Many of you already know this, but today is my birthday. Another year older. I started the day by going to the DMV to get my drivers license renewed. I spent a good amount of time making sure I had the right shirt on and would be making the right smile/face for my photograph. However, it was all for naught. Yes, the face that will appear on my drivers license for the next six years resembles that of a swollen, burnt marshmallow. Really nice.

This afternoon, we were looking to do something as a family so I chose ice skating. We went to Frontier Park in St. Charles, along the Missouri River, where they have a temporary ice rink set up. I wanted to take Oliver out for his first skate.

Well, it could have been worse, I guess. He was really, really crabby. We only made it around the rink one time with his rented ice skates on. Here’s the only proof I have (look close at his feet) that he did “lace them up” before his second birthday:



He really wanted to walk around, so we put his shoes back on and he calmed for a bit. Then, he wanted to go back out on the ice with me. I held his hands and he would either walk or drag his feet as I pushed him around the rink. On some occasions, he’d lean way back and make eye contact with me, saying, “Upside down,” and smiling ear to ear. It was really cute, and I’ll always remember that look he gave me.
 


But then other times, his face would curl up into “pouty” mode and he’d be inconsolable. You can see that in some of the pictures, like this one:



A few times, I’d hug him and he’d just want to watch the skaters whiz by, like in this picture:



Other times, he just wanted his mother. He even coaxed her into taking him over to look at one of the nearby train cars. However, once he got over there, he still was cranky:



He finally relaxed after we got some food in his tiny stomach. He had to eat his hot dog with a spoon, but he sure enjoyed it:



The rest of my birthday went well. We’re relaxing now, after putting Oliver to bed. Plus, it’s been a long week and I have to work tomorrow. I do owe you all a blog post about the second part of our Christmas adventure. Hopefully, I can get something posted this weekend. Hope you all had a great holiday and will be safe on New Year’s Eve.