Celebrating the Olympic Flame Lighting in Greece

Ancient Olympia hosted the first Olympic games in 776 B.C. to honor Zeus, the king of Greek gods. The games were presided over by a flame that represented the endeavor of perfection. Using the rays of the sun and some good Greek olive oil, the 2012 Olympic Flame was lit today in Ancient Olympia. It will spend 8 days touring Greece before being taken to the U.K. for this year’s ceremonies.

In celebration of the event, our family did a little Olympic competition of our own. Ava and Kayan competed in a toddler triathlon. Their first stage was swimming. We spent a few hours at a remote beach, where Kayan encouraged Ava to jump higher over each wave and Ava edged Kayan to go deeper into the water. It was Kayan who won out as Ava’s desire to protect her hair was her downfall.

The second stage was running, where they raced each other for 3 kilometers back to our neighborhood. Kayan’s little legs combined with salt water filled diaper proved to be no match for Ava’s determined strides.

The final stage involved climbing up the steep hill to our building and then to the our second floor apartment. Ava ultimately won the battle, for no other reason than she elbowed her way through the apartment door in search of a brush. Instead of laurel wreaths or medals, the kids’ rewards were pine cones. They were happy with the competition and the reward, which just goes to show that they are true professionals and it is the spirit of the games that matters.

We will be in Africa during the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremonies. We’re not yet sure how we will be celebrating. 100 meter lion sprint or 50 meter shark freestyle?