Donuts with M & this may be as "crazy" as E gets ...

Ok - so starting off a post with the word "donuts" does not bode well for someone who has just declared a big time workout and diet plan as part of her life. However.... this donuts thing is actually just a little tradition / ritual that Milo and I have developed over the long winter. I think I've mentioned before that Milo is my gymnast - a boy following in the footsteps of his equally limber, spazzy and hyper Mommy (that would be me). Many stories have floated around for years in my family of me climbing trees, swing sets, tennis fences, etc. - flipping when I was only three years old - so "spirited" that my Mom sought help from child psychologist friends not wanting to "break my spirit", but... freaking out because she had trouble controlling me (Sound familiar? I have relayed many a similar story about Milo.). Anyway, I spent years in gymnastics - 12 or more - half of that as a serious competitor - more years after that as a coach (as recently as six years ago or so - lifetime love. Digressing....). So... Milo is the only of my children to follow in my footsteps.

Every Wed. for well over a year now, we have been attending class with Miss Beth - executing perfect dive rolls on the crash mats, front limbers on the floor, and straddle jumps on the trampoline (and he really can do all that and more at four - totally cool :-). Afterwards, rain or shine - snow or rain (and I really do remember navigating the difficult, not at all plowed, city parking lot to keep our ritual alive during "snowmagedon 2010" (how do you spell that anyway?).

Here's how it goes: We hit Dunkin Donuts. I get coffee and Milo gets either a white cake donut with white icing and rainbow sprinkles or the same chocolate version. Sometimes two. We sit in front of the fake fireplace on metal chairs in this busy Squirrel Hill neighborhood, and.... "have a conversation" as Milo says. "You sit there, Mommy, and I'll sit here." He likes to sit across from me so he can talk to me (I think this stems from once, when he wanted me to sit on a greasy, sticky part of the "pleather" couch, and I told him I should sit across from him to enjoy our conversation. He remembered this, apparently. It became important to him. This was our time together. And.... it still is. Now, it is hot and humid - sometimes it rains so hard, we have to run for it, but..... we always stop for our donuts and conversation. Me and my Milo.

Now today is Enzo's kindergarten graduation. It is more of a silly show. I saw it once when he performed for the incoming kindergarten class (which will also be his new class - and is the reason I attended that performance too). It is actually pretty great - he plays a musical instrument (chosen to do so - I'm so proud) - he sings in Italian (Old MacDonald, but... hey... I can't do it - and, so, remain impressed) - his teacher plays the guitar and they do these exceedingly cute arm gestures and.... well, I love this kind of thing. The assignment is to dress crazy, and... as you can see in the photo I've included (the other is a self-portrait of me and Milo), my Enzo is calm and cool in front - wearing a striped shirt and plaid tie, he is still well-dressed in nice jeans, Adidas sneaks. In fact, the other kids have feathers and underpants on their heads, and..... Enzo is lookin' pretty conservative. He says he wants to go a little crazier tonight (I'm thinking snowman pj bottoms), but... we'll see :-).

So... off we'll go to watch Enzo. Olivia has a close friend's graduation party (she has seen Enzo perform so can miss tonight) - plus she has spent a good portion of the day working out at Club One with another friend. My Mom sent "Master Enzo" a graduation card (too funny) and included a ten dollar bill. He will be thrilled. Hubby is picking up our fundraiser t-shirts this afternoon, so we'll spend a portion of the evening sorting those. For now, I feel calm - Milo, Lil and friend, Finley, are playing with the water table out back - I am looking forward to tonight - 8th grade dinners and picnic behind me - billed my freelance project - fundraiser looking good for Friday...... Sigh.