Rites of Spring

Thanks to the snow having finally melted away from the roadsides, I was once again able to safely walk to Grafton's daycare and pick him in the toddler hiking backpack. When we returned home, we stayed outside and played golf together in the driveway. We then took out his bike for a quick ride, and next we pulled his toy car out of the garage for a short drive. (We checked the tire pressure, since it had been sitting idle for so many months, but Grafton reported, "it looks good!") In the backyard, which is now again accessible via the brick pathway, Grafton placed his slide back on its feet and took a few test runs. Finally, we kicked around the soccer ball a bit, and then headed inside to wake up Mom from her nap. It's time to stop hibernating--Spring is on its way!

Typical Friday Night

Tonight we all headed to Marshalls to do some clothes shopping for Neva and Grafton. Grafton needed new pajamas, but we didn't talk about this in the car. However, half way to the store Grafton spoke up from the back seat, providing a lengthy description of his thoughts that went something like, "I want to buy new pajamas, because I'm growing bigger. I'm a big boy. My other pajamas are too small. I wanna buy big boy pajamas at the store." After grinning at one another over the surprising lucidity and detail of his words, we explained that we probably wouldn't find the same "guitar" pajamas that he likes so much. He thought for a moment and then accepted this fact, requesting "I want to buy blue pajamas."

The conversation soon turned to skeletal matters. Grafton stated, "Dinosaurs have bones. I have bones in my body too." We smiled at each other again, then pointed out how all animals have bones in their bodies. But I think we'll need to try again at explaining to Grafton how insects have exoskeletons, and not bones. He didn't seem to quite grasp that one yet.

Before turning into the parking lot, we were stopped at a traffic light. Sirens were wailing behind us and getting closer. Mom pointed out to Grafton, "A fire engine is coming up behind us!" As soon as it passed, Grafton caught a view of it and corrected his mother, "that's NOT a fire truck...that's an ambulance!"

So we arrived at Marshalls. While Mom did her shopping, Dad followed Grafton all around the store, as he pushed a small, wheeled, carry-on luggage bag that he found in the travel department. He was very careful not to ram the luggage into the store displays, heeding Dad's warning that if he did, we would have to put the luggage back where we found it.

Eventually, we found our way back to Mom. She had found two pairs of shoes that looked like possibilities for Grafton. We had Grafton try on the first pair--blue running shoes. But Grafton didn't like these, and he told us immediately after placing them on his feet. No, instead he preferred the Merrells. Considering how he frequently wavers back and forth on such matters of personal taste, we asked him a couple more times, but he remained consistent in his decision. Unfortunately, we thought the Merrells were too big and clunky on him, so we quietly overrode his decision and purchased the blue ones. When we got home, we wanted him to take off his shoes before going upstairs, which he refused to do. So we explained that he could change into his new shoes if he wanted. This option excited him, but when I took out his new blue shoes, he frowned and told me he didn't want those but wanted the "other shoes". He came over to look in the shopping bag to see where they might be, and was upset when he couldn't find them. I explained that we didn't buy them after all, and he gave me the most distressed look. I tried to convince him that new shoes would be great, and he soon agreed, as long as we cut off the tags. Which we did quickly. And he was happy again.

We had dinner. We watched footage of the Japanese earthquake disaster. Afterwards, Grafton watched Pete Seeger lead the audience at his 90th birthday celebration in a song of "Amazing Grace", singing along at times. And then it was off to bed. But not before Grafton knocked over Mom's glass of wine, breaking it, and spilling the wine all over the floor. But this disaster was pretty minor, considering where it measures on the Ricther scale.

Fire Fighter Costume

Thought we'd share some photos of Grafton's makeshift fire fighter costume: Orange winter jacket, yellow construction hat, and gray sweatpants with rolled-up cuffs.  The snake doll, of course, is the fire hose.  The sound of spraying water is simulated by Grafton's mouth (note the puckered lips).

 

Going Swimming

We signed up Grafton for swimming lessons at the YMCA, and his first lesson was last night.  We weren't sure how it was going to work out, since our little man can be fickle about what he enjoys doing, and he had refused all pools last summer.  But it worked out great, and he was very excited about the whole affair.  He remembered all day that he was going swimming in the evening, and when Dad picked him up from daycare, he ran all the way to the car, exclaiming that is was time to go swimming!

More photos here.

Double-sided photograph

Grafton, Neva, and I were looking at a framed photograph of Neva walking off into the distance on a beach on Cape Cod. Grafton was holding the frame in his hands, intently studying the picture when he commented, "That's Mommy on the beach".  We confirmed his observation and then he asked "Where's Daddy?"  We told him that Daddy wasn't in the picture because he was the photographer behind the camera.  To verify our claim, Grafton flipped the frame around to see if his Dad was on the other side. (Or maybe he just wanted to see if his Mommy's face could be seen on the flip side?)

Today I had fun...

Today, I had fun...

...playing hockey with my Dad in Northampton (fallen tree branches for sticks, a block of ice for a puck)

...crawling back and forth under a changing room door while my parents tried on clothes

...running up and down a "hiking shoe test ramp"...backwards

...practicing my ice walking skills on MHC campus

...simulating low-gravity skipping and hopping while holding my parents hands during our walk

...repeatedly singing all the words to "Down by the Bay" (a song my parents have never heard before)

...sitting in my Dad's lap while we ate lunch at a restaurant

...eating French toast for breakfast...and dinner

Zillow

Dad was looking on Zillow.com to see what houses are for sale in our area.

Grafton, sitting in his high chair, eating lunch says, "Are you buying new house?"

Dad: "Yes, well, we're looking for a new house."

Grafton: "You move to new house?"

Dad: "Maybe, if we find one we like.  But you'll move with us."

Grafton: "You don't want this house. This house broken."

(It appears Grafton has been picking up on our complaints about our house)