Eric participated in his preschool Thanksgiving Feast this week. He got up on stage with his class and performed 2 songs for the entire audience! He said later that he was a little scared up on the stage, but it didn’t show in his performance. Mommy and I are so proud of him! You can see the videos at his website below. The video files are extremely large, so please be patient when downloading.
http://ericalan.radeakin.net/movies/
We carved our jack-0-lanterns! One was angry and the other was happy!
It was time again for the annual girls’ weekend. My Mom and all of her “girls” go away for a weekend to get into whatever trouble they can find. This year they went to Chicago. Dad and I decided to have our own boys’ weekend, so Eric and I met Grandpa D at the Mississinewa SRA in Peru, IN. Grandpa brought his RV, and Eric and I drove up to meet him. I was late getting home from work, so we were late leaving for the campground on Friday night. Soon after leaving the house, we discovered that US31 is under construction and has only a single lane running from Sheridan all the way through Kokomo. I had looked at a map briefly before leaving and printed directions from the park website, but the GPS did not recognize the address for the park; apparently it is too rural for such high tech gadgets. As a result, I neglected to try any detours, as US31 was the most direct route to Peru. It was also dark, and I had a very tired boy in the back seat. I also realized that any detour would involve remote back roads without convenient rest room stops. Anyway, what should have been no more than a 90-minute drive to go 64 miles lasted for over 3 hours! Eric was a real trooper, though. He hung in there without getting cranky or upset. He was too tired, I think 🙂 We arrived at the campground over 1 hour past Eric’s usual bed time, so he naturally fell out when his head finally landed on a pillow for the night.
When we awoke on Saturday morning, Grandpa cooked bacon, and I made pancakes for breakfast. We spent most of Saturday just lounging around and playing a brief game of croquet. We walked around the campground and stopped at 2 playgrounds for Eric to climb and run and slide. It was a perfectly lazy and relaxing Saturday. I think it was just what us boys needed. In the evening, Grandpa cooked hamburgers on the grill, and we roasted marshmallows over the camp fire. Eric roasted his first marshmallow that night, all by himself! I was quite proud. He did just as Grandpa and I instructed him, and his marshmallow came out perfectly toasted, plump, and gooey!
Sunday morning was busy as we fixed breakfast, cleaned up, packed up, folded down, and got ready to leave the campground. Eric rode in the front seat of the RV (Grandma’s seat) with Grandpa up to the dumping station. He was so excited to be sitting up there with Grandpa! He looked so proud to be sitting in a grownup seat! It was a fun weekend filled with memories. We all had so much fun, but I think Eric expressed it best when we finally said goodbye to Grandpa. Eric cried out loud. He balled his little eyes out. He was having so much fun, and he did not want it to end. He cried until he was strapped into his seat, and we were headed down the road. We shared some good times and made plans to do it again next year on girls’ boys’ weekend!
When we arrived at home. We quickly ate some lunch and got Eric dressed in his Halloween costume. Halloween was not until tomorrow, but the annual neighborhood parade was scheduled for today. We had just enough time to get ready. I helped Eric get into his pirate costume. We had picked it out earlier in the month during one of our trips to Menards. Mommy and I had looked at most of the usual stores for a pirate costume without luck. But Eric and I happened across 2 different pirate costumes at Menards. Eric chose the one with the captain’s hat. The parade (actually just a herd of costumed kids moving along the sidewalk) finished at the neighborhood playground where some of the parents had prepared snacks, treats, and activities for the kids. Eric played on the playground with some of the other kids, and then I told him that there was juice and cupcakes “over there”. He immediately jumped off of the playset and made tracks to the treats. He enjoyed a chocolate cupcake and some juice, then back to the playground!
We made it back home again and waited for Mommy to get home from girls’ weekend. She stopped to pick up dinner and arrived just as Eric was waking from his nap. It was a long busy weekend, so he really needed the rest. We sat on the living room floor for a picnic, as we each told stories from our weekend adventures while watching a Halloween special cartoon on TV.
Halloween! I got home from work with just enough time to help Eric into his costume, so we could go trick-or-treating before dinner. Eric enjoyed running from house to house and saying “trick or treat!” A few times, he even added a “gar!” in keeping with the pirate theme. After several houses, he complained that his treat bag was too heavy, so Mommy and I carried it from house to house for him, except the last bit of sidewalk up the front door. That was his important job! Miraculously, it was none too heavy when it came time to open it up for more treats!
Wow! I just looked and realized it has been 2 months since my last blog. Sorry for the hiatus.
Eric started pre-school at the beginning of September. He goes for 3 hours twice each week on Tuesday and Thursday. He is still in his music class on Wednesday.
We went to a party at Aunt Deborah’s house, and he came home with a cool new nose!
Mommy had a great idea last weekend. We went to an apple orchard to pick apples! It was a last minute decision, so we got a late start for the day. We got dressed, packed some extra shoes (in case of mud), programmed the GPS, and headed for the apples. It was a short drive. The weather was perfect: slightly cool, sun shining, fall colors! We arrived, parked the car, and walked up to the farm store. Once there, we figured out how the system was working, we grabbed some bags, and headed for the trees. Eric loved it! He could hardly wait to pick an apple. He was trying to pick them off the ground until I explained that those were rotten and we wanted to pick them from the trees. He ran to the trees and started pulling apples. There were not too many apples down low, so I put him up on my shoulders where he could reach more apples.
