Missed Spring

The next one(child) is not even here yet, and I find it hard to keep up with this blog already. I missed my Spring posting. (It seems I'm able to make one posting a season.) I have to admit that as Charlie has gotten older I have actually been able to do more things that I used to do before him. I haven't been able to ride 100+ miles aweek, but I have been on a few rides with Charlie in tow. He likes to sit in the bike trailer watching the world go by. I've also been able to get more house work done while mom's at work.
Charlie has made some major development recently. He will play on his own for larger periods of time, thus the ability to get more house work done. Another development is actually playing with other kids. It's not just parallel play, it is interaction with his peers.
One significant moment for me came last month. It was a sharing of my childhood with the next generation. I grew up going to drive-in movies with family. It always seemed to be uncles that took me most of the time. It was something that left an indelible impression on me. So much so that I have shared the drive-in movie going experience with youth groups and now my own family. Helen and I took Charlie to go see the new Disney film "Cars". He was not mesmerized by the movie as much as I thought he would be, but he loved the new experience of being in the car and seeing a movie. He bounced back and forth between the front seats, he hung out the window banging on the roof, he wandered the concession area seeing the new sites and watching people, he snacked on popcorn, and watched some of the movie. All in all he showed my why you take kids to the drive-in to begin with, so you don't disturb the other patrans, and you get more out of it than just seeing a movie. There is more interaction at a drive-in, between family as well as other patrons and staff. It is so much more of a community experience. Drive-ins are so much more of a freeing and enjoyable movie experience.