We Have Mondo'ed. And It Was Good.

This past weekend was the Mondo festival. So much excitement! So much exhaustion!

On Friday, Anson must have thought he was in heaven. Balls! Everywhere! Other people throwing them! Hundreds of people throwing them! And the noo-nees, and then the noo-nees playing with balss... he spent most of the evening walking around and just taking it all in. Things were a little too much for him. The visual stimulation was astounding. Cousin K was hangin' with him, so I got a chance to do a little riding. After awhile, I found them watching unicycle hockey, and Anson had his head down on K's shoulder. When I got closer, I found Anson's little face was twisted into an expression of torment, and he had a single tear running down his face. I asked him if he was sad, and he burst into full-out tears. Even Mama had a hard time consoling him! This shocked K, as she thought he was just resting.

On Saturday, even more fun was had, mostly because Anson got to hang with Grandma & Grandpa while Mama played at Mondo. Even without the balls and noo-nees, Anson had a great time. Grandma got him new books to read (the key to the Doo's heart), and he had the undivided attention of two fun people. Back at Mondo, I managed to unicycle my little bottom off, riding my 20" more in one day than I had the last two years combined. I had forgotten how satisfying all the broken nails, bruises in strange places, and overall muscle soreness were. Another highlight was watching co-worker A learn how to juggle! And, thanks again, Grandma, for staying up so late!

Sunday, the Little Doo demanded more Mondo time, and woke four hours before the gym opened. This allowed us to get to the gym bright and early, long before the ball-throwers and noo-nee riders appeared. The open space was thrilling for Anson. He ran and ran and ran, then rode his little scooter, then ran and ran and ran some more. Eventually, jugglers appeared, prompting Anson to create covert operations to steal their balls. 'I'm so cute, they won't notice me digging through their stuff!' However, Mama foiled his plan every time. Anson was also a little bummed we didn't bring his noo-nee, but Mama was afraid some big strong boys would also try to ride it and break it in two. Cousin K was also there to play with, but Anson was quite insistent that Mama played with him all morning. No more riding for me! It was nice to be wanted, though, as he usually could care less who he played with. Anson was completely worn out by the time we left. He made it only two blocks in the car before passing out. I carried him through the frigid air into the house, removed his jacket, changed his diaper, and he didn't even stir.

We all passed out on Sunday night, exhausted by yet another successful Mondo.