Saturday was a great day. It was productive, yes, but that was not the thing that will make it stand out in my mind as a great day. What made Saturday so great is that I was able to do a couple of things with the boys that we don’t usually get to do. Most days, we have a fun time at home, especially now that we are able to be out in the yard. On Saturday, I combined the business of going out to do errands with the opportunity to bring Dylan to a special event and also to spend some time at a playground.
Dylan loves to build things. He has toy tools, but more than anything he loves to hold and use real tools. He loves to hammer real nails, and as you can imagine, he does not get too many opportunities to do that. Last month, when I found out that the Home Depot offers free workshops for kids I made plans to bring him to the very next one which was on Saturday.
Friday night, when I reminded Dylan that we would be getting up early to go to the Home Depot, he was just about as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve. When we arrived at the store on Saturday morning, there were many kids there building bird feeders from little, pre packaged kits. We stood in line to get a kit and wait for a space at a table, and I was struck by how patiently Dylan waited. I now know that when he wants something very, very badly, he will wait as long as it takes without complaint.
Once we had our supplies, I helped Dylan assemble the bird feeder. Fortunately, Blake was a good sport and hung out on my front in his Ergo carrier as I started hammering the nails for Dylan. Dylan did not seem to mind the help that much, and he was happy to tap the nails when I handed him the hammer, and to apply the glue where it needed to go. He loved painting his creation, too. As I did the activity with him, I felt so happy because he was doing something that he really enjoys. I wish that I could build more things with him at home, and perhaps that is something that I can start doing on a more regular basis.
Our trip to the playground was great for both of the boys, because they love to be outdoors. Dylan loves to climb, and he had a lot of fun climbing up structures that he was unable to climb last year. Blake, who just started walking a couple of weeks ago, is also learning to climb. I love watching them as they develop the strength, skill, and confidence to reach new heights.
It’s always a good day when the kids get to do the things that they love the most. I even got things done that I wanted to do, and that made it a very, very good day indeed.