He Needs a Project

It was bound to happen. His grandpa always has some type of project going around the house. He has to be creating (or re-creating) something to be truly happy.

Along the same lines, his daddy grew up in a house where we demolished and rebuilt rooms for fun. Now that he's all grown up with a home of his own, he usually has a home improvement project for the weekends, as well.

One day soon after the baby was born in January 2007, I told Mommadrool, "He needs a project." Sometimes, he would just look a little bored. Maybe it seems silly to think that an infant is bored, but nonetheless . . .

Then he started to sit up, and later to crawl. Well, now he is just way too busy to sit still anymore, unless he's falling asleep.

He's nearly fourteen months old now, and last Saturday when they were all visiting, Mommadrool walked into the den and announced, "You know that package of pencils that he opened in the home office? He is taking the pencils, one at a time, scooting over to the other side of the room and depositing them there. One by one, he's moving the pencils from one side of the room to the other."

I chuckle every time I look at the two piles of pencils on the carpet. We're not sure of the purpose of this little endeavor, but I'm really glad he's finally big enough to have a project.

Recycling the Grandkids

DH and I have loads of fun playing with the grandbabies. They are ages 1 and 3, and are so easy to entertain. Almost any ordinary object can become a toy which will provide hours--well, minutes--of fun for them. An example: A couple of months back, The Fred, who's almost 3, got into a big box in our den and cried, "Pack me up! Pack me up!" and we would pretend we were shipping her somewhere. She loved it.

DH is pretty inventive, and he likes to torture people just a little. (If you don't believe it, let him know that something irritates you, and see how often he does that little something afterward.) Over the weekend, DH was reading to The Fred, and she was still for a while, but when she got restless she starting doing Couch Gymnastics (climbing over the couch, doing handstands off the couch) with Grandpa.

After that, he put her into the recycling bin. (You know--paper, plastics, and little kids.) DH drove her around the house in the recycling bin for a while before inserting little brother, as well. (Little Man is happy wherever he is. Give him a sucker and put him in the recycling bin, and he's good to go.)

Back at home the next day, we got an e-mail from Pappy saying that The Fred had earned a time out for repeatedly vaulting over the back of the couch after Mommadrool gave her specific instructions not to do so, and for trying to play "recycling bin" with the laundry basket, which tipped over with her in it, resulting in some hurt feelings.

The recycling bin game is best played with adult supervision.