Thursday, June 15, 2017

Back to Colorado

We returned to Colorado for my sister's wedding. I became fonder of Colorado during this trip, perhaps because the weather was so nice or perhaps because we were in Boulder, which is Denver's prettier cousin. Boulder was more homogenous than Denver, but the scenery was lovely. X will attest that there were some great playgrounds. I wish we could have gone on a hike, but I guess there's always next time.

X dug the airplane rides. In case you didn't know, airplanes are his FAVORITE THING, as every new playground acquaintance is told. Last time I visited, I didn't notice the dearth of things for kids to do in Denver. On a day trip, we managed to visit a pizza restaurant and an ice cream parlor that were not kid friendly, with the latter boasting a row of vegan flavors and no chocolate.

Playing with toy airplanes at the airport

Cool playground!

Lovely Boulder



The Boulder Public Library was so cool!

Denver

Running through a fountain in Denver

Woo! Window seat!

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Sea Life Park

We finally made it to Sea Life Park, thanks to a deep discount courtesy of Foodland. It was worth the trip. The park is small and kind of shabby compared to giants like Sea World, but the shows are fun to watch. The entire thing is interactive. X got to feed birds, fish, and get splashed by dolphins. His favorite were the dolphins. He particularly enjoyed watching some dolphins play with a souvenir someone had dropped into the tank. Dolphins play with toys, too!

He thought the hammerhead sharks were so interesting that he insisted that we call him "hammerhead" when he left.

He became enamored with a little girl named Mia, who was his BFF of the day. X gets really attached to other children fairly quickly, and it's always tough to pry them apart. He does get weepiest about the girls.








Saturday, April 15, 2017

How Everyone Should Be

X is extremely good at making friends. Of course, when you're five, it isn't hard. Generally he bonds with another kid his age over a mutual love of candy, airplanes, or Paw Patrol. He's extremely earnest in his desire to make friends, and most kids welcome his advances.

We were in line at Target the other day, and he noticed that the boy in front of him had an AYSO soccer medal. X also has a soccer medal. They started talking in the way that five year olds do, largely in questions and exclamations. After discovering that they almost have the same birthday, that they each have grandparents, that they each love candy (though different kinds of candy) and Paw Patrol, and that they've both been on an airplane, they were extending theoretical birthday party invites. Theoretical, of course, because they were both born in November. It was extremely cute. When the other boy had to go--he was first in line--the cashier said that everyone should be like that. I think that's a little simplistic, but I have to admire her idealism. Five-year-olds are pretty special.

The thousand yard stare

He's worn out

Riding Radar at Gunstock Ranch

Sunday, March 5, 2017

Why Five-Year-Olds Can't Run Zoos

X and Bobby are playing Zoo Tycoon. X has a distinct bias towards elephants. The other animals in his zoo become neglected and unhappy, and he sells them off to buy more elephants. Have you ever heard of a zoo that has only elephants? That zoo would go under in no time. Either that, or X is onto something....

Saturday, February 4, 2017

X and the State of the World

When I go back and read pieces of this blog, I am most pleased with the X vignettes. How quickly I forget his endearing idiosyncrasies. So part one is X. Part two is what has been rumbling around in my brain for a few days.

To say that X is obsessed with airplanes would be understating things. Airplanes are the focal point of his existence right now. He only wants to read airplane stories. He wants to know when we will next go on an airplane at least once a day. Bobby and I bought him an airplane calendar, which he pores over after bedtime. His airplanes of choice are commercial jets, though  in a pinch, he'll admire a jet or a biplane as well. Since we work on a base with an air station, he has ample opportunity to watch planes.

He's involved in his first intramural activity: soccer. He is an okay player. He's quick and could dominate the game, but he's too interested in interacting with the other kids. His little scrimmage matches consist of me telling him to watch the ball. He loves playing, though he wishes he scored more goals (magically, apparently, since he often won't run after the ball).

So here's part two. I have to admit that I'm frightened right now. I have just completed an intense training course that honed my critical thinking skills, encouraged me to consider possible future consequences of my decisions as a leader, and spoke about mistakes our government has made in the past. I have a very uneasy feeling that we are at a turning point in our country, and one way or another, we will end up redefining who we are as Americans and what we believe in. We--well most of us--expect our elected officials to have the best interests of the country at heart, whichever side of the aisle they are on. There are rules in place that prevent them from personally profiting from their positions, rules which we expect them to follow. We honor our basic freedoms, like those of speech and religion. If we lose these things, we will lose ourselves.

There have been some disturbing actions by our executive branch right out of the gate, and I am waiting anxiously to see the other branches can course correct it. One thing I have always had faith in is our system of checks and balances. It is designed to protect the minority and prevent tyranny. As a small part of the executive branch, I am also concerned that I will have to decide where my line is, and have the courage to leave rather than cross it. We should all think hard about these choices we may have to make one day in the near future.

Soccer!