Mommy and Janelle went to a "Princess" birthday party this afternoon, so I cross loaded Joseph's car seat into my truck and we set out to have a boy's afternoon out. Joseph loves to ride in my truck, he says he want's one like it when he's big, but he doesn't get to do it much. Our first mission was to get me a haircut. Joseph loves to go to the barber shop and he wanted a cut, too, but he really didn't need one.
The barber shop was really crowded but we found two seats and sat down. As an irrelevant aside, I go to a Vietnamese barbershop (every soldier knows the Korean barbershops outside the gate). It is a really modern shop and they have a fish tank and a little area with some kids chairs and a little table and a bin of toys for the kids. The barbers have names like Qui, Luke, Andy, Hung, and Jennifer.
When we got there, Joseph and I sat down and looked at some car magazines until it was my turn. When I got called, I told Joseph he could go sit in the little chairs and look at the fish or play with toys. He was such a little man. He went over and got a little chair and turned it around and looked at the fish tank. At some point, Jennifer (the barber), was sweeping up hair, and Joseph turned his chair square around, so he was facing the barber chairs and Jennifer. This caught her a bit off guard and she said, "Hello there". He didn't throw the toys about or cause any kind of fuss. He just sat there and waited for me to get through. When I got done, my barber (the young lady who is a George Mason Pharmacy grad who cuts hair on Sunday) asked me if she could give him a sucker. Needless to say, I was very proud of him.
After the barber shop, we went to CostCo. I told Joseph that he would have to stay very close to me, because CostCo is crazy crowded, and he did the best he could. After a while in CostCo, I put Joseph on my shoulders and was playing a little game with him... lean this way, "don't fall"... lean that way, " don't fall". After a while, my shoulders were getting tired, so I asked him if he'd like to get down.... silence.... "Joseph, do you want to get down?".... silence. "Joseph, I can't see you nodding your head, you need to talk". He leaned over, right next to my head and nodded, so I let him down.
After CostCo, we went to the Giant grocery store to get some juice for the kids. We got two each one quart bottles of juice and Joseph wanted to carry one. It was a handful for him and he hugged it up against his body, "holding it with two hands, daddy". We went by the floral section and Joseph wanted to smell the flowers. They had some really expensive Orchids and Joseph went over and smelled and asked all kinds of questions. "What is this?" "That's a bud, son, a little flower that hasn't opened up yet." "Daddy, what's that yellow thing in the flower?" "I don't know, son, it's just part of the flower. Don't touch it, that's a very expensive flower if you break it" Then he carried his bottle up to the self check and we paid out and went to the truck.
There was a moped one park over and in front of us. A guy got on it and rode off. Joseph said, "Look daddy, he's on a motorcycle." I said, "Well that's not really a motorcycle, that's more like a scooter." Joseph said, matter-of-factually, "Scooters are pink, that's a motorcycle".
While we were out driving, Joseph was asking questions and learned all kind of things. He learned what blinkers are and what hazard flashers are. I tried to explain what that "big lever" in the floor does, and what the "little lever" (4 WD shifter) does and why the "clocks" on the dash (the speedo and tach) go up when we leave a red light. I told him about engines and when we got home, I had to pop the hood and show him the truck's engine. He told me he wants a "motor like that when I get big".
After we got home, he wanted to ride his bike. He has a little-bitty Diego bike with training wheels that he rides like a little demon. His only problem is that he tends to turn it too sharply and tips it over, but he usually gets up and dusts his hands off and gets back on. When he's sitting still, and is trying to get it going, he kind of hops on it to get some momentum going forward, but also spins the rear wheel. Once, this afternoon, he hopped, his petals spun really fast, and he banged his knee on the handle bars. He really wanted to cry, but I told him "If you're going to ride a bike, its going to happen. Keep riding. Pedal it off. It will quit hurting. Go". After he got going, it was all forgotten.
I really enjoy the one on one time with the kids. Together, they are hell on wheels, and can be unbearable at times, but when there is only one, we make serious quality time together. I love that.
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