Live Long and Prosper

This weekend, on top of the usual business of Tumble Tots and swimming, we drove up to Castle Donington for a reunion of my mother's family. It was a long drive, and the food was... so-so, but the company was excellent, and in particular Arya made friends with Maddie, her first cousin once removed (I think.)

There is no toddler in the world who doesn't appreciate an older child with the
willingness and energy to throw a ball back and forth forever.

All-in-all, it's been a trying weekend, and I think that Arya is hitting her stride with the terrible twos, sulking or crying if she doesn't get her way. She is beginning to understand negotiation, but at the moment mostly seems to understand it as some trick to keep he from getting what she wants/needs/deserves, especially if she's already worked herself up a bit. Despite kicking off once or twice, my family agreed that she was a lovely, good-natured child.

The plane, boss! The plane!

While we were there, we got a special treat. There was a huge crowd in the public bar (fortunately we'd booked the restaurant) and cars all up the road, as it turned out that the Spirit of Great Britain, the last airworthy Vulcan bomber, was making its final flights. What we saw was a flyby as part of the penultimate flight (the very last was on Sunday) of what Arya called a 'big plane'. She seemed pretty taken with the whole experience, and although she made an attempt to hightail it back down the hill after a big jet flew over, the louder Vulcan seemed not to bother her so much.

The trip back was easier than the trip up, thanks to good advice from family (whatever the TomTom thought, the M1 was open) and Arya falling asleep and staying asleep until pretty much seven the next morning.

We went to see Minions on Sunday, which I think was a hit all around, but she was completely thrown by running out of popcorn. I don't think that's happened to her recently, and she didn't quite know how to handle not having popcorn in the cinema. It would all have gone smoother had we not been so very, very tired, but we were and it got a little tense. Then she wouldn't stay with me while we waited for Hanna and kept running around. I had my hands full of stuff, so I said in the end:

Minion.

"Arya; I have too much stuff in my hands to pick you up, so if you don't stay by me, I'll have to throw this box away so I have a free hand." (presents box of popcorn, complete with drink and raisins and chocolate stars.)
"No! My chocolate!"
"Then stay with me."
"My chocolate!"
"Then stay with me."
"My chocolate!"

"Then stay... Would you like to carry the box?"
"Yes."
"And you'll stay with me?"
"Yes."

And in fairness, she did, so bargaining is starting to have some real mileage.