The Crazy Life of Colin J

My son is a whirlwind of activity these days.


We recently celebrated his 3rd birthday and since then, he has been a man on the go. For starters, his 3rd birthday parties were great (both of them). We had one for him and his pals and a family one. As expected, he got a ton more toys that we found room for by getting rid of older toys he had outgrown. This of course we had done in secret because if he knew those older toys were going away, they would suddenly become his new favorite toys. His birthday was also a little different this year because we added in some games we could play as a family. He got a game where these little plastic fish open and close their mouths and you have to catch them with these little plastic fishing poles. He also got the game "Don't Spill the Beans", which consists of all these little plastic beans which have now ended up all over the place. The best game he got has been "Candyland". It has been something fun we can do together and it's neat to watch him work with his colors and do some counting. He even wins the game more times than me! He usually stays focused in the beginning of every game. Now if we can just find a way to keep him from drifting away near the end.

After his birthday came his buddy Luke's birthday party. Luke also turned three. His mom and dad are good friends of ours and it was a fun party. They had it at the YMCA here in Powhatan. It was a pool party.....in February. Luckily the Y puts a big bubble over our pool in the winter so it was nice and warm for the swimming. (I think it also helped that it was 70 degrees outside.... 70 degrees out.... in February....that's going to be a whole different posting.) Luke's mom and dad put on a great party. Pizza, cupcakes, and lots of apple juice were on the menu and it just so happens that those are Colin's three favorite food groups. Then they did some awesome crafts (the party was a beach theme). On the way home, after all that sugar, I figured if the car were to break down, Colin would have enough energy to tow the car back to the house. However, the swimming must have worn him out because after we got back, he crashed out on the sofa. He never sleeps on the sofa so I know he must have been really tired. I'll have to remember to get him over to the pool the next time I need him to get some sleep.

The latest thing Colin has been doing is soccer. There is a local indoor soccer club for small children. Daleen took him for his first game the other day and I got to watch the video afterward. What fun. Colin did pretty good actually. We have a soccer ball at home that he likes to kick around, so he knew that part. The only bad part is that Colin would randomly just run off and go do his own thing. He would be standing in the circle, doing what the other children were doing and then he would just run off for no reason. Hey, it's his world. We all just live in it. His buddy Luke is also on his team and more or less did the same thing. Together they are sort of like the Thelma and Lousie of the 3 year old soccer team. Colin hasn't changed his name to Pele' just yet, but we're glad he's into sports.

So I guess we have officially opened the Mom and Dad Taxi company for business. Our taxi company has not yet acquired the necessary minivan vehicle, but Daleen assures me there is one in our future. In the past Colin used to just go wherever we were going with the exception of the occasional doctor's visit, play group, or trip to the park. But now he has places to go and people to see. It's all a part of growing up I guess. The next big thing is going to be potty training. We sort of have been messing around with this, but this weekend the gloves are coming off. Daleen has a plan and is on a mission. I'm just going to get out of the way and just do whatever she tells me. It's just safer that way.