The Olympics

In preparation for the Olympics, we've been teaching Elisabeth about races and competitions and, of course, the medal ceremony. So each night, instead of Crazy Dog, she's been doing "Crazy Jumps." She competes against that Lula Lou, who used to cheat and have points deducted for cheating - however Lula Lou seems to have been reformed. Elisabeth is a quick teacher, apparently, and Lula Lou is no longer bad. We are hearing, however, that Maura and Elspeth are villainous. Time will tell. And, Doug tells me that Maura is at least occasionally a dog. Anyway, back to Crazy Jumps.

The set up is sort of like the vault in gymnastics. The runway up to the vault consists of pillows: one bed pillow, one throw pillow, one bed pillow, one throw pillow, then the vault of two couch cushions stacked on top of each other. On the other side of the vault is a circular changing pad (thanks Lindsay!). On the changing pad are five rings of various colors. Elisabeth has to hop, in hopscotch fashion, on each pillow then stand on the couch cushions and bounce. Doug, who does both the play by play and the announcing tells her what she's required to do to get the points. For example, "Elisabeth is coming down the path, she's bouncing on the platform, and ladies and gentlemen, she'll get TWO points if she can land with one leg in the red and one leg in the yellow, can she do it?" Each night it is a close competition between Elisabeth and Lula Lou. Elisabeth always wins, though, and then we sing the national anthem and she receives her gold medal. Well we don't so much sing the national anthem as hum it, and we're required to hum it in different instrument imitations. And at least once the gold medalist has fallen off of the platform while just standing there.

After the medal has been awarded, she takes a very impassioned bow. I think that if we can teach her to curtsey with as much feeling as she bows, we'll be a big hit on the debutante circuit in 13 years or so. Let's face it, we'd be a big hit anyway.

So now, we're all very excited to watch the Olympics. I can't wait to show her gymnastics done by real gymnasts, because my pathetic excuse for a cartwheel is probably doing her a disservice.

Oh, and at noon every day the country station plays the national anthem. Yesterday on our way to Doug's office for the great handoff, it came on. She was pretty excited to find out it has words, and not just hums.

I believe I posted about Charlotte being a big fat pig and eating more than Elisabeth and me combined. We have cleared out a shelf for her in the fridge now. See for yourself.