To the Moon and Back

   Much to our delight, we continue to have a weekly date with our favorite four-year old, Orange Sneakers.  Except for a week or two when he was not feeling up to par, we've been able to enjoy some winter adventures!

 Our little boy is getting bigger and has outgrown his flashy orange sneakers.  Now he wears cool black ones with just a dab of orange.

  He is changing right before our eyes in other ways too.  Physically he's more agile - able to scale the heights  at the playground without a second thought.  He rides a scooter, a tricycle and something called a scoot bike at speeds that test out ability to keep up with him!

 
  He came for a 'sleep-over' recently and spent much of the weekend constructing elaborate structures and inventing  imaginative stories to go with each creation.

Bunny wagon!  Just in time for a tea party.

   We went on an adventure to the local air and space museum where he became enthralled with the moon landing.  He was fascinated by the whole story of  the astronauts,  how the space crafts were built and  other details of space travel.   We saw a display that included  the Lunar Module, a video showing the landing and the suits used by the men who traveled to the moon.   The questions kept coming all afternoon!

Orange Sneakers has been very busy making friends this winter.    Our little man doesn't play by himself on the playground anymore! His new friend is Pink Sneakers!   

 Largely ignoring the adults who accompanied them, they went on an imaginary trip this past week..  They took off on a space trip to the moon (of course)  via the swings which launched them into space (with a bit of help from Pappa and Pink Sneakers' dad)  They brought the following items, all indispensable for a moon landing:  reindeers, hotdog soup, space suits for the reindeers , robots and a space 'vehicle' to drive on the moon.  

  They play all kinds of make-believe and although we are not included in the fantasy world any more, we like to eavesdrop.  Here they were making popcorn
in the sandbox - chocolate popcorn, of course!


LIFE IS GOOD !

VIEW FROM UNDER THE SLIDE Or Further Adventures with Orange Sneakers

  ^^^^

a young prince

builds a magical palace

in her heart

^^^^

   The long shadows of late autumn followed us to the playground this week.  Orange Sneakers was intrigued with his shadow and asked "Why is my shadow  so much bigger than I am?"  A discussion about the sun's position in the sky at this time of the year ensued. 

    Once his curiosity about shadows is sated, the conversation turns to fossils.  His friend at school showed him a fossil and now he is intent upon digging up the playground in search of his own specimen.

  He finds a sturdy stick and begins his quest through soil packed tighter than cement.  

  

A patient boy, he continues digging until he unearths what, to him, looks like a fossil.  We pack it up in a tissue to bring home.  He wants to show his mom and dad.

When he tires of fossil hunting, he  decides it is time to run around and his next adventure begins.  "I'm looking for sculptures," he exclaims as he runs off to play on the jungle gym.  

Within minutes, I am unable to capture him on my camera, as he darts around looking for new heights to scale, babbling all the while about his intention to build a sculpture garden.(Precipitated by a recent visit to Storm King, no doubt.)

I linger  a moment on a seat under the slide, where I can see him and notice the play of the long shadows and the playground sculptures all around me.

Would I have noticed these lovely angles, these potent views if Orange Sneakers had not heightened my senses?

Finally, he returned to the 'digging place' where fossils and sculptures and shadows live in his glorious four year old imagination.

As I stood there I noticed that my shadow encircled my precious boy and I whispered a silent prayer that he always be surrounded by love, as he is today.

Here's a link to more "Adventures with Orange Sneakers" :What Fun!

Shared with Recuerda Mi Corazon where love and joy is shared every Friday in Haiku My Heart.

What Fun!!

What Fun!

        Now here is a sight to make an old woman's heart sing,

out of tune perhaps,

 but nevertheless......

An almost four-year-old

 with brand new orange sneakers

on a brilliant October day,

What fun!

'Lets go to the park,' says Orange Sneakers

'I want to be a leaf-blower 

and clean up all the leaves!'

 Off they go to the park,

 to hunt for monsters

build a campfire in the  playground,

boil some leaves for tea

and best of all 

 pretend to be really, really, really big leaf-blowers!

How great is that,

to be almost four
 AND be a really, really, really big  leaf-blower
 in October,

in a park full of deciduous trees?

When the shadows grow long, 
the leaf-blower and his grandparents 
head for home,and on the way,

Orange Sneakers  informs his audience  

'I came out of Mommy's belly,'

Hm......

'Whose belly did you come out of?'

he asks,

 'I came out of GG's belly',

his grandmother says.

'Oh.'
  

Then a siren sounds  on the street
and a hook and ladder goes by,

 and little Orange Sneakers

dashes off to put out a fire.

At home,

 sneakers come off with a flourish

       and grandson becomes...........

SUPER PIIIIIIIIIIG

leaping over sofa cushions, er...

tall  apartment buildings,
 driving 'vehicles' to Paris, France

and making up rules for unsuspecting grandparents,

'Everyone HAS to take their shoes off  in the house.'

'I don't HAVE to eat Brussel sprouts'

'I AM allowed to climb up to the top of the sofa'

'I don't NEED a shampoo tonight.'

'Oh really,' says grandmother,

'Is that so,' says grandfather.

When it is time to leave,

 Super Pig morphs into  grandson

and offers  hugs and kisses

to grandmother
 and grandfather too.

'Can we go to the park when you come again?'

'Yes, we can!'