Happy Number Nine
Greetings to everyone, and Happy Birthday, Xavier!
Yes, Xavier turns nine years old today, Friday the thirteenth. We celebrated as a family last night, however.
Rebecca headed to Wyoming this morning for drill and is away all weekend, so we wanted to have a small party before she left town. The big, noisy, super-cake, lots of kids party will be next Saturday.
Rebecca has not fully completed the "super-cake," but we wanted to have a cake for last night. I hit Whole Foods in the afternoon. I am always dubious about their cakes due to my first experience with them on Xavier's first birthday; the cake was disgusting, though it did serve its purpose of allowing for a wonderful mess.
I hit another store and picked up some wrapping paper and a numeral nine candle for the cake. The wrapping paper was for Rebecca's and my gift to Xavier. Also, another reason to celebrate while Rebecca was in town so she could watch him open our gift in person.
Last month, we dined out at Las Dalias Mexican Restaurant. The wait staff there adore Xavier and doted on him the entire time we are there. He had several lipstick kisses on his cheek and forehead before we paid the bill and went home. When they learned his birthday was in a few weeks, the told him to come back on his birthday and they would have something special for him.
After the usual doting on Xavier, one of the waitresses conferred with Rebecca while I distracted Xavier. After supper, they presented Xavier with three sopapilla drizzled with chocolate and raspberry and dabbed with generous amounts of cream. Xavier pressed me to make sure I tipped the ladies well, and he thanked them for their attentions.
After stuffing ourselves (and tipping well), we drove home to cake and presents!
Xavier did not expect a cake; he still waited for Mom's super cake to be finished.
Whole Foods had a vanilla cake with rainbow sprinkles of reasonable size for a reasonable cost. Rebecca pushed in the "Numeral Nine" candle and Xavier lit it. We sang "Happy Birthday", then Xavier had to suffer the wait of us cutting the cake and eating a slice.
He wanted to start ripping into presents and forsook his plate of confectionery delight.
He had two gifts ready to go. The first from his Aunt Kathy. A Timex watch. Now he has four wristwatches; he has no excuse for being late anywhere.
The second present (from mom and dad) he has been expecting for more than five months. He wanted us to buy it for him in January after he found it on Amazon.com.
"You have Christmas presents that are still new," we told him. Still, he pestered us. In February he informed us that the price had dropped ten dollars and we should get it now before the price went up again. I don't think a week passed that he did not mention the Battleship toy at least once.
Instead of a shower, he spent the rest of the evening (long past his bedtime—and on a school night) playing with the Battleship and all that came with it.
I set his watch and he wore it to school today.
Xavier Allan Poe
Greetings to everyone.
Today's weather had sunny skies and warm (low 60's) temperatures. The snow from the storm two days ago had nearly melted. It was a day to do nothing, or nearly nothing, but enjoy the outdoors.
Xavier started the day as usual: Minecraft, breakfast and chores.
After breakfast, Xavier started asking for more chores. He wanted to get to five dollars instead of four for his weekly chore money.
This led to the desire (really, the opportunity to act on what Rebecca and I have wanted to do for some time) to open a savings account for Xavier where he could deposit some of his cash.
After breakfast, we headed for the bank. The account took some time to set up.
After the bank, Rebecca wanted to treat the family to some confectionery delights.
Xavier wanted to have a marzipan frog, so off to the Taste of Denmark we drove. As usual, the place was packed.
After all three of us had behaved like children in a candy shop (and Xavier giving advice to a couple of parents and a boy who visited the shop for first time today), we bought several choices and found a table outside the shop to eat them.
Afterward, Xavier wanted to walk across the street and play at the park. We thought it a great idea, though with one tiny change.
We decided to walk around the lake first, a decision not well-favored by Xavier. He had little choice in it, however.
Once around the lake and at the play equipment, Xavier made a friend. He and his dad were tossing around a Nerf football and they invited Xavier to join them. Xavier called to me and together the four of us threw and caught the football while Rebecca started around the lake again.
Throwing a football was new to Xavier. I gave him some pointers and he started having better control on his throws. Soon, however, he wanted to climb the equipment and play hide-n-seek. His friend agreed.
The boys headed off to the equipment leaving me and the other dad to sit and enjoy a conversation.
After some 45 minutes of play, a raven or crow (probably a crow) showed up under the play equipment. The bird had no fear of the children. In fact, it followed them up to the higher parts.
The children, of varying ages from about 5 through 10, kept calling to it. All were convinced the bird could speak.
One boy decided to name the bird Jerry because when he asked the bird its name, he thought it answered "Jerry." (The bird was vociferous. If you yelled at it, it squawked back.)
Xavier, also convinced of the bird's ability to speak, concluded that animal must have been raised by humans as that is where it would have learned to talk.
The bird moved to one of the slides. The children ran over to where it landed. One little girl, who did not know the bird was there, came down the slide and stopped mid slide then retreated back up when she saw the bird.
Eventually, several children worked up the courage to slide past the bird, albeit very cautiously.
The bird hung around until the children grew bored with it, then flew off with two others who stayed in the treetops all the time it was with the children on the play equipment.
Xavier's New Bike
Hello to all.
It has been four and a half years since Xavier got his first bicycle. Just seven months ago we (mostly Rebecca) finally got Xavier off the training wheels.
Still, he was not keen on riding the bike. He had problems keeping balance while getting the pedals going, and steering while pedaling.
Turns out, his legs were just too long for the bike.
He and Mom headed down to trade in the old one and get a new one. Now, the only things that are keeping him off his new bike are darkness and the amounts of snow we have had melting in the streets these past weeks.
Of course, snow melt makes deep puddles, which are fantastic to ride through at speed, Xavier has discovered. Although, he says he may not do that any more because he has to wash his bike afterward. That is his choice; he wants to keep it shiny.