When we had enough apples, we headed back to the farm store to weigh the apples and pay for them. On the way, we stopped to pick out a pumpkin. The farm had already picked them from the pumpkin patch and had them apread out on pallets. Eric walked around carefully studying the pumpkins. He picked one, “I want this pumpkin!” I pointed out some ugle parts on the back side, and we kept looking. He chose a few other pumpkins, and we finally found one that he liked and did not have any ugly spots.
Last week, Mommy went out with some friends for the evening, so it was just me and Eric. I put a frozen pizza in the oven, and we watched the Chimunks Sequel. Eric had not seen it yet, but he loves the first movie. When he first saw the Chipmunks movie, he asked Mommy, “Why isn’t it called ‘Dave and the Chipmunks?'” He was puzzled that Dave was not included in the title; after all, Alvin is a chipmunk. Anyway, he loves the sequel, too! We ate the pizza, and Eric was still hungry. I decided to make some popcorn, while we finished the movie. I found some popcorn leftover from the apple orchard the previous weekend, and we ate this.
Eric spent this weekend at Grandma G’s house. His cousin Tyler was staying there, too. They all had a lot of fun. This afternoon, when he got home, we played outside in the yard for a few hours until dinner. I setup the croquet wickets for Eric, so we could hit the balls around. Then, I had an idea! We have some leaves that started to fall in the back yard. I told Eric that we needed some old clothes, so we went into the house to find some old clothes that were no longer needed. We headed back outside, and we raked up a pile of leaves. Eric was very excited to help me rake the leaves. Then, we took the piles of leaves and stuffed them into the old clothes to make a scarecrow! Eric and I both had much fun making the scarecrow. When we finished, Eric announced that he wanted the scarecrow to stand up, so I gave up the idea of just lounging it in the corner of the porch. As we dragged it around to the front of the house, I had an idea to propit up in front of the porch. When it was propped up with shoes under its legs, we went into the house for more old clothes. Mommy had already found some for us. These were Eric’s old clothes that he had outgrown. We went back out and made another scarecrow, this one much smaller than the first. We had so much fun! Mommy came out to see what we were doing, and she loved the scarecrows!
We just returned from our summer vacation! We visited Mommy’s extended family in North Carolina for a family reunion. We also spent a couple days in Williamsburg, Virginia. The rest of the time was spent driving between these places.
We had 520 miles to cover before we reached our first stop for the night. The 2nd day would only cover 370 miles, but the last couple hours would be off the interstate, so traffic could become a delay. Mommy and I did not enter into this trip lightly, considering that we would be traveling with a 3-year-old. We knew it would be a challenge, but we were confident that Eric could handle it. We made several preparations to ensure that Eric would be kept entertained throughout the trip. We had toys, games, and books to keep him entertained. Mommy packed a DVD player as a last resort. I researched the internet for ideas to keep young children entertained on long car trips, and I decided on using tickets. Before the trip, I made up several tickets, as suggested by one website. The tickets would be visible to Eric and given to him at regular intervals, so he could visualize how close we were to our destination, i.e. no more tickets , and we are there. The first day had 10 tickets, or one for each 50 miles or so. The second day also had 10 tickets, or one for each 35 miles or so. Rather than just use ordinary tickets, I decided to make up a variety of “special” tickets. Each ticket had a fun phrase, question, activity, or song title written on it, so the tickets were not only useful for “keeping time” but also for entertainment. I found an empty metal can with a plastic lid, and removed the label (almonds or something). Mommy showed this to Eric on Tuesday, and told him that it contained a secret inside for our vacation. This created some excitement! On Wednesday evening, just before bedtime, Eric and I sat on the living room floor, and we decorated the can with stickers. This made the can his own special vacation container. I still did not reveal the purpose of the can, only that he could not look inside until we were on the “highlighted route”! When we got into the car to go to Grandma’s house, I revealed to Eric the purpose of the can. I opened the can, showed him a small clear bag full of tickets, and explained that he would get a ticket every time we traveled 50 miles. He would use the can to collect and save his tickets.
We had the car packed Wednesday night, except for our morning essentials such as toothbrushes, etc. Eric was getting very excited about going on vacation. Mommy and I had been talking to him about it for a couple weeks. We talked about meeting lots of his cousins, going on the “highlighted route”, spending time with Grandma, Aunt Carol and Tyler. The excitement was building, and it peaked on Wednesday evening when we were frantically packing to stay on schedule. I had set a departure time of 10:00am from Grandma’s house. This required us to leave our house by 9:00am allowing 1/2 hour to pack Grandma’s luggage into the “family truckster”.
We awoke Thursday morning, showered, dressed, and ate breakfast. We finished packing the car, and headed for Grandma’s house around 9:15am. Eric was so excited, he could hardly contain it! We were finally going on the “highlighted route”! On the way to Grandma’s house, Eric asked if she could sit up front with me. I suggested that he ask her when we we get to her house. (This was our planned seating arrangement anyway.)
We arrived at Grandma’s house, and Eric ran in to greet her. Eric asked if she could sit up front next to Daddy. Grandma cheerfully accepted Eric’s invitation. We all agreed that Eric had a great idea! Mommy took him for a final pit stop, while I repacked the car to accomodate Grandma’s luggage. We pulled out of Grandma’s driveway at 10:06am, just a few minutes later than planned! We had a long day ahead of us, so it was important to get started on time.
