Tag-a-long

This was the last time I'll take Jason anywhere for awhile.  Just when Heidi leaves this crazy stage of having the ability to move and vocalize, but no discipline, Jason enters.  That's the bad part about having three kids back to back.  This is what Jason did all weekend in Lynden:

He dumped food on the floor in the hotel. But that's a given. I can deal with that. I'm just glad I got to stay in a hotel where there wasn't things to be pulled off shelves.

Saturday was the long day.  We had to be at the arena at 7:30 AM and we didn't leave until after 6:00 PM.  It was raining, so I couldn't just let him walk around outside like I did last time.  I did pop over to visit an old friend of mine that I haven't seen in seven years in between events. That was a nice break from the dirt and mud of the stables.  But I finally broke and had to get him outside.  He got so wet and muddy.

I got him changed into dry clothes and went back inside.  All weekend long, we pointed to horses and said, "horse."  By Sunday he would look at a horse if I said horse.  So now he knows a word besides "Jason."

Ruger was missing the other horses and complained loudly.  Which made Jason cry.

He will find dirt, no matter where it is.

Vaulting competitions are like golf.  You have to be quiet so you don't spook the horses.  Some horses are very sensitive, just like dobermans.  Ruger didn't like the garage door being opened a foot, so he kept shying away from it and losing points.  Another horse thought he was too big to fit through the tractor door to the area and kept rearing and causing a fuss (I got out of there right away).  That was the biggest most beautiful horse I've ever seen in my life.  He was BIG!!! Two things that are not welcome during events are noisy kids and strollers.  Some horses don't like people wearing backpacks either because it isn't normal.  Other horses are very laid back and you can climb all over them and push strollers right around them and not even worry.

Jason drove me CRAZY! At one point, when I was trying to get Jason to fall asleep by pacing with the stroller, I was asked to leave by another parent because the stroller might make the horse skittish.  I walked out the door and then Jason was super noisy because I stopped walking.  I walked a LOT on Saturday.  I was exhausted.

"The audience loves me!"

Jason walked a lot too.  While the cousins were here, we started playing a game that when Jason starts to clap, everyone claps for him.  He loves it.  When all the people clapped for the vaulters earning ribbons, Jason thought the whole arena was clapping for him and him alone.

After the ribbons, the team headed to a restaurant for a team dinner.  A real restaurant. With menus.  I haven't been in one for over four years.  And I didn't stay.  As soon as Jason started climbing out of his high chair, I left.  I was too tired to deal with him another second.  I left Genevieve with another vaulting mom that was staying in our hotel, cancelled my order (and paid for Evie's), and went back to our room.  Jason immediately fell asleep in his car seat and slept all night.  I dozed until Genevieve came back from swimming with her friends and then I was out for the rest of the night too.  I can't remember the last time I was that tired.

Sunday was dry, so we found a far away corner to hang out in until it was time to go.  Jason slept all the way home.  And I still feel tired.