Golden Pig Tales

He is a growing boy, but he is not yet as big as a pteranadon. We had fun at the dino exhibit at the zoo yesterday. Although I think ezra and kalab basically ran through the whole thing.

We met friends with kids at the Zoo and had a fun time. There was only one sad moment when we didn’t know we crossed the line to leave the dinosaur exhibit, so he couldn’t go back through the zoo’s dinosaur exhibit unless we paid again and that we weren’t going to pay again (at least today). Other than that it was all good and calm as Ezra was understanding and thoughtful of our friends and their kids. He had fun at the zoo. And after zoo we ate pizza at a pizza place with friends while Ezra scribbled, ate and played friend’s kids. I watched nervously as a kid that we didn’t know arrived at the pizza place (a bit older kid) and wanted to play with Ezra and his new friends around the bike rack. I seen and was calmed when all the kids played without pushing or ignoring or causing too much chaos. The all seemed to make some game that only they knew and had fun playing by the rules. They all got along. As kids seem to do, they played, so maybe it is just not Ezra that is great.

Today I was  again denied the role Race Car and Truck because Ezra wanted the Sheriff voice with the Race Car and Truck, but I said the Race Car and Truck don’t have the same voice as Sheriff, so I was given the role of Sheriff again.

I have experienced some fame because of my acting as Sheriff. Now, Ezra requests me to play and talk and go to the park. He’s even chosen me over -v- a few times today, which only happens when -v- is gone.

Ezra insisted I play the role of Sheriff LEGO Car again tonight and talk in the Sheriff LEGO Car voice. After an hour of talking in Sheriff LEGO Car’s voice, the character grew. After the next hour of talking in Sheriff LEGO Car’s voice, I realized it will be awhile until I will be able to expand my acting skills by trying different rolls of Truck LEGO Car, race car, Trackling Train or me. Yes, me. I have talked more today as Sheriff LEGO Car than I have as me the person that is not Sheriff LEGO Car.

Today, I had to give an encore performance as the Sheriff LEGO Car, who was showing off his new hat to his other car friends, a Race LEGO Car (Ezra) and a Semi LEGO Truck (-v-). By the third encore performance as Sheriff LEGO Car, I had the voice of Sheriff LEGO Car talking about his hat and having a hat party and driving around with his friends of the hat club. Sheriff LEGO Car drove around with Race LEGO Car and Semi LEGO Car, who both had hats. Race LEGO Car had a hat that looked like the hat could help it fly. Semi LEGO Truck wore a couple of hats both large and small. After an hour of talking in Sheriff LEGO Car’s voice, I need a break.

Tonight was the first night in many nights when I cooked a dinner that Ezra ate it up without fussing. He just picked-up the food and ate. And then asked for more. Then ate more. It made me feel good that for once I didn’t have to negotiate or convince Ezra to try and eat the food I make for dinner.

Thanks to Dinosaur Train, Ezra insists on having at least one toe nail to remain uncut, so he can have a pteranodon claw.

While -v- whacked the weeds, and I cleaned the kitchen, Ezra was allowed to run free around the house and yard pretty much unsupervised, which did make me nervous. I did peek out the windows when I heard the weed whacker spinning to search for Ezra to make sure he didn’t run off and fall from the retaining wall or decide he wanted to run around the block. When I didn’t see him for a minutes or so, I did get a bit nervous and wondered where he was. Of course, I would see him run past then realized why my parents would always worry when I was a teenager and unsupervised.

Ezra was full of questions today. He asked about penises and vaginas and butts and how they work and why girls have them and boys don’t. He asked about the sky and numbers. One of his most difficult questions was, ,,What does mean mean?” after me answering several questions leading with, ,,It means…” We were unable to clearly answer what mean means.

Ezra and his school-mates preformed a special mothers day pagent on Friday. It was the cutest thing ever. The kids all dressed up like little animals to perform Anansi and the moss covered rock. Then they sang a song, did a dance and then finished with a special song about mamita de mi corazon. Did I mention this was the cutest thing ever?? Wish kalab could have been there

While washing hands with him after tossing around the football outside, I noticed he no longer needs to use a step stool to use the bathroom sink.

Ezra wanted to show mom for Mother’s Day how much he needed mom by insisting she be the one to help him brush teeth, wipe butt, pick-out cloths, take a bath, buckle him into his car seat, help with his pizza, help with his socks, read a book, help him on to the tire swing, help be happy when sad, get him some juice and be a playmate like she does every day.

We played our first full game of checkers today. During the past he would usually get bored with the game and/or frustrated with the rules, but not today. Today we played one game then another. And like any good dad, I answered his questions about rules; I talked strategy; I let him rethink moves and move pieces back; I explained him the rules again; and I won.

Whether the park or the pub or the work, the school talk is a topic I find myself talking about with any other parent for any other parent seems just as wanting to talk out the frustration of schooling and their child. The talk stresses. The talk is annoying. But the talk goes on and on and will continue for years. It’s like -v- said yesterday after I had yet another conversation with a parent about schooling and kids and looked vexed. ,,It’s just the next thing to stress about. You don’t have to stress over changing diapers and cloths any more.” Which is true, and I am happy I don’t have to change Ezra’s stinky and sticky diapers anymore, but some days, like when talking with another parent about school, it would be nice to work with an issue that can be fixed with a few wipes and a clean diaper.

No longer does he need much help making the track or pulling the train or creating the story. Now he just builds the track with me helping to lay the track at his instructions. Now he pulls the trains along and talks a story about the train and its specials  and the adventures and accidents as he and the train travels around the track. During these stories he does remember me by asking me to catch the train and get in the Trackling Train to enjoy the ride then asks me from time to time what I see.

While it is great that Ezra loves his Tag Leap Frog reading pen that allows him to begin to interact with books by himself, I am becoming a bit jealous of the pen for he is beginning to want to use it instead of me to read books before he goes to bed. Fortunately, not all his books work with the pen, and he is more than willing to let me read him a book other times during the day.