Eric behaved very well all day in the car. Of course, we made several pit stops to use the toilet. Mommy sat in the back seat with Eric. She was responsible for dispensing the tickets every time I declared that we had just completed another 50 miles, “Wo knows what time it is? It’s time for a ticket!”. We sang songs, recited the alphabet, and answered questions like “Are we there yet?” and “Where are we?” We stopped for lunch at a Dairy Queen somewhere in Kentucky. Eric and the rest of us had a chance to stretch our legs and run around a bit before resuming our drive. Of course, Eric was treated to an ice cream cone. We stopped again in West Virginia for dinner at Bob Evans, and finally arrived at our hotel in Covington, Virginia at 8:45pm. Whew! That was a long day, but Eric held up like a trooper. Mommy and I were so proud of him! We started in Indiana and traveled through Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia. We checked into the hotel, wished Grandma a good night, and went to our room to tuck Eric in for the night. We had brought Eric’s inflatable mattress, but there was not enough floor space to set it up. Instead, Mommy arranged pillows and comforters in a U-shape connected at the headboard to keep Eric corralled, so he could not fall out of the bed. Our room had two beds, and I assured Eric that Mommy and I would be sleeping with him in the same room. He repeatedly asked if we would sleep with him, since he was a little unceratin about the strange place. I read him his books, said our nightly prayer, and sang some lullabies. Eric was exhausted and fell asleep in no time at all.
Up early Friday morning! We dressed, packed the car, grabbed some breakfast at the hotel, and drove away by 9:30am. We had planned on 10:00am, but we managed to get up and going early. We met Aunt Carol, Uncle Rob, and Tyler in the morning. They had arrived at the hotel some time after we did the night before. Friday was a shorter drive than Thursday, and Eric again behaved very well for a 3-year-old cooped up in the car all day. The tickets were once again a hit with everyone! They were spaced closer today, so the time passed a little easier. This was my intent, since I suspected that Eric’s patience would not last as long on the second consecutive day of driving. Today is when Mommy and I discovered that a winery is a great palce to stop for all those necessary potty breaks. The restrooms were much cleaner, and Eric could run around in the vineyard to burn off some energy. As we were driving through Virginia and into North Carolina, we saw a lot of ocean, bridges, and tunnels. Eric liked to see the water, and especially liked driving through the tunnel. We got off the interstate and headed into the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This is the scenic part of the drive, the main drag down through the outer banks. there are roadside produce stands, beaches, hotels, restaurants, more beaches, and beach houses. We arrived at our hotel in Manteo, North Carolina around 6:30pm. We checked in, found Tyler and Aunt Carol, and walked a couple blocks to a local restaurant for dinner. Uncle Rob had already settled in for the evening. On the way to the restaurant, we passed through a street party with live music, dancing, and lots of people. We spotted a clown making balloon animals for some children. When we got to the retaurant, we had a short wait for our table, so Mommy and I took Eric back to see the clown. He asked the clown for a giraffe, and quicker than you can measure a giraffe’s neck, the clown produced a very nice balloon rendition of a giraffe. Eric loved it! He would later name it “Dooky”. After dinner, we returned to the hotel, again made a “corral” for Eric on the bed, read books, prayers, lullabies, and Eric was soon asleep. He again asked if I would sleep with him. I assured him that Mommy and I would be sleeping in the bed next to his. But first we would sit outside for a short while until he fell asleep. He was okay with this plan, and he soon fell asleep. Mommy and I sat just outside the room on a deck overlooking the town streets. The street festival had quieted a little and mostly moved inside the bars and restaurants. We enjoyed the breeze coming in from the ocean and listened to the parties down the street.
Eric looking at his cup full of crackers.
Saturday morning, we woke up and got some breakfast in the hotel common area. We walked around the pier and across the bridge to see the museum/store across the harbor. Eric found some fossils! He saved a special one for Grandma. When we got back to the hotel, Uncle Rob and Tyler were planning a trip to the beach, so we suited up and all drove to the beach. Eric loved it! He played near the water and held my hand as the waves washed up over his knees. He played in the sand and built some sand castles with the toys that we brought with us. Uncle Rob and Tyler attempted to fly some kites that they bought that morning on the way to the beach. It was quite windy, and they had little success, unless of course you measure success in fun! Eric really enjoyed the beach and was disappointed when it was time to leave. But, we had to get back to the hotel and clean up before going to the family reunion.
Cleaning up was a new experience for Eric. He took his first shower! Of course, he did not shower solo. He is still too little for that. But he climbed into the shower with me, at Mommy’s suggestion. This was to save time, since we were already running a little late, and Eric defintely needed a bath. Eric of course loved this! Anything that he can do like Daddy is okay with him. He stood still while I washed his hair and lathered him with soap from head to toe. He laughed while he stood under the water to rinse off. “Mommy! Eric is ready to get out!” Mommy dried him off, while I finished cleaning up. We all dressed in our matching red T-shirts. The theme for the reunion was everyone should wear red or white shirts. We chose red.
