Birthday fun and the Olympics

Nikolai celebrated his 11th birthday on Saturday with a few cousins and his siblings, all who were eager to attack his birthday cake – an aircraft carrier.


Birthday fun and the Olympics
By Allan Olson
We survived another long weekend with a house full of kids, and I mean long, since they were fortunate enough to get a four-day weekend after conferences on Wednesday evening, so we were able to enjoy their company twice as long as usual.
We were prepared for company on Friday evening. My cousin and his family were stopping by on their way through to look at a new residence a little further northwest. (This means we will no longer have access to the free lodging we have become accustomed to in Duluth, but apparently that’s not a good enough reason for them to stay there.) They arrived late, but so did I after attending a basketball game. Once they arrived, the fun began. They brought beverages and a game – Rummy Royal. Even though it was 10 p.m. (my official bedtime) when they showed up, I was ready for an evening of fun. Once the kids got settled and they got unpacked, we started on the beverages and the game. Time flew by, and it was nearly 1:30 a.m. before we all retired for the evening (or should I say morning?), which is way late for me.
Surprisingly, I was awake by 7 the next morning – no sleeping in for me. We enjoyed visiting with my cousin and family while feasting on a scone buffet, but before long it was time for me to go. Nikolai had basketball practice, and I had elementary wrestling and a fishing tournament to cover that morning and afternoon. Once I finished working those events, we were able to get back home in time for more company to arrive – my brother and his family were coming over for Nikolai’s birthday party. He got delayed by work, though, so I settled into my recliner to watch the Olympics. Abigail joined me in short order, and I guess we both settled in too well. She dozed off and, not to be outdone, I soon joined her in a snoozefest in the chair. I left her sleeping there after I got up to help with supper, and she continued in that mode even after I moved her twice. The company arrived and she still didn’t wake up, even with the extra kids running around making noise. Finally I had to wake her up, or the homemade pizza would have been totally consumed with no assistance from her. After supper we all enjoyed birthday cake and ice cream.
It was a fun evening visiting with my brother and sister in-law, and we all crowded into our room to watch the evening Olympic events. We couldn’t take over the television downstairs, since the kids would then be forced to be quiet or move upstairs, and neither of those scenarios was likely. The next morning I convinced my wife that if she made the pancake batter, I would fry them and clean up, and I figured my brother would help. In the end, he fried the cakes and I made syrup and cooked the bacon. We both cleaned up and, of course, delegated some duties to the kids. It wasn’t long before they had to leave, and I was hoping for a nap, but it wasn’t meant to be. I had to take a nephew part-way home. He had been delivered to us by his mom on Friday evening when she came over to make Nikolai’s birthday cake.
That road trip took most of the rest of the afternoon, and I decided it would be too late for a nap when I got home, although the thought was still tempting. That evening I watched some more Olympics, and we even allowed the kids to break their no-Sunday-evening-TV rule to watch the Olympics. Abigail must have really been paying attention; she came into our room later and asked if we had seen the two young girls skating (Russia and U.S). We said we did, and she was quick to share her opinion on their performances. “They were awesome,” she said, and offered that the Russian was the better skater of the two.
I broke the no-TV rule again on Monday morning and turned on some Olympic coverage prior to school. Thankfully I shut it off before I got caught up in it, since I forgot to have the kids get their bags ready for school, and we had to scramble to get them packed and out the door on time.
This weekend’s plans aren’t confirmed yet – we might have some company, and we might be watching my cousin’s kids while they move. I will probably find some time to watch more Olympics, too.
Please be safe while ice fishing this season, and remember to take a picture to preserve a lifetime of memories. Also please watch out for the buses that are transporting our children, and remember to drive safely this winter season. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! For more of my columns visit: http://allan-crazykids.blogspot.com

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