Weekend entertainment

It doesn't take much to entertain a one-year-old. Ben has a new game that he thinks is great fun. He takes any long object, like string, a belt, etc. and examines the end of it, then he touches the end to the ground. Then, he'll walk around with it for a while and touch it to the ground again. He will do this over & over again. He discovered this game this past week while I was volunteering in the office at the school. As he was exploring, he found a long piece of yellow, plastic tape - the kind that is wrapped around a ream of paper. He took that yellow plastic and carried it around the office with him, touching it to the ground periodically, for at least 20 minutes. This is no exaggeration. Now, for the past few days this continues to be his entertainment of choice as long as he can find a long enough object to carry around. Ben - I'm so glad you are so easy to please. Such simple pleasure in such simple objects. Ah to be one again!


Ben also loves balls & will walk around with one saying "ba ba ba". I am pretty sure that means ball since this behavior is in his genes, as "ball" was Brad's first word. I have been surprised to see how quickly he has learned how to play with the ball. It's almost instinctive. Although, he does like to carry it around in his mouth, too, which is more like a puppy dog . . . oh well . . .


Being a typical one-year-old, average, everyday items are very interesting to him, and he would rather play with those than toys. Case in point - my sunglasses & the telephone! He was also fighting with Lacey over a capri sun straw today. He wanted to play with that straw and he didn't want her to have it! I know that there will be a time in the future where he will want much bigger and more exciting "toys" to play with, so for now, I will appreciate the simple pleasures of one who is ONE.



Lacey, on the other hand, is not so easily satisfied. At five, her play is obviously more involved, yet in many ways still quite simplistic. I am frequently amazed at her ability to initiate imaginative play with something as simple as 2 carrot sticks, which become sisters & start talking to each other. Today Lacey came up to me & said "Mom, pretend that you are the mom & this is our house & I am your daughter." I thought to myself, "ok, I'm pretty sure that is what we do everyday, but if you say so . . ." Then, as if she read my thoughts, Lacey said, "but I am 16 and my name is Ashley (she pronounces it ash -a lee). And, you have to drive me to basketball practice right now. OK, "Ash-a-ly", whatever you say, but I am going to have to go to work because I have a few things to get done. OK mom, but then you have to pick me up from basketball practice & I have to go to cheerleading. This was one busy 16-year-old. I am not sure where she got her information about what 16-year-olds do, but she had me "taking" her from one activity to the next most of the afternoon (naturally she had to change her clothes for each activity she was "participating" in). In between doing real laundry or real work on the computer in the office, I would "take" her to soccer practice or to work or home for a little TV time. I forgot to mention that during this time, I was also taking care of the "twins", Mary Kate & Ashley (aka Bitty Baby 1 & 2, conveniently placed in the toy stroller). Finally, when it got later in the evening & I had to get ready to go to a wedding reception, I told her that I had to quit the game. She said "no, we are playing this tomorrow and the next day & the next day." We will just pretend that you have to go to a wedding reception right now. OK, Lacey, I think I can keep up with this pretend game of real life. It works for me!

Here Lacey is explaining to me how things will be done in our little "game" of pretend.

As we started the game, Lacey was typing furiously on her Barbie laptop. I asked her what she was doing & she told me that she was typing a message to her friend.