The reunion was a lot of fun. Eric met several of his cousins and played with them. He especially liked Lexi, who was 4 years old. They played in the living room tossing a balloon back and forth for a long time. Another cousin gave him a toy to keep. It is a little plastice mouse. Eric named him “Squeaky”. He played baseball in the back yard with some more little cousins. There were a lot of kids close to Eric’s age, and he loved it! Later, someone gave him a helium ballon. Mommy tied it to his wrist, but it came loose and floated away into the sky. Eric cried out for his ballon, but Mommy explained that it was gone. Back in the house, Mommy found another balloon for him. We tied this one better, and it stayed on his wrist until he was ready to remove it. But not until after he ran everywhere with it, he chasing it, and it chasing him. I cut it loose from his wrist when he was tired of it and tied it to my belt, so he could retrieve it later. A few minutes later, he started chasing me and tried to catch the balloon as it trailed behind me. We ran around the yard for a long time with Eric laughing the whole time.
Wow! Another long day! Eric was exhausted, so we decided to return to the hotel. Eric was ready to go to bed, but Mommy and Grandma planned to drive back to the reunion and visit for a while longer after dropping me and Eric at the hotel. Well…that was the plan, anyway. As we were driving back to the hotel, we received a phone call from Aunt Carol. Aunt Carol, Uncle Rob, and Tyler had lef the reunion before us. Uncle Rob left Aunt Carol and Tyler at the hotel and went to meet with some friends, so Aunt Carol and Tyler decided to walk to the CVS store. They made a wrong turn and got lost. It started raining, and then it got dark as the sun set. It was very dark where they were, and they were getting scared. We drove around for more than an hour trying to find them. They had wandered away from the central part of town, and the landmarks that they were describing were unfamiliar to us; our GPS was not recognizing them either. Although the rest of us were starting to get worried, Eric thought that this was fun! After many phone calls and Aunt Carol and Tyler walking carefully to a more recognizable location, we finally found them! We were all relieved. Eric is still talking about this adventure every day. “You turned on the flashing lights, Daddy, so Aunt Carol could find our truck!” “Aunt Carol was scared!” “The lights were still on, because your door was open, Daddy!” Everything about the search was exciting and memorable for Eric. Of course, it also meant a delay for his bed time, which is always exciting for any 3-year-old!
Eric in the morning with Dooky.
Sunday, we packed up our stuff in the car again, and we drove to Williamsburg, Virginia. Here we would stay until Wednesday. It was a 3-hour drive, so it only took us 5 hours! Eric required an unusually frequent number of pit stops today. We stopped at Mel’s Diner for lunch. It is a themed restaurant that was a lot of fun. We arrived at the resort late that afternoon. We ordered a pizza, and Eric went to bed after eating dinner. This hotel was a resort condo unit, so it had a separate bedroom and living area with a kitchen. The bedroom only had one bed, but we found a cozy little corner for Eric’s inflatable mattress. Eric was excited to sleep on his own bed. He declared that he liked the corner we had chosen for his bed. It bordered his bed on three sides, which gave him a sense of security. He also like that Mommy and Daddy would again be sleeping in the same room with him.
Monday, we drove down to the playground, and Eric climbed, walked, and slid around the playset for a while. Eric and I walked back to our room, and Mommy drove back. It was really not that far, so I thought a walk would be fun. When we got back, Tyler was awake. Their condo unit was just downstairs from ours and connected to Grandma’s. We had three condo units all together. We were lucky to get them in the same building, and we were grateful. Tyler wanted to go swimming, and so did Eric. We suited up, and the three of us walked down to the pool. Eric loves to go swimming! He can not actually swim on his own, yet, but he is getting more comfortable in the water. I held him as he played in the water and splashed and kicked. We chased Tyler around the pool, and Tyler chased us. I don’t know how long we were there, but it was well over an hour, and Eric was swimming the entire time, except for the last few minutes when he was “fishing” for Tyler. Tyler pretended to be a fish, and Eric use his “noodle” as a fishing pole to catch him. Mommy came down to the pool to break up the party. It was time for lunch. Mommy had ordered some Chinese food to be delivered, so we headed back to eat. Eric spent the rest of the afternoon in Grandma’s condo unit with Tyler, while Mommy and I toured a local winery. Later that evening, Mommy and I returned to the same winery for dinner. Eric had pizza and spaghetti with Uncle Rob and Tyler. Another fun day!
Tuesday, we decided to see some historic sites in the area. We chose the Jamestown settlement. I punched the address into the GPS, and we headed that way. It was just Mommy, Eric and me. We arrived at the museum to find all 50 state flags flying each on its own flag pole and lined up along a walkway. Each flag had a plaque briefly explaining its history and when it entered into the union. We stopped to get a picture in front of the Indiana flag pole. The weather was very hot and very humid. It threatened to be a miserable day. We went inside, bought our tickets, and headed out the back to see the sights. We started with a tour of the Powhatan Indian village. It is a replica of an actual village with huts, fire pits, pottery making, and a dance circle. We continued the tour into the fort that was built by the Jamestown settlers. It too is just a replica, but it represented the conditions in which they lived during these early years. Eric was so far enjoying all of the tour. He was very interested in the buildings, the fence around the fort, and the dirt on the ground. After the fort, we walked down to the docks and toured the replica sailing ships. This was Eric’s favorite part of the day! We climbed onto the ships and walked around, up to the top deck, and down to the lower deck. We started to leave the larger ship, and Eric declared “No, I want to see more of the ship!” Mommy had had enough of the heat, so I took Eric back onto the ship, while Mommy went ahead of us to wait in the shade. Eric and I explored every inch of the ship. He was very curious. Eric methodically toured the entire ship from top to bottom, fore and aft, port to starboard. Everything on the ship was new to him, and he had a lot of questions for me to try and answer. I did my best, and I learned a few things along the way, too. When Eric had finally satisfied his curiosity, we went ahead to meet up with Mommy. Mommy had found a shady spot near the ice cream vendor, and she was already enjoying an ice cream cone. What a wonderful idea! Eric decided on a popsicle, and I got myself some ice cream. We sat and ate our treats in the shade…So refreshing! Eric ended up wearing nearly as much of the popsicle as he ate, red stains down his hands, chin, shirt, and shorts, despite the paper napkin bib that I had fashioned for him. We cleaned up and headed back to the car. The heat and the walking had taken its toll on all of us. We were ready to relax and have dinner. When we got back, Mommy and Eric took a nap together. Eric was exhausted, and we let him sleep until it was time to go to dinner.
