They're Not Craftsman, but...
Greetings to all.
As mentioned in a previous post, Xavier picked up a small workbench with tools at a recent MOPS sale. Though not the kind of workbench Dad uses every day—an electronic one providing a desk and tools to manage software—still a nice bench all the same. It lay in its packaging Friday and Saturday. Sunday after breakfast, we headed to Middle Earth to set it up.
When we picked the set up Friday, Xavier did not know what Dad was doing. We were on our way out, walking the aisles one last time. Dad thought "Look at all the aisles with girls' toys. Where are the boys' toys?"
Then Dad thought "I wonder if we can find a tool set?!" Scanning the aisles, one table across the room held promise. With Xavier in tow, we weaved our way through the crowds to get to it.
Two were left. The first we examined had its plastic wrapping broken and appeared to be missing quite a few items. We moved on the next one, which on first glance looked worse off than the first, but that was a deceptive look. Poking around and peeking in through the packaging as much as we could, we determined it was the better of the two. We snatched it up before someone else grabbed it from under our noses.
That, by the way, is not much of an exaggeration. Earlier, Xavier and I were exploring a kitchen console—Xavier unhappy the microwave was nothing more than a facade, a cheesey, non-functional panel that didn't even beep when pushing a number. A woman came right up to it, grabs one of the MOPS workers and asked "Can you put a hold on this item? I need to call to see if it's what we want." All this while Xavier and I were actively looking at it.
Sunday, as we sat on the floor to open the packaging, Xavier realized what treasure it held inside. He helped rip the shrink-wrap away, and grew anxious when Dad had to get up to retrieve a pair of scissors to cut through the packing tape.
Once open and the two doors swung out, Xavier found the large Zip-Lock bag holding all the tools. He opened the bag, dumped out its content and went straight to work. The kit had two hammers, a screwdriver, wrench, a little vise, bolts, hex nuts, clothespin-like "nails", angle brackets, a wooden rule, and several slats of wood.
He took up the screwdriver and a screw, instantly setting the blade into the slot and started turning it. I wondered where he learned that, then I thought "Oh yeah. He has watched Dad do this same thing when replacing batteries in many of his toys." He spent a couple of hours with it Sunday. Today, getting up in the morning and after his nap, he ran for Middle Earth to find his tool set and play.
Frankenboots
Greetings to everyone.
With all the recent winter weather, snow and ice we've needed to get Xavier a set of snow boots. Especially true now that he likes going outdoors so much. The problem is, finding snow boots to fit Xavier's non-standard sized feet has proven difficult.
Rebecca, however, persevered, finding a workable pair last week. Today, Xavier took them on their maiden journey around the yard. That is, after Dad managed to get them on his feet!
The boots are heavy, and much larger than Xavier's feet. They rise to just below his knee. He gains an extra inch and a half standing in them. One of the selling points was the cinch strap to get a tight fit around the ankle. We need that feature for his feet.
It took Xavier a few minutes to get the feel of these boots. He practiced a bit in the house, walking stiff-legged like the stereotypical Frankenstein. Once he got the hang of them, we headed outdoors to try them in the snow.
Xavier walked across ice. He trudged through snow. He trod through the thickets. He even helped shovel snow and ice from the north walkways. He even "baptized" one of the boots by stepping on a fresh dog log (the only fresh pile in the yard, and he found it).
Still a little unstable in them, Xavier often needed to hold Dad's finger when the terrain he traversed turned a little uneven.
After an hour, we returned to the house. Xavier gives his new boots a big "thumbs up."
MOPS Sale
Hello to everyone.
The MOPS group Rebecca belongs to held its annual clothing and toy sale. This is no church rag sale! This event, in its fifteenth year, is organized and executed with military precision. One does not rummage through boxes. Everything is out, neatly arranged in well-numbered rows with signage. Arrows on the floors directed traffic. People helped you out to your car with your purchases. The operation was a machine, expected to bring in $90,000 plus for this MOPS chapter!
And Hi-Tech too. Every item was bar-coded. The cashiers scanned the items. Computer software alerted contributors of sales commissions.
Rebecca, being out of town this weekend, instructed me what to look for (having helped set things up, she had the intel we needed). Our primary goal was one of those orange and yellow domed-shaped "Flintstone" cars, of which three had been set out for sale. Xavier loves this type of car, so we wanted to get him one.
Xavier and I arrived close to 8:00 and were about 40th in line when the doors opened Friday morning. When we pulled into the parking lot, it was half filled. Within minutes of the doors opening, the place was packed with people. When we left an hour later, the only place to park was the spot we vacated.
Prepped with the location of the Flintstone cars, we headed there directly. Alas, we did not get one. Schools and day cares get first crack at the goodies Thursday evening; all three cars got picked up then.
Xavier did not care. He headed straight for the music keyboards. I still don't know how he knew where to find them, much less see them up on the table a foot and a half above his head. We ended up getting one of the electronic keyboards; he wouldn't leave without one in tow. $4 was a great price for all the noise Xavier can now create.
We continued to walked the aisles. Xavier tried out many items. Anything he stuck with or kept going back to play with again and again, we picked up. This includes a Xavier-sized vacuum cleaner; he liked it more than the keyboard. We also scored a workman's tool bench set. Arr-Arr-Arr!
Once home, Xavier got his keyboard. Now, he carries it everywhere in the house (it's nearly as long as he is tall). He carries it in the most difficult way possible: grabbing it by the left and right ends instead of the top and bottom, thus taxing his arm span and unbalancing his walk. Not too much of a problem for him, however; when he tires, he hands it off to Dad to carry for him. If Dad is not paying attention, he screeches a complaint.