Runny nose,
Running feet.
Little boy.
So,
So,
Sweet.
Pushing trucks,
Playing in sand.
Fingerprints left by
His
Little
Hand.
Happy chatter,
Singing songs.
Happy boy,
All
Day
Long.
Home filled.
So much noise!
Watch your step!
So
Many
Toys!
New baby!
Little sister.
“Gentle touch.
Softly,
Kiss
Her.”
Sun sets.
Another day.
Tears fall.
“No
Daddy.
Play!“
Sweet Moments
Flying by.
Cherished memories.
Make
Me
Cry!
It started out perfect
A great way to play.
Daddy thought you’d like pushing your tractors
Through some rice in a tray.
It was kind of fun.
You were enjoying this play
But then somehow…
Some of the rice got away!
“It’s ok,” Grandma said,
“it won’t hurt a thing.”
And with that you gathered up some more
And gave it a good FLING!
“No, No, No!” Grandma shrieked
That’s not what we do.
And just like that, you reached for
Handful, number two!
Well, Grandma put a stop
To this thing called “sensory play”
Then got out the broom and dustpan
And made you sweep the mess away.
Well, later that day
Grandma had a change of heart
She got out the tray again and thought
We’ll give this “sensory play” thing another start.
But once again, within seconds
Or maybe a wee bit more
Handfuls of rice starting
Bouncing off the floor!
This time, Grandma just studied
This act of simple joy.
The bouncing beads of rice
Seemed to be better than any toy!
You, finally, stood up
It seemed you were done with this explore.
But, oh no, you weren’t satisfied
Until every last bit was on the floor.
In fact, it seemed like all that rice
Had just been in your way.
What you really wanted was
To crawl inside that tray!
We’re going for a ride on a wagon, Little Man!
I don’t want to go for a ride on a wagon. I want to walk!
Look, there’s a tractor. Remember the Barefoot Books song? “Riding my tractor down a bumpy road. In the trailer, there’s a heavy load…” Remember that song?
Yes, and the farmer goes over a bump and all the animals fall out! I remember!
Don’t worry Little Man, we’ll hold on tight.
And just like that, we’re here. Look, there are strawberries everywhere!
You can help pick them and put them in our baskets.
Yea, but look! There goes another tractor!
Ok, now what am I supposed to do?
Hmmm, these taste just like the strawberries we have at home.
Actually…they might be just a little bit better.
I LOVE these strawberries!
Ok, now what was I supposed to do? I’m full.
You’re supposed to stay here and help us pick berries to take home.
Alright, but just for a little while, ok?
There, that looks like enough. See you later.
Hey, where are you guys?
Ah, there you are.
What? We have to pick more?
I’m getting kind of tired you know.
Well, finally! You can carry the berries, ok? I’ll just walk on ahead.
Umm, excuse me! You’re in my way!
Nice shirt, though!
Did you have a good time, little man?
Yea, but mom, I don’t want to ride on that wagon!
But remember the tractor?
I remember the tractor!
Can’t we just walk?
The sun is out. It’s a beautiful day. Who says that a day’s event has to cost money? Instead, you look at me and make the back up sound of a construction vehicle. It’s “beep-beep-beep” but you make the sound with your mouth closed.
“Oh, you want to go to the construction site today?” You nod, “Yes”. It’s your favorite place right now; so many things to point to. So, that’s a plan.
It’s a busy place this morning. Lots of action.
“That’s a forklift, little man. See how easy it is to lift things that are heavy?”
“Look at how high it can go!”
Oops! Distracted by a siren…
Ambulance going by.
Now, back to the business of construction.
“Do you see those men way up high? Hmmm, can’t tell what they’re doing but it must be important otherwise why would they be in that bucket?”
“Let’s go to the other side of the project and see what we can see.”
You have the cutest little gasp! You see a digger just like your’s! Oh my gosh!
And then a cement truck and another forklift.
Every machine is busy. AND LOUD!
You add to the noise by making your own motor sounds and that back up “Beep-Beep-Beep”.
As long as they kept busy, you were entertained.
Placing a steel beam…welding…and then more heavy lifting…so much to look at…so much to see.
It was hard to see through the fence and around the posts.
Sometimes, that frustrated you!
But pretty soon you could see the forklift carry away the heaviest load of all.
And then you waved good-bye as it drove away.
Time to head home, but with lots of stops to say good-bye for the day.
One more look at the men up high. Now, they’re doing something but we still can’t tell what.
Then we counted the number of floors so far.
And then we headed home.
But not before we stopped to look at the motorcycle.
The best yet, though was when we walked up to a restaurant and you made the sign for “eat”.
Now, that’s impressive. “Mama and Daddy take you this restaurant, don’t they?” And…you’re probably hungry.
Before we leave, we have to stop and see the fountain and touch the evergreens – it’s tradition.
Then we turned the corner, the last stretch till we reach home, and what do we see?
Window Washers!
Well, what a day!
So, first we watched them from the outside…
And then….we got to watch them from the inside!
I mean, really! Days with Grandma are full of adventure. One would have thought I planned all of this.
Days With Grandma 