We all went to dinner together. Grandma conspired to make this happen. I think she really just wanted to spend an evening with the whole family together. So far on this trip, it had been just a few of us here, and a few of us there. We dressed up a little and went to a nice restaurant where the waiter’s name was also Eric. He was very nice, and he enojoyed serving us with our very own Eric. Eric behaved very well through dinner, and we all told stories about our adventures of the week. Tomorrow morning, we would be heading for home.
Wednesday morning, I got up early and started packing the car. We were all up and ready to go by 9:00am. We drove for about an hour and stopped for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Eric ordered pancakes of course! I had my mouth watering for waffles all week, but I struck out again. Cracker Barrel does not serve waffles. Eric really enjoyed his breakfast. He was excited to be going home! We stopped at Dairy Queen for lunch and an ice cream cone. We were recycling the tickets again in the car. They had lost some of their appeal, maybe because they were the same tickets. Eric still was excited when it was time to get a new ticket. Next time we travel, I will remember to make unique tickets for the entire trip. This trip was shorter, since Williamsburg is much closer to Indiana than Manteo. Today’s mileage will end up being around 370 miles, and the same for tomorrow. Most of the driving today was through the mountains, so it was very curvy and plenty of up and down. Mommy did a wonderful job of keeping Eric entertained in the back seat. We arrived at our hotel in Charleston, West Virginia just before 6:00pm. I promised Eric earlier in the day that I would take him to the pool if he behaved in the car. So, we suited up and went down to the pool, while Mommy and Grandma went out to get some carry out dinner. We played in the pool for a while. Someone had left a toy boat, so Eric played with that the whole time. The shallow end of the pool was only 3 feet deep, and Eric could walk around on his tip-toes. So, of course he did and loved it! After dinner, it was time for bed. This hotel room was a 2-bedroom suite, so we shared it with Grandma. Eric slept on his inflatable mattress next to our bed, and we stayed up in the living room for a couple hours visiting with Grandma and looking at photos that we had taken so far on vacation. We had over 500 photos between us, including a CD that we bought from the photographer at the reunion.
Thursday morning, we packed up the car, ate breakfast at the hotel, and we were on the road by 9:30am. A little bit later than yesterday, but we already had breakfast, so no stops until lunch. We made the necessary pit stops of course, but Eric was not drinking very much today, so these stops were fewer. I skipped lunch, and Mommy, Grandma, and Eric all ate in the car from food at the drive-thru. We made very good time today. With the mountains behind us, we were determined to make it to Grandma’s house by 4:00pm to avoid the afternoon rush hour in Indianapolis. We made it to Grandma’s house just before 4:00pm, unloaded her luggage, and headed for home. Eric was getting very excited at this point. All day he talked about going to Grandma’s house! Now, he was ready to go home! We arrived home before 5:00pm and unloaded the car. Eric played outside and helped me clean out the car, while Mommy went to get us some carry out dinner. When the truck was compeltely cleaned out and vacuumed, we took a couple minutes to vacuum Eric’s car (Cozy Coupe). He was happy to have a clean car just like Daddy!
Once again, the D family gathered at Raccoon State Park for the annual camping trip. Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Bev, Uncle Mike, Michelle, Michael, Uncle joe, aunt Traci, Josh, Jake, Aunt Deborah, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Cindy, Brianna, and this year Tyler came with us. We bought a camper earlier this spring, so we had plenty of room for Tyler. Eric was, of course, very excited as he anticipated the camping trip. Every time that he saw our camper in the driveway, he asked if we were going camping. He was especially excited, because Tyler was coming with us.
We loaded up the camper and the truck on Friday morning and headed for the campground. When we arrived, nobody was there. Grandma’s and Grandpa’s RV was there, but they were not. Aunt Bev’s and Uncle Mike’s camper was there, but they were not. No doubt they were out having fun, either on the lake or on the golf course. We set up our camper, and just as we finished with all of the work, Aunt Deborah and Uncle Jeff showed up. Shortly after, Grandma and Grandpa returned from their golf outing, and Aunt Bev and Uncle Mike returned from the lake. Eric was excited to see everyone! Uncle Joe and family did not show up until later, and Aunt cindy and Brianna arrived on Saturday morning.
The anticipation reaches an all-time peak, as we pull out of the driveway!
Eric kept falling over in this chair.
