No Longer Afraid of the Train
Hello to everyone.
For the last several years, Xavier has not wanted to ride little barrel trains. The annual NICU Alumni picnic always has this ride, but Xavier runs from even the mention of riding it. Of course, Daddy (and even Mommy) are too big to fit in one of the cars by ourselves, much less sitting with Xavier.
This year, while Rebecca was out of town for Drill, Xavier and I attended a carnival at a local church. A woman I work with, knowing I was single-Dadding this weekend, suggested it as a fun outlet for Xavier's energy.
Xavier was excited to go. We spent a couple of hours there, where Xavier went from bouncy house to bouncy house. All the while, the barrel train pulled by a riding lawnmower drove kids all around us.
After eating a Kona Ice near the "train station", Xavier decided he wanted to ride the train. It became his favorite ride, and he rode it three or four times before we left that evening. He rode in the back, then in the front, then in several middle cars. The smile on his face shows his excitement for the ride.
Xavier Goes Shooting
Greeting to all.
This Labor Day weekend we attended a church retreat with 200 others from our congregation. It was a welcomed time of relaxation and fellowship in the Collegiate Mountains of Colorado.
We attended the retreat last year as a fact-finding mission to learn more about the local church we were investigating. It was last year's retreat the solidified our decision to join the congregation.
This year the schedule allowed for more personal time with the expectation of using that time to meet more people, as well as relaxing from the normal rigors of life.
The retreat center had a BB gun range and (of course) BB guns and ammo. Rebecca wanted to take Xavier shooting.
We three grabbed some rifles and ammo, then followed a group of teens to the range.
I gave Xavier some basic lessons in the anatomy of his rifle and how to handle it in a safe manner. After some practice, Xavier hit several targets located about 20 feet away.
