Xavier Helps in the Kitchen
Hello to everyone.
Water fascinates Xavier. After dinner, when Dad is cleaning up and Xavier is not preparing for bed, he runs into the kitchen to ask if he may move a chair into position to play in the rinsing stream.
This is a great time to work with Xavier on his focus and reasoning. There are a set of steps that need doing in a particular order before he can reach the sink and its bounty of flowing water.
First, he needs to secure permission. Some nights Dad is just not in the mood to have help, or it's too soon to have a chair brought in. Xavier has gotten good about asking first.
Once permission is given, he races to the dining area to start moving a chair. He knows to take off the seat cushion first, or find a chair without a cushion. Often, in his excitement, he forgets the other steps prior to moving the chair.
After permission is obtained, he needs to move the floor mat out of the way. Then, he gets under the sink to pull out the large towel we keep there just for this purpose (to soak up any of his mess that escapes the sink). Xavier helps lay out the towel. Once it is down, he knows the chair is next.
He will push the chair right up to the towel, then wait (excitedly, and somewhat impatiently) for Dad to lift and position the chair onto the towel. Once there, Xavier is up on the chair with lightening speed.
Most of the time, Xavier rinses containers, fills them with water, dumps them out, then fills them again. Still, he is open to helping scrub and wipe dishes too, though this bores him quickly. I tell him, "You'd better get used to this. You'll be doing it more and more sooner than you think."
Xavier Visits the Butterflies
Greetings to everyone.
Xavier visited the Westminster Butterfly Pavilion this morning. As this was close to the office I work out of, I joined the family for a tour and a hot dog lunch. It was a fantastic day for it. The weather could not have been adjusted any better: a warm, sunny mid-July day, but only in the mid 70's temperature-wise.
We started in the invertebrate exhibit, moved around to the aquatic exhibit, then entered the conservatory, where the butterflies roam free.
The exhibits are definitely kid-friendly, having ramps and stairs built around the exhibits so that even the smallest child could get up close and see spiders and bees and walking sticks and many others bugs without the help of an adult. And run from exhibit to exhibit, Xavier did. I think he had more fun running along the ramps than actually enjoying the bugs in their cages.
We stood in line to hold Rosie, the tarantula. You get a sticker to boast about your bravery if you hold her. The line was not so long, but it moved slowly. As we got up next to hold Rosie, we read the sign which stated children must be three years or older to hold Rosie. Bummer.
Still, not daunted, we thought Xavier might want to touch Rosie if Daddy held her. We sat down. As Rosie's handler brought her near, Xavier pulled away; he wanted nothing to do with touching her! Still, he did look on as Rosie crawled across Daddy's hand. You will notice how Xavier holds his arms and sits: as far from the big spider as he can.
Xavier liked the aquatic exhibits. The ramps and walkways let him right up to press his nose against the glass. He saw fish, lobsters, big shrimp. We lifted him to touch a starfish, but he was more interested in splashing the water in the tank. We were a little bummed the octopus hid itself so well; we never saw it.
After a bathroom break, we headed for the conservatory where butterflies floated everywhere, in packs and in singles. They landed on leaves, sometimes even landed on people. Fascination overtook Xavier with every turn of the path. His hand was in the air much of the time, pointing at some new thing he wanted to share with Mom and Dad.
The staff had a butterfly release while we toured. It was not too exciting; they released the butterflies one by one and explained something about the species. Very hum-drum. Mom and Dad (and I'm sure Xavier too) wanted them to just take the lid off the cage and let them all fly out at once.
We ended the tour with a hot dog lunch outside the conservatory. We did not have enough time to walk the outside grounds, it was too close to Xavier's nap time. The grounds, by the way, looked lovely, and a wonderful day to tour the outdoor exhibits.
Xavier the Gardener
Greetings to everyone.
Earlier this Spring we had a large patch of (weed-riddled) lawn cut out and the soil amended. Rebecca wanted a vegetable garden, and last year's attempt at cultivating vegetables in pots came close to an epic fail.
Xavier has had his hand in this project from the moment the landscaper we paid to till the soil finished his work. He helped Mom put up the anti-rabbit fencing; he helped Mom plant seeds, seedlings and plants. He has helped water, weed and stomp on plants which are not weeds.
Xavier will fill cups and buckets with dirt from elsewhere in the yard so he can carry then dump that dirt into the garden. His favorite container is a small toy stacking cup. He can easily carry it, lift it over the chicken wire and dump the dirt without any parental assistance.
Lately, Xavier has gotten into playing with the hose. He knows where to turn it on, so he will come grab a parent's finger and walk that parent to the gate. He then points and squawks "That!" indicating he wants the sill cock turned on. And, God forbid, when the parent say no: what a fit he can throw!
When he does get access to a running hose, he loves to water, well, everything. But, he does have an eye and a knack for watering his garden.