Saturday was a fun-filled day! We played games and split into groups for a scavenger hunt! Eric and I were together on the same team. Michael was our team captain, and we had Uncle Joe, Aunt Deborah, Josh, Brianna, and Grandma on our team. The hunt required some significant travel around the campground, so we all piled into Uncle joe’s suburban. Eric and I sat in the very back with the hatch window open. Eric enjoyed this a lot!
Pooped after a long day!
Eric’s bed in the camper.
Eric is so proud of his bed in the camper. I fixed it up special just for him. I installed a safety rail to keep him from rolling out of bed, and I installed a safety cover over the electrical outlet. Mommy also appreciated these safety measures. Eric slept well on the camping trip.
On Sunday, we packed up, closed the camper, and headed for home. Another great weekend with the D family! Eric had fun, and so did Tyler. Tyler is already looking forward to next year! Same as the rest of us! On the way home, we made our traditional stop at the Dairy Queen in Avon, IN. We ate lunch, and of course had ice cream. Mommy and I realized that this was the first time that Eric ever had ice cream from a cone! It was a new experience for him. I enjoyed showing him how to lick around the edges and keep it from dripping.
He just can’t stay away from the water balloons!
It’s that time of year again. Carmel Fest celebrates Independence Day in a big way. Mommy, Eric, and I went on July 3rd to walk around, get some dinner, and Eric played on a couple of activities. It was a fun evening.
On July 4th, I took Eric to the parade that runs through downtown Carmel. Mommy was not feeling well, so it was just us boys for the morning. I promised Mommy that I would take plenty of photos of the parade for her. Mommy loves parades! this would be Eric’s first parade. He was very excited about going. We drove downtown and parked the car. Eric and I had to walk a few blocks to the parade. Luckily, I remembered to bring his stroller. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring a chair for myself to sit. I grabbed our emergency blanket from the trunk and put it in the bottom of Eric’s stroller. I thought I could sit on it when we found a spot to watch the parade.
The parade was fun. There were lots of loud fire trucks and police cars; many marching bands; cool cars; clowns; dancers; motorcycles; and more. As promised, I took may photos and video for Mommy. I bought us some popcorn from the boy scouts, as they walked up and down the street before the parade started. Popcorn is one of Eric’s favorite snacks.
When the parade was almost over, Eric announced that he had to go potty. Wow! I was surprised that he lasted this long. It was very hot outside, and it was a long parade. We had to walk about 2 blocks to find a rest room other than a few bars that were open very near the parade. We found Bub’s was open, so we went in to use the bathroom. When Eric was finished, I bought us some ice cream, and we went back outside. Eric could not decide if he wanted to go back to the parade or sit in the shade. The decision was actually made for us, as the parade had already finished by the time we came out of Bub’s. We sat across the street in the shade of a tall building, while we ate our ice cream. After a few minutes, it was more like drinking our ice cream due to the very hot weather. Eric and I had very much fun at the parade!
When we got home, Mommy was just a few minutes behind us. She had gone over to Grandma G’s house. Grandma, Aunt Carol, and Tyler were all coming over to go to the Carmel Fest. Eric and I agreed to go with them. Carmel Fest 2 days in a row and a parade! A very busy weekend indeed. Not to mention a backyard party later that evening at a friend of Mommy.
Later on the fourth, we went to a party. Eric had a lot of fun playing with the other kids at the party. He threw water balloons and played baseball!
On the way home, Mommy tried to take his picture in the car, but Eric held up his cup to block his face and told Mommy, “No pictures in the car, Mommy!”
At home, we threw some “poppers” on the ground to listen the the loud “crack!” sound that they made. We also had a few small fireworks after the sun started to set. Eric stayed up past his usual bed time to see the fireworks. He also was still holding on to the water balloon that he had brought home from the party. After a while, I told him to go ahead and throw it on the sidewalk. I figured the sooner he let it go, the easier the separation would be. He had carefully carried it out of the party, and asked me to put it in the trunk until we got home. Instead, I found a safe place for it in his cup holder, and I told him not to play with it while we were in the car.
This was a very long but fun weekend! Eric really enjoyed the Carmel Fest, the parade, the party, and the fireworks! So did I!
Grandpa G passed away in June. His body finally gave in to the cancer. Eric knew that Grandpa was sick. He had seen Grandpa in the hospital on more than one occasion. Eric had been up to visit Grandpa just a couple days before he passed. Mommy took him while Grandpa was sleeping. On the day that he passed, I sat with Eric and explained as best I could that Grandpa was not here with us any more. That his body had stopped working, and his soul had gone to heaven to be with God. Eric was too distracted at the time and just wanted to go play.
Mommy explained later that we would be going to a “goodbye” party for Grandpa. Eric stayed at home, while Mommy and I went to the showing. The next morning, we took Eric to the funeral. Eric behaved very well. I think he understood that Mommy was very sad, because he held on to her and gave her lots of hugs during the funeral. After the service, we went up to pay our last respects. This would be the first time that Eric would see Grandpa since he passed. I explained to him that we would be saying goodbye to Grandpa. I carried Eric, and Mommy and I went to Grandpa’s side. We stood silently for a moment, then Eric said, “Goodbye, Grandpa”.
Last week began a new adventure for Eric and me. Eric started swim class. It is a beginner class for toddlers and pre-schoolers that are not yet used to the water. I get in the water with him, and we follow the instructor’s directions. Eric was really excited about started his swim class. We talked to him about it during the days leading up to it. With each day, he grew more interested and excited about the idea. The day finally came last Monday.
