonderful dinner was served and Max, a little overwhelmed, just about passed out into his plate at the table. For a kid who never naps anymore, we sure put him through his paces this weekend! The evening was capped by a rousing game of Cranium won by Nana and yours truly, who both displayed an amazing array of skills (you try acting out "tanning bed" and "strip poker" with an infant strapped to your tummy:):) By the way, "defenestration" means the act of hurling someone through a window.

Here's some of the photo evidence from the weekend.


Leo trying on a summer look while playing with his new John Deere shape sorter.


Max loving his new tractor set. Apparently, this is the place to get anything you've ever wanted. But makeup.


OK, so Leo tried to drink from a cup/bottle for the first time this weekend - one with a straw. We weren't sure how it would go, but it was obvious he was getting something out of the straw. How did we know? This is the before picture.


This is the after picture. Even after not seeming to like the apple juice/water mélange, Leo kept going back for more, over and over again. Like Nelly and Tim McGraw. Max was cracking up so hard across the table that he had to get out of his chair and stand right next to Leo to laugh in his face.


Leo, hanging out with his womenfolk. Yes, this was the morning that he woke up with the horrible cold.


Holly actually doing a pseudo polar bear dip. There are better pictures of her escapade, but they expose a little more skin :)


Max and Dad, pensively looking out over the frozen lake. Wondering what Mommy was thinking with that swimming adventure.


Auntie Krysta, Steven and Max at the little guy's first campfire. Max (of course) loved toasting marshmallows.


Max finds an egg at the park Saturday morning. It's too bad some people didn't stuff actual eggs in the eggs.


The boys at the Ag Museum. What an awesome weekend!


Max does the live-action version of Pat the Bunny.


Holly relaxes in a giant John Deere tractor wheel. This weekend really had a John Deere theme, didn't it?


It's slide season! Max used to be tentative atop slides, but this year, he isn't holding back.




A triptych of Max and the Easter Egg Hunt. Yes, that's a bag of Cheetos Puffs.


The Stardoms. Any idea what the over/under is on the year/month/day when all members of our family are smiling and looking at the camera in one of these?