Time together

Dylan,

You and I took a weekday off recently to get a trip to the aquarium in before school let out for the summer and brought with it the throngs of kids I find it easy to lose you in. It's been a whole year since we visited last, so you have no real memory of being there before. Your favorite place however, hasn't changed. I'm pretty sure you could spend the entire time within the water play area, but alas, Mommy gets a little bored eventually. It was a great day, and it was so fun to see you so much more interactive at all the exhibits compared to last year. You now have the attention span to stay and interact with those things you can see and touch, but not yet those that require text for learning.



Then, just a few days later, we went strawberry picking, and this time Dad joined us. You are an avid strawberry eater, and have waited patiently for it to be strawberry season, so you could eat your fill. In staying with the "eat fresh and local" philosophy I try to uphold, I had to explain to you many times in March and April why we couldn't buy the strawberries you saw in the store. Finally they arrived at our local farmers market and in our weekly veggie box, and I think it was worth the wait.

You have been known to down an entire basket at one sitting, though I try to limit you to half a basket on most occasions. For the self-pick outing we joined some friends for a strawberry picking fest and post harvest picnic. You and Dad worked together to find and pick only the ripest ones, and you patiently abstained from eating them on the spot as I insisted on washing them first. We even let you carry your own basket, though those eventually met with the dirt as you tripped at some point. No worries, those were washed and eaten by days end. We ended up with more than we needed, but a dinner trip to Yaya and Papa's, and a few bags in the freezer, and before we knew it, they were gone!



It is in retrospect I am reminded you continue to grow from almost every experience you are a part of, especially the unique ones. Everything you do is an opportunity to learn. I tell my new mommies at work that when their newborns are awake and alert they soak up everything they see, even if they aren't yet able to show it, they learn from every experience. You are still, at two-and-a-half, a sponge. That's amazing, yet scary.

Love,
Mom