I left work early to get home before the swim class. Eric and I suited up in our swim trunks. Mommy packed a bag for us with a change of clothes and some towels to dry off. We left the house a little later than planned, then I made a wrong turn on the way to the pool. We eventually arrived at the pool, and only 5 minutes late. The class is only 30 minutes long! Eric and I waded into the pool and joined the group already in progress. The instructor came over and handed Eric a toy fish and showed him how to make bubbles with it. Then she showed him how to blow bubbles with her mouth in the water. Eric did not want to try this…yet. After a few minutes, we ventured to the deep end of the pool. The deep end is only 3 feet deep!
The deep end is where Eric had to learn trust. He was very afraid that I might let go of him. He kept a tight grip on me, usually with his arm around my neck. We sang songs and walked around in a circle. Songs like “twinkle twinkle little star” and “row, row, row your boat” among others. Eric’s favorite song is the “pancake song”.
I’m a little pancake on my tummy!
Yummy, yummy, yummy, yummy,
Yummy, yummy, yummy!
I’m a little pancake nice and flat!
Flip me over on my back!
Next, Eric sat on the edge of the pool and practiced jumping into the water with me catching him. “1…2…3…jump!” Over and over and over and over. Eric loved jumping into the water. We finished up the class by going down the slide. The pool has a slide built into the shallow end for the little kids.
We repeated the class on Wednesday evening, and again this week. This has been a very good experience for both Eric and me. Eric eventually was convinced that I would not let go of him or let him fall in the water. Swim class is our time together during the week, when usually we spend time together without Mommy only on the weekends. Getting ready, driving to the pool, swimming, changing into our street clothes in the locker room, and calling Mommy to tell her what fun we had. This became our routine. After the final class tonight, I signed up for the next class, which starts next Monday. I asked Eric before class and after class tonight if he wanted to take more classes. He very clearly said “YES”.
This is the 2nd blog entry today.
What a fun weekend so far!
Yesterday, Eric rode his new bike. I picked it up at a second hand shop for children’s stuff. It has a spider-man theme and training wheels. Eric outgrew the bike that I bought for him last summer at the Goodwill store. He did not get to ride it much last year. He had not figured out the pedalling part yet. He was certainly ready this year! I aired up the tires and adjusted the seat and handle bars to fit him. He was very patient and tolerant of this delay, although he was defintely anxious to ride his new bike! I helped him get comfortable with the bike and reassured him that the training wheels would keep him from falling over. I gave him some gentle pushes to get him moving. Soon he was pedalling! I had to keep reminding him to pedal in order to keep moving and reminded him to steer when he was heading for the grass, a bush, our camper, etc. Mommy came outside to see him on his bike and immediately ran back into the house to get our camera. Eric rode up and down our sidewalk and around the driveway a few times. Mommy had by now gone back into the house. I decided that he needed more room to ride and get used to pedalling and steering, so we went out into the street. I reminded Eric that he was only allowed to go in the street with Mommy or Daddy. He agreed. Earlier in the driveway he stopped and said, “I can’t go in the street!” He was reminding me, since I was encouraging him to keep pedalling. Of course he was not yet even close to the street, but he felt the need to set me straight. Anyway, out in the street I continusously kept watch for cars and let Eric know that I was doing so. He expressed his concern that cars would be coming. I reassured him, and he started pedalling toward the corner. It is a very slight downhill to the corner, so it was easy for him to gain momentum. He pedalled enthusiastically all the way to the stop sign. We turned around and pedalled back. The slight uphill was a challenge, but I helped him a little, and he made it all the way home. I was so proud! My little boy is growing up so fast. It seems like just last week that he was learning to walk, now he is riding a bike! We heard some thunder in the distance, so we put away the bike and all of the toys in the garage. When we got inside, Eric excitedly told Mommy, “I rode my bike to the stop sign and back!” Mommy looked at me, and I confirmed that he did indeed ride all the way to the corner and back. Mommy was thrilled! She picked him up and gave him a great big hug and kiss. We both praised him generously for this accomplishment! Mommy and I are so proud of our son!
Today is the Indianapolis 500 race. This is one of a few days during the year when we get some free entertainment over our house. This year, the fly over was a stealth bomber! Very cool looking jet! Eric and I enjoyed the show last year with the more typical F-16 or F-18 or whatever fighter jets. This year was a special treat. The stealth bomber is quite an exotic looking aircraft. We were in the house and getting ready to start our day. We had just put on Eric’s shoes when we heard the roar of a low flying jet over the house. Eric and I immediately ran outside to see what it was. We got out just in time to see the bomber flying over our front yard, very low. It was headed for the speedway, which meant the race would begin very soon. Knowing that the jets usually fly over the speedway 2 or 3 times, we ran back inside, I put on my shoes, grabbed the camera, and went back outside. Mommy was ready and waiting for us to go, but she patiently waited for us, as we waited for the next pass. We could still hear the rumbling off in the distance. We waited for a few minutes, although it seemed much longer. Eric and I kept scanning the skies for the jet to appear. Finally, the rumbling grew louder, and our anticipation grew with it. As the roar of the jet approached, suddenly the jet appeared over the tree tops. Wow! Eric was excited, but maybe not as excited as me 🙂 I got quite a few good pictures and some video as the jet passed over and made another 2 passes during the next 20 minutes or so. We were finally convinced that there would be no more fly-overs, so we loaded up the car and headed for our next adventure.
