Monday April 4, 2005
We went out to the farm yesterday. Unfortunately, I forgot the camera, so there are no pictures. (kicking myself here). Zane had a ball. As we were getting ready to leave, I called my folks to let them know we were leaving and what route we were taking (we always do that since our car isn’t the greatest and we have no cell phone) and Zane wanted the phone. He was quite the little chatterbox already. lol. We got to the farm and he was craning his neck before we even got him out of the car seat looking for Grandma and Grandpa.
Zach manned the grill for the burgers and hot dogs, while Zane enjoyed the bubbles from his Easter basket (we weren’t able to make it there for Easter Day last week, so his basket was still there). He also played with the cats a bit and generally ran around. When I pulled the card table out to set it up out of the wind on the lawn (the deck was so windy I think the table itself would have taken flight, much less the food) and he figured out how to get the legs set up and helped with that, then helped get the chairs set up. As soon as the grapes were on the table he got himself into a chair and pulled the entire bowl up to himself and started eating. Grandpa then took the whipped cream (meant for the strawberries) and started squirting it on the grapes…really confused Zane. Was totally not sure about that.
After supper, Zane was off and running again. He was off exploring around the yard while the rest of us finished eating. At one point he rounded the corner around the house and out of eyeshot, so I went around the house the other direction to intercept him. He didn’t see me, but I could tell the point that he realized he couldn’t see anybody because he got a little panicky and ran back the direction he came. By the time I made it back to the table he had dragged Grandma back to were he was going so he could explore with somebody.
He also got a ride on the 4 wheeler with Grandpa for a bit, and then they got out a wagon he could pull around and a bigger wagon-like thing that he could ride on. However, he was not convinced he should be on the bigger wagon while it was moving. He pulled it around a bit and Grandma got on the wagon to show him that he can ride on it…but instead of getting on the wagon, he got the handle and tried to pull. While he was trying to pull, I came up behind mom and helped push a bit (but Zane couldn’t really see me). Mom said his eyes got as big as saucers when he started actually pulling her. He still didn’t want to ride on it, but wanted me to get on it, so Grandma pulled and Zane got behind and ‘pushed’ and then ran alongside. It was pretty funny. I don’t think my mom has pulled me in a wagon since I was about Zane’s age. lol.
The guys also spent time in the sandpile, with a couple of shovels and loading the wagons with sand. Dad and Zane played in there for a while, then Zach and Zane played in there later in the evening. Zane was loving working with the shovel. He finally got to work with a long-handled thing without mom telling him to put it down because he was going to hit something (like the broom in the house).
After it got dark, we went inside and gathered the (plastic) eggs the Easter Bunny had left around the front rooms. He knew exactly what to do. The funniest thing was that some of the eggs were plain, and some had writing. Zane decided that the ones with writing on them belonged in the flower centerpiece on the coffee table. No idea why, but it was pretty funny. He then started opening the eggs up and was disappointed when there was no candy in there….I had to show him that the Easter Bunny left the candy separately. lol. Small sugar high follows.
As Mom & I were sitting in the front rooms (Zach is fixing their computer printer with Dad) Zane discovers the spools of ribbon (that we used for the balloons from Zach’s graduation) and brought them to me. Then he brought me a balloon. I was playing ‘dumb’ (“what do you want me to do with these?”) when he went running off again, only to come back a bit later carrying the helium tank (which is about waist high on him) and dropping it right in front of me and giving me a balloon to blow up. Mom said he had to also get it out of the box to bring it…pretty determined little guy I guess. She blew up a few balloons for him (mostly air, topped off with helium) and he proudly announced the colors as she went.
It was a good day. The drive home was long because Zach had to drive the Olds back, so Zane and I were on our own for the hour drive. Plus, I noticed a car acting strange as it came up the on ramp from Newton and was glad I hung back a bit to let them in (there was plenty of room, but I just had a feeling so I gave them a huge gap) I am not sure how they walked to the car…seriously. They were driving where they were pulling away from me pretty rapidly (me going 70 mph), to me hitting my brakes pretty heavily because they were only going 40. He almost drove off the side of the road and over the center line. Every time somebody came around me to pass him I backed off and held my breathe…he came within a heartbeat of side swiping a semi. I was so glad to finally pull of on our exit! There was no way I was going to pass him…too risky. I really was wishing I had a cell phone right then.
When we got back into town, we stopped by the grocery store for some milk. When I got Zane inside the store under the good lights I realized how dirty he got out on the farm. He had smudges all over him, and had his shirt on backwards (he took it off and put it back on himself) He played hard and had fun.
