Photo-A-Day #3709

I joke often that my time with Andrew each day centers around #OperationNaptime. Those couple of hours of peace and quiet that I may or may not get each day. I’m really lucky that he still naps and that he can fall asleep in the car and I can transition him into his bed and he stays asleep. I joke but I love my time together with Andrew. Each day he is getting stronger, smarter and more confident. I can understand almost everything he says and he’s funny as heck. Today was especially fun.

I had a project due this morning, You may have seen my #MilkDrive post, and he watched some cartoons. Then he wanted to go outside. I had yet to shower after the gym so it was a perfect day to transplant the lilies from the back yard onto the grave of Oliver and Duncan. We have quite the little lily covered pet cemetery happening in the side yard. The kids and Allison will be washing up some of the bricks and painting them to put around the little garden. This will help with the healing for the kids and us. Eva has been picking Rhododendrons and putting them on the grave each morning.

I got out my shovel and a smaller metal kids shovel for Andrew. He loves to help. He loves to have a job and a purpose. Shoveling, wasn’t it. He’d put the shovel in the dirt and fling it onto the lawn. I tried to gently ask him to stop doing it but he just wouldn’t get it. Then I dug up one of the older bricks that were buried around the existing lily spot. I had him take them each and stack them for me. I dug up about 8 of them and that kept him busy for a while. He loved stacking them and helping.

After we did that we cleaned up and headed over to Tex Barry’s to get lunch. Couple of hot dogs and drinks and chips for under $10, perfect. Such a great Attleboro Institution. We love going there for a quick lunch when we can’t think of anything else or are too lazy to make something or if we are out of things.

We then went over to Capron park. I brought with me his scooter, a baseball and bat and also some Stomp rockets. I have no idea where the stomp rockets came from. They may have been from a time to play event of toy fair or something else. I have no clue. I learned that they were a birthday gift to Andrew from our friends. But they were out in the garage and so I grabbed them as well. They were a huge hit! They are so simple. Foam rockets that are attached to a tripod type base. There is a little hose attached as well and then a big plastic pillow that you jump on or stomp on and the rockets sail up super high. I took a ton of continuous high shots of Andrew stomping, he had to jump with two feet together to make it work.

And while it isn’t always the complete and total intention of our days together, Andrew did take a decent nap.