Getting Old, Crystal Rain, Water Babe, and Saturday Date

I'm just not the woman I used to be. It took me this whole week to catch up from a weekend with my girlfriends. Three nights of post-midnight bedtimes felt so RIGHT at the time. Two of the nights were 3am nights. Where did I think I was, IN COLLEGE? I was darn near positive I was gonna come down with some sort of bug from how tired I was upon arrival back home. And, don't ya know, Mr. Jackson-man was a PERFECT sleeper while I was away... through the night each of the three nights Daddy was in charge. Scott reported this proudly. Then, when his sleep-deprived mother arrive on the scene, he started up with this 4:00am ish ritual of needing TLC. But, I confess, I was happy to oblige the first night home when I had arrived after his bedtime. Any snuggle time, albeit untimely, was OK with me. The nights thereafter were seriously unnecessary.

I just reread the last paragraph. And I am beginning to think it could be categorized as whiney. How dare I gripe!! I'm disgusted with myself! As a good friend, Holly, from college once wisely stated, "Thirty years from now am I gonna remember great late-night experiences (in this case, genuinely holy talk time with four of my favorite girls on earth and 9-month-old-lying-motionless-on-my-chest moments in a rocking chair)- or am I gonna remember the sleep I got when I forewent those experiences?" I know what my memory will hold more dear. It's my body I'm worried about (haa!).

How bout this fun outdoor sparkling action we've had as of late? I took a couple pictures yesterday during our family walk, but they didn't seem to do the sights justice. It literally felt like the sky was dripping crystals - the frozen rain that had been coating the trees melted down drip by drip. Very beautiful.

So, what have the Arthurs been doing this weekend? Well, Scott had off Friday due to school cancellations - and we decided to gear up for some indoor swimming! Whewee, was that a riot! We decided upon the Dublin Rec Center, mainly because their website boasted about a lazy river. Cool! We're IN!

First off - word to the wise - if you are thinking of introducing a pool to your baby for the first time (well, KIND of for the first time - Florida in Dec constituted his VERY first time, but he wasn't digging it then AT ALL), choose a weekday when every school aged child in the Columbus area ISN'T off of school and swimming at the same time. It really was a blast. We entered the water during the "break time" for the rest of the young whipper snappers. Adults were allowed in then. Jackson was JUST getting his rhythm when the whistle blew and IN THEY CAME! He did alright the rest of the time, but blinked excessively and clinched [onto either Scott's chest hair or my you-know-what's] for dear life whenever a small child with alien-looking goggles threatened to drown his little self with splashes and vigorous ripples in the heavily chlorinated water. Whatever pee Jackson's swollen diaper may have leaked out was instantaneously de-bacterialized with the potency of that water. Scott and I haven't seen straight since, our eyes have been so dried out.

Saturday night was quite the spontaneous evening as well. At about noon, Scott and I looked at each other and said, "Let's get out together alone." So we promptly surveryed our babysitting options and gave Tiff a try. Tiff is Sophia's mom down the street. She agreed to hang with Mr. Arthur Junior at her house. I made sure to remind Tiff to force he and Sophia to sleep in SEPARATE beds. Hee. Tiff was a dear to do this for us. Oh, how we got GIDDY once we secured baby-help. We got our thinking caps on about what the night should entail. We ended up with a movie at Studio 35, "Juno." We couldn't have picked a better setting for that type of movie. LOVED BOTH. Studio 35 is incredibly unique and fun. Apparently, Studio 35 fans are die-hard. They not only order a meal to eat while watching the show on the single screen (there are a few tables in the back of the theater where you can kick back and enjoy that pizza or chicken wing meal you ordered while movie-watching), but also start the beer-drinking then and don't end it until midnight, when the attached bar shuts down. What? Attached bar? How cool is that? You may be thinking this is all too hokey... but my existence in one word is "hokey" so the place fit me well.

Now, on to Juno. It's an independent film that he Scott and I in stitches. The humor is slightly off-beat. But the fact that so much humor can be found from a quite sobering storyline of a teenage pregnancy is even more interesting. We were impressed with and entertained by it.

Then, off to get a couple apps and drinks from a place called EJ's in Grandview, where we met up with friends. It felt good to be out. And, to tell you the truth, I felt semi-hip. Emphasis on the "semi," but it's a start.

Gotta run. The cocomotion I bought Scott for his birthday (and then again for Christmas - long story) is not working right and he's in a panic. It has been used nearly every night in 2008. I must console him. Without the cocomotion, nights in this house won't be the same. (For those of you who are not familiar with a "Cocomotion" - it's a glorified milk-warmer-upper used to prepare hot cocoa. Don't let Scott know I sarcastically described it as "glorified." He believes it is divine).