Saturday in Tirana

Saturday started off with a breakfast of whole wheat and oatmeal pancakes so healthy and hearty that we felt justified in drowning them with pools maple syrup--maple syrup that costs $20 a bottle (I wish that were a lie).

After breakfast Ollie immediately made a request for "Car Game" on the PS2--Oh, they grow up so quickly. Ollie is a future video game junkie, which is apparent by how he's already too lazy to use both hands to function the controller. In the recesses of his mind he's thinking "I hope they develop mind-controlled video games by the time I'm old enough to understand what I'm doing."

Ainsley employed the more creative side of her brain by painting random shapes on what was meant to be wrapping paper, but ultimately became garbage after Ollie spilled Ainsley's water all over it.

This caused Ainsley to exact her revenge by showing Ollie that she's a superior gamer to him. Ollie didn't mind much since he enjoys watching almost more than he enjoys playing.

Jen got her mow on and started on the yard...which was no easy task. Our gardener (aka Teuta's husband), who loves working in our yard, also runs an ice cream store (see previous post), so he has little time to actually help out with our yard, causing us to tend our .0005 acres by ourselves.

The kids thought it would be a nice idea to (read: were guilted into) helping their 7-month pregnant mother in the yard. (Photo reality: Ainsley begrudgingly posed for the picture, while Ollie used it as an excuse to play in the water.) Shortly after this picture was taken they got bored of the yard and went back inside to their video games.

After a tough morning of chores, it was bath time.

Later that afternoon, the kids were invited to a birthday party over at a French couple's house. Now say what you will about the French, but they can cook sweets. This party was beset with a decadent and delicious spread of goods capable of making teeth rot and children hyper, all homemade. The cake you see above was no ordinary chocolate cake, but came from a secret recipe full of sugar, cane sugar, coconut, more dairy products than my lactose intolerant body should consume, five other kinds of sugar, and pudding. Naturally it's brilliance was lost on the kids who just wanted to pick the M&M's off the top.

The birthday party had clowns who (no joke) did backflips and beyond to keep the kids entertained for close to two hours; Ollie just wanted more time in the water.