Boulder, The Meltdown of the Century & Three-Day Tacos: Day 3 of Dad Visiting!

Today we took my dad to Boulder, CO. If you don't know this already: we LOVE Boulder. :)  The traffic wasn't that bad driving to Boulder and the day was really nice, so we all enjoyed the drive.  As usual, Boulder was beautiful, just in a different way--the green trees had turned brown but the brown mountains were covered in snow.  Still beautiful.  The city itself was busy as usual with foot traffic, but we were able to find a parking spot a lot easier than last time.  We parked downtown near Pearl Street and then walked over to Pearl Street to window shop & look for a place to eat lunch.  We saw many shops and restaurants that we want to check out eventually.  There was even a little play area for small children that had boulders (very appropriate) that they could climb on.  Johnny wasn't in the mood to play on it (probably because there were too many other kids there), so we'll try it out later.  :)  

We ended up deciding on an Italian restaurant called Pasta Jay's.  There was only a couple of other people eating there when we went in, but it got crowded right before we left.  The windows weren't in the panes, so there was a nice open feel & breeze throughout the entire restaurant.  We were sitting near the windows facing west, so we had a great view of the Flatirons and the Rockies. John ordered a turkey & pesto sandwich, my dad ordered chicken fettucini alfredo, Johnny ordered Parmesan chicken strips (okay, I ordered them, but they were the only thing on the menu that I thought he might like), and I ordered the Chicken Juliana which was the special (chicken stuffed with artichoke hearts, broccoli, & cheese, wrapped in pancetta, and served over pasta with alfredo sauce).  We all enjoyed our meals a lot--well, Johnny ate one of the strips, which in his world means that he liked it a lot.  :)  All of our meals came with some really delicious garlic bread too that had some unusual seasonings.  The plates were HUGE so we ended up leaving way overstuffed.  

After we left the restaurant we made our way back to the car, which took twice as long as it did to walk the first time since Johnny wanted to walk by himself (he would only hold Papa's hand).  He kept getting distracted by his shadow and all of the people and stores.  He picked up a rock along the way and towards the end he started to get really tired, which meant he slowed way down.  Once back in the car we made our way up The Hill in Boulder to visit the Boulder History Museum.  Today was their Free Day (which is also advertised as Sundae Sunday because on the Free Day each month--the first Sunday--they serve a free sundae at the end of the tour).  The museum is in a turn of the century house that houses relics from all of Boulder's past--from Gold Rush, mining, factories, famous people, pioneers, activists, etc. on.  There wasn't much in the museum, but it was interesting.  Unfortunately Johnny was really tired and ready for a nap and just wanted to run around and get into everything, so we didn't get to stay very long.  We also didn't see any place where they were serving the free ice cream sundaes (sad, I know) so we just left.  Following an epic meltdown, Johnny promptly fell asleep in his car seat within minutes of departing the museum.  Which is always good times. :)

John had to work from 3-7pm today so we had to head home.  John ended up leaving shortly after we got home and my dad & I hung out while Johnny napped.  My dad wanted to go to Target after Johnny's nap so we went...  To the toy aisle.  So my dad could spoil Johnny.  If only this entire story only involved the dinosaur/dragon toys he bought Johnny & the subsequent happiness.  No, that would be too easy for The Terrible Two...

I don't know when the last time was that any of you have been in the aisle that has all the dinosaur action figures in it, but they have this new giant robotic dinosaur that you can control with a remote and it roars and moves all over the place.  Basically it is awesome.  And very very expensive--$150 expensive ($130 on sale).  They have it in a plastic case where you press a button and it comes to life and roars and stomps.  Johnny has seen it once before when we made the mistake of taking him in that aisle and John started playing with it in awe (I swear, men never outgrow little boy toys).  Of course, as soon as Johnny saw it that time he wanted it.  Right then.  It ended in tears on the way to the grocery aisles, but subdued eventually.  Not today.  Today there was Papa.  The very same Papa who gives Johnny whatever he wants.  Candy? Sure!  Stay up late? Of course! Get into mischief? Anything for my Bubba!  You just hit me? Oh, that's okay, I know you didn't mean it.  [Foreshadow alert: this is not going to end well.]


It started out okay--Johnny let Papa put him in the cart (he hates sitting in the cart--opting instead to be carried throughout the store) and we were cruising along to the toy aisle (I was not adequately prepped ahead of time for this jaunt to the toy aisle).  My dad was slightly ahead of me looking in the aisles and I asked him what he was looking for as he turned into an aisle.  I heard the words "Some more of those dinosaurs & dragons that my mom sent him for Halloween".  It didn't register right away...it didn't register until I rounded the corner and took in this sight: my dad handing Johnny two separate dinosaur/dragon toys, Johnny's gleeful face, and in the corner of my eye--the evil robotic dinosaur display.  Would you care to guess who else spotted the display at the exact nanosecond that my peripheral vision picked it up?  If you guessed Johnny, then you are a genius (or it was pretty obvious).  All hell broke loose at that exact moment.  Johnny threw the toys his Papa had so graciously given him only moments before onto the ground, thrust himself towards the display case, reached out his sticky (actually they were meticulously cleaned because he has a germ freak for a mother, but somehow it just seems right to describe toddler's hands as sticky?  Just as it feels right to describe baby hands as chubby?) toddler hands, and started screaming and yelling for the damn robotic dinosaur.  As the truth of the situation (re: we weren't going to buy him the evil robotic dinosaur) dawned on Johnny, the screams subsided.  Ha ha, just kidding--did I get you there?  That would be a really drawn out and boring story if it ended all lame like that (lame=a mother's dream).  No, the screams became increasingly loud & shrill and the stares from other people became more insistent and scathing.  The volume of his screams seemed to be directly correlated with the degree of humiliation that mommy felt.


