Weekend in Kalamazoo

Let me start the same way I start most of my posts - it's been way too long since I've posted! I want to thank my beautiful and very talented writer/wife who has been so great about keeping up with the blog. We both have very busy schedules and lives and while I use that as an excuse she still finds time to write entries on the blog. Maybe it's because I'm cleaning the kitchen or doing laundry while she is blogging. We have a clear division of labor but I'll probably pay for that comment at some point....

Anyway, I recognize that Kasey is doing all of the work on this blog that many years from now will be so much fun to look back at and read for the two of us as well as Myla, Luke, and future Baby Blazes (you never know). I really appreciate that and also couldn't miss an opportunity to capture in writing one of these stories from last weekend that we will laugh about for years.

So last weekend we piled the kids into the car and drove up to Kalamazoo with our friends Neal and Abbie and their two children. From what I recall, we had a great lunch at a pizza joint. The reason it's a little difficult to remember is because of the constant screeching from Luke as he continues to explore his own voice. The other people in the restaurant laugh for the first few minutes but then usually don't find it so funny anymore.

We then spent a few hours at the Air Zoo which is a place that has 20 or so airplanes from different eras on display as well as some small rides and interactive stuff. A fun place but the kids aren't quite old enough to really enjoy it just yet. We then headed into downtown Kalamazoo to burn off some energy at a park before dinner and that's when the real fun began.

We were all having a great time playing when we started to notice Myla holding herself as if she had to go to the bathroom. This has become a regular occurrence, but when we ask Myla if she has to go the bathroom she always says "no." Unfortunately, she has had a few accidents recently where she basically gets too busy playing at school or at home and just goes in her pants. The maddening thing is that not only does she not try to tell someone she has to go, but she doesn't even tell you after she has gone. She just keeps playing. (When she had another accident this past week we were asking her about it and she tells us in this sweet little voice, "I'm just a little girl." Grrrr.)

I didn't want to deal with an accident, so I grabbed her and said we were going to the bathroom. Unfortunately, we were in downtown Kalamazoo on a Sunday afternoon so not much was open and there were no public restrooms at the park. I've never been to Kalamazoo before so had no idea which direction to even walk in, so Kasey and Luke joined us as we started to walk in the hopes we would quickly find a restaurant we could duck into.

Not more than 200 feet into our walk I picked up Myla because she was walking too slow, and I instantly realized that she had already had an accident - and it wasn't just pee. No mention of it at all by Myla which is so frustrating because she has been doing so well with the potty training. I ask her why she didn't just tell us she had to go and she said "I don't know." This is one of many times each day where I have to remind myself that Myla is only three.

We still don't see anywhere to go, so I'm carrying Myla but trying to do so in way that doesn't make a bigger mess. We finally round a corner and see a McDonalds. I take her in and we go to the restroom to clean up. This is the part of the story that I could never do justice, because you had to be there, but the place was disgusting. I honestly was more grossed out by the state/smell of the bathroom than what I had to clean up with Myla. There were all sorts of unsavory characters hanging out at this place and it was just awful. I'm yelling at Myla the whole time in the bathroom, "don't touch anything!"

We finally came out of the restroom all cleaned up and walked back to the park. It added to my elevated blood pressure on the way back when Myla just didn't seem to understand why this was such a big deal. Clearly it wasn't, and is definitely something to laugh about, but all you parents out there know how frustrating these situations can be. We made it back to the park and then dinner and she continued on as if nothing had happened. As a side note, we had dinner at the Bell's Brewery where Luke finally was able to get to something on the table before we could pull it away from him. Again, all the parents out there are familiar with the game we play at any meal that includes clearing the reachable space of any objects we don't want them to grab. Well, he got to my almost-full beer before I could react and dumped the entire thing out on the table. Score one for Luke!

Yes, this is probably way too much information for all the readers and something not all that interesting. But I thought it was the perfect little story, especially a couple days before Father's Day, to put down in writing so that years from now we can laugh and remember some of the rough moments with our children when you couldn't decide whether you wanted to be mad or laugh at the fact that my life includes moments of carrying my poopy three year old daughter through a town I've never been in only to end up changing her in a disgusting McDonald's/homeless shelter. Being a dad is great and I love everything about it - even these moments!