Next stop…Menard’s! This is one of Eric’s favorite places. Just ask him! “Save big money at Menard’s!” he frequently sings. He repeated this chorus over and over today in the car and at the store. I returned some unneeded hardware and picked up a few more items for the house. We spent more time than necessary of course.
We left Menard’s and headed for the parking lot in front of Kohl’s. Mommy had spotted a carnival that was setting up before the weekend had started. We thought Eric would enjoy it, so we planned to spend the afternoon there. It was not very big. It was set up in a parking lot after all. Eric right away spotted the flying rockets, but he called them airplanes. He wanted to ride! I inquired about minimum height…36″…perfect, Eric is over 39″ tall! We headed for the ticket booth to buy some tickets. On the way, we spotted a few other rides that looked exciting, so we bought enough tickets for several rides. We returned to the rockets, handed over our tickets, and Eric was through the gate. Now, with the perfect timing that only a 3-year-old could manage, Eric announced that he needed to pee! Fortunately, he was not sitting in the ride yet, so I mentioned to the operator that he needed to pee first; could we come back? The operator returned our tickets, and we went in search of the portable toilets. That was an experience that I will not describe here. You can use your imagination, though Eric did very well considering the circumstances.
On the way back from the toilet, we passed a small roller coaster, and Eric wanted to ride. He was tall enough, so 3 tickets later he was seated in the belly of a long dragon! He was full of anticipation! When Eric and the other kids were strapped securely in, all of the parents cleared out to behind the fence. The dragon took off and circled the tracks, banking to the side around the curve, up and down, and around again to the front. Eric was having fun, although he looked just a little nervous. As the dragon rounded the front about the 3rd time around, Mommy heard him saying, “I’m done!” When the ride finally ended, I asked him if it was fun. “Yes!”, he replied.
Next, Eric saw the trucks, and he wanted to ride. This was just a train of semi-trucks connected together on a flat oval track. Again, we remitted our tickets, and soon Eric was seated in the cab of a cool truck! The ride was uneventful, and Eric was smiling the whole time. It is amazing that what looks mundane or boring to us can be so exciting for a child. These experiences are all brand new to him, and he soaks them up eagerly.
So, we still haven’t made it back to the “airplanes” yet. But now Eric sees the cars! Another simple ride that resembles a merry-go-round, but instead of leaping horses and a grand canopy, this ride has several miniature cars that roll around in a circle. Eric chose a yellow hot rod with flames on the side. His Uncle Mike would have approved! We soon discovered that the horn buttons in his car did not work. Eric did not seem too concerned. He was on this ride for the ride, not the sound effects. The ride lurched to a start and off he went. The cars circled for a few minutes until the operator stopped the ride. Eric was smiling the entire time!
Okay, so now Mommy is getting hungry, and it is getting late for lunch. We decided to go to “Five Guys Burgers and Fries” just across the parking lot, but on the way we came across a giant slide! Eric loves slides! Mommy and I agreed to one more ride before lunch. Eric and I climbed a seemingly endless flight of stairs to get to the top. Up, up, and up. At the top, I positioned our burlap sack and sat down. The attendant at the top lifted Eric into my lap. Another boy was getting seated in the far lane, so we waited to go at the same time. The slide was high and fast! We were completely airborn by the time we reached the final hump in the slide near the bottom. We were literally flying down the slide! We were going so fast that we skidded beyond the stopping pad but safely stopped just before reaching the fence. So much fun!
We headed over to the restaurant to get lunch. Of course we planned to return for the “airplane” ride. Finally, we gave our last tickets to the air traffice controller, and Eric boarded his rocket ship. This ride went around in a circle and raised up and down slowly. Eric enjoyed the ride, although he seemed to spend the better part of it studying the center part that attached all of the rocket ships…no doubt trying to figure out how it worked.
It was getting hot, and it had been a long afternoon, so we headed home to try a nap. Eric has not been napping much lately…no luck today either. He did get some quiet time in bed. Mommy and I each grabbed a few winks of shut eye for ourselves.
After naps (most of us anyway), we went out for dinner. We went to a local family restaurant that was highly recommended by a friend of Mommy. We enjoyed some good food and hanging out. Eric was allowed to draw right on the table with crayons, as it was covered in paper. This was a novel idea for Eric, and he liked it!
This is the first of two blogs today. I would like to share some photos from this month.
Eric and Mommy spent some time preparing for the tree removal by digging up the hostas that were growing around its base. We planned to replant these around the other trees. Eric really enjoys helping when Mommy or I have work to do. At least until it gets boring or less fun than playing with his toys.
Eric frequently gets hold of our camera and takes many photos. It wears out the batteries for not too many useful photos. Most are of his feet or the ground or blurry people without heads. Occasionally, he gets some really good pictures. He really is good at aiming the camera. He just mostly plays around and pushes the button. The timing of the shutter is delayed from pressing the button, so he does not usually get the picture he wants. He did take this lovely photograph of the hanging flowers in front of our house.
Eric celebrated his birthday earlier this month. One of the gifts that he received is a set of toy golf clubs. He really likes these. He seems to have the style for the sport, if not the skills yet.
This next photo is self-explanatory. The look and the shirt say it all!