I tried to reason with him.  Yes, I tried to reason with a two year old.  A two year old in the midst of a meltdown brought on by the most incredible toy he had ever seen.  Who was I kidding??  Clearly two small toys were not going to suffice next to a gigantic robotic dinosaur.  *sigh* My dad, being in shock (how could the most innocent little boy in the world do that?), and laughing periodically (because he has to laugh at all the mischief The Terrible Two gets into) wasn't able to do anything--this little boy was looking at him with accusatory eyes as if to dare him not to buy him the damn evil robotic dinosaur toy.  So, I had to just suck it up and pick up the flailing and violent toddler and attempt to carry him out of the store quickly and as quietly as possible, all while teetering on the tightrope between keeping a grasp of him as he repeatedly squirmed & flailed about and not sparking any interest in the onlookers to call Child Protective Services or accuse me of abducting a child.  I passed several people who stood staring at us with their mouths hanging open--as if they had never seen a toddler throwing a tantrum before.  Puh-lease.  One kind woman actually ran out of line to help me pick up the binky that my son had launched across the store in his last-ditch effort to avoid leaving the store.  And I am not exaggerating when I say that she ran and gave up her place in line.  To that woman, whoever you are: thank you. 

He didn't stop flailing until I got him inside the car.  Frankly I'm surprised no one tried to stop me and accused me of abducting a child because he was fighting me SO much and was yelling "let go" at the top of his lungs over and over.  I placed him in the passenger seat of the car and then slumped into the driver's side with an exhausted sigh.  The tantrum immediately ceased and I had to look at the little boy with the red face and tears streaming down his face.  I told him in a calm--yet firm--voice that it was not okay to throw a tantrum inside a store.  And that if he throws tantrums inside the store then he will be removed from said store.  I told him that he hurt Papa's feelings by throwing the toys he was trying to buy him and that he shouldn't throw tantrums over a toy that he is told he cannot have.  All the while, Johnny just stared at me with these big brown eyes, sucking on his binky, sniffling, and twirling his little curly locks on his finger.  It was hard to believe that this was the very same boy I had just witnessed go through a meltdown on the verge of igniting World War III in the store...the very same one that I had carried, kicking & screaming, out of the store mortified and wishing I could sink into the ground...ohhhh--look at that cute, innocent face with those long lashes and chubby cheeks...

Wait! Yes, that was the very same toddler.  The Terrible Two had reared his ugly head and then manipulated me with its very adorable face and hair-twirling habits into thinking that I had blown it out of proportion.  Sadly, I think I am going to age an extra twenty years before he leaves behind the toddler years.

As we sat there quietly, my dad approached the car with the two dinosaur/dragon toys that he had bought him.  (If it had been me, I probably would have not bought them, but my dad was only there for the weekend and wanted to spoil his grandson so what can you do?)  Johnny greeted his Papa with a smile as if nothing had happened at all.  *sigh*  Papa continued to think the world revolved around Johnny. *sigh*  Papa promised Johnny the evil robotic dinosaur for Christmas. *sigh* I drove us home and once inside the apartment, Johnny happily played with the new toys his Papa had spoiled him with.  (And mommy silently broke the evil robotic dinosaur to pieces inside here head.)  *double sigh*

(what?)

...


Flash forward to this evening.  We had tacos for dinner, and not just any tacos.  We had John's grandpa John's amazing tacos that take three days to make.  It involves a process of three days of cooking and simmering the meat for four to six hours each day.  The recipe itself is fairly basic--lean ground beef, tomato sauce, taco seasoning, and a little hot sauce.  But the process of cooking, crushing, and marinating the meat for three days makes the meat incredibly soft and the flavor is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.  John raves about them all the time and I finally got to try them on the visits to his grandparents in Oregon.  I loved tacos before but these tacos are the best I've ever had.  We had asked for the recipe a while back but wanted to wait to make them for my dad since they are labor intensive.  So, we've been cooking them since Thursday night (we took Halloween night off) and cooked it for three days (storing in the fridge when not cooking, of course).  We all really enjoyed the tacos and ate quite a bit even though none of us were really all that hungry--lunch at Pasta Ray's was sooooo filling.  Now we are all like ticks filled with blood and ready to pop! (I'm sure you really appreciate that visual)


Now we are all watching National Treasure on NBC and Johnny has been playing with his new toys from Papa (taking intermittent breaks to cuddle with Papa) but just recently fell asleep on his Papa.  Tomorrow morning my dad will be flying back home and Johnny will have to say goodbye.  Johnny missed his Papa A LOT last time (he wasn't himself for a couple of weeks), but I think he might miss him more this time.  He understands more now what going away means and he is older.  And he has been joined at his Papa's hip this entire weekend as if he was afraid that he would leave at any second.  This makes me sad for Johnny.  I really hope that he is okay after his Papa leaves and recovers fairly quickly  I will also miss my dad a lot (like I miss all the rest of my family & friends back home).  John will miss my dad too--they get along really well (probably because they are A LOT alike--the saying that girls marry guys like their fathers is true). We have really enjoyed having my dad here, especially since we've been so far from family & friends since August.  We are very much looking forward to visiting home in January!  

Wish us luck tomorrow morning--especially for little Johnny who has to adjust to losing his Papa again for a little while.  Pray that my dad's flight will be safe (and that he will be able to handle leaving Johnny again).  We love & miss you all back home!  And a special shout out to three special people who are celebrating birthdays today: Eileen, Megan, & Romeo.  :)  Happy Birthday!