OUR LIFE IN 3D

On the bus to the Super Bowl

I am running a contest here in 3D. 

The first 5 readers who can tell me who played in last year’s Super Bowl will win a bag of Candy Canes and other left over Christmas and Halloween treats. OK?

Actually, I would have a hard time remembering who played. I can think of one team but not both. But in trying to make some plans for this year’s Big Game I remembered one of my favorite posts from last year, where Dylan was not going to lose… the attention of her Dad to some stinking football game.

So while you are trying to think of last year’s teams why don’t you grab a seat On The Bus To The Super Bowl:

Did you have a good time watching the Super Bowl? Do you have any good feasts or scrumptious snacks? I got my honey-do list done just in time to ‘score’ my favorite wings at the ‘What’s Your Blue’s name’ place, Sticky Fingers.

I settled down in front of the TV to see what transpires between the Patriots and Giants (Opps! the Contest is now over) and resolved to have a good time. My two little girls had their own agendas however.

Game On!

One perched on one side of my foot stool and one leaned across the other. Both wanted their share of MY wings. I told Mom, “I didn’t order enough!”. But Skylar was content to gnaw on the left over wings and Dylan made due with some BBQ’y pieces I tore off. Both were fighting for more of Daddy’s attention. And both were gonna lose this one night. I easily brushed them aside and out of my view of the TV as the game started. Not tonight girls!

Shortly after the game started however it was Skylar’s bedtime. Mommy scooped her up, read her a story and tucked her away. Now it was just down to Dylan, mano a mano, so to speak, to compete with my watching the great football finale. Once again I under estimated her!

As my wing dinner disappeared Dylan rethought her strategy. Seeing that my attention was firmly set on the TV, sitting on top of the mantle over our fireplace, she got on board. On the bus….

She says, “Daddy, I’m getting on the bus and you are the bus driver! Where are we going? Good idea?” I didn’t fall for it at first but she insisted. “Daddy, where do you wanna go? I’m ready. You’re the bus driver. I’m in my seat.”

Riding in the back of the bus

You see, she had gathered her toy drum and sat it on the brick ledge in front of the fire place. She put her kiddie chair in front, suggesting another seat on the bus for mommy. She sat back there with her little suitcase, sans pants, yet wearing dress up shoes. She was a force to be reckoned with! When she starts talking in her made up, yet serious  conversations, it just draws you in.

I had to just stall her until her bedtime in 45 minutes. “Do you have everything,” I asked, hoping to have her chase something down and out of my view.

“Yep”, she follows, “You are the bus driver. And I am riding on your bus. Where do you wanna go?”

“Well you better have everything because I am not coming back this way”, remembering how we left  her stuffed rabbit toy in Philadelphia on our last trip. “Everybody buckled in?”

“Yes I am daddy, I mean bus driver. Where are we going?”

“Charleston. Are you buckled in? Do you have everything?” Finally digesting her current outfit I said, “Hey! You can’t travel on my bus without any pants on. You have to be wearing pants to be on my bus!”. ~ I got her now!

She runs over to the chair where mommy had her folded baby laundry and pulls up the first pair of pants laying on top, then runs back to her spot at the back of the bus, conveniently during a commercial.         

I said, “Come back here young lady. I don’t know if that outfit is going to fly on this bus!” Seeing something funny is happening here, I told her, “I am going to have to get a picture of you to see if you can wear this outfit on my bus and turn it into my supervisor.” So I took her picture and then she ran back to her seat.

“Are we ready to go now bus driver”, she happily asks as she sees she is winning. “I’m ready. Where are we going to?”

“Charleston”, I told her. “Do you have everything? We’re not coming back this way. Are you buckled in?”

“Ahhhhh, bus driver? Can we stop back at the hotel? I think I left ‘rabbit’ back there. Then we can pick him up. Good idea?”

Well…..Good idea?

“No, pretty little rider in the back seat. We are headed to Charleston. Now, do you have everything? Are you buckled in? We’re not coming back ths way!”

Grabbing a DVD case I spied lying on the floor I picked it up and offered it as the in ‘bus trip’ movie. Dylan smiled, but missing the ball with my cleverness she said, “but you are looking at the TV. I don’t have one. How can I watch the movie? But I am ready to go bus driver”, she sad with a grin.

Just then one of the elaborate Super Bowl commercials came on. In the background was the song, “Wild Thing”, with the chant “Wild Thing”. With the ‘wings’ apparently kicking in, I offered up my extent of dancing, some head shaking and lip synching (sad, I know) to the song, while I sat on the sofa. Jumping on my enthusiasm to the song, my 4 year old jumps up out of her bus seat and starts shaking dancing like it was the ‘Funky Cold Medina. Where does she get this I thought? Luckily she enjoyed the song and attention long enough that I had time to catch a picture even with this slow digital camera.

Wild thing….you make my heart sing…

You couldn’t help but smile. Even mommy, looking up from her book, had to smile. My ‘pretty little bus passenger’ then hopped back in her seat and told me, “I’m ready to go daddy, I mean bus driver. Where are we going?”
I looked up for the score, seeing the end of the first quarter. It was ‘Dylan 14 – Super Bowl 3‘. She was going to go into her bedroom for night-night and win again. I don’t mind. Its not like I let her win, given what’s on the TV. But she still won. She’s a pretty smart girl. Maybe Gisele should model her for a while.