Quick road update before I post this: My internet connections have been sketchy, so I haven't been able to get on regularly. We're safely in Gainesville now, and having fun visiting with family. My grandparents live on a farm about 30 minutes outside of town, and the kids are loving it. They run around and visit the animals, and the favorite activity has been playing in the sawdust. I'll update again soon, and with pictures, but for now I'll leave you with this....
This is Little Man's "Big Rock". He adopted it over the summer. When he found it in the yard, I really never thought it would become such a part of our lives. I figured he'd play with it and then leave it out in the grass somewhere, where I would eventually find it and toss it into the alley.
Little Man grew very attached to his "big rock", however, and now I'm afraid it is here to stay. He loves this rock. We fought against it coming into the house but somehow it found its way in. We tried hiding the rock so he would forget about it, but to no avail.
We finally gave up, and the rock is just a part of his toy collection now. It has taken baths with him, and slept in his bed with him. He has carried it with us on outings. The saddest part of all this is I will never be able to get rid of this rock now. Oh sure, he will cast it aside and not care about it, but as long as I have memories of him clutching the rock in his tiny little boy hands while he slept, I will not be able to toss it out in the alley where it belongs. I will put it in his keepsake box and save it. I'll smile lovingly at the rock when I see it years from now, remembering him wanting to take it with us when we went to pick his sister up from school. And when I'm very old, I will find it in my attic, pick it up in my shaking hands, and turn it over and over, studying it's rounded shape, and wonder why the hell I've put a rock in my son's keepsake box! (Because let's face it, I won't remember.)
The picture isn't loading for me, nor is haloscan. I wish I had time to research the problem, but I don't. I hope it fixes itself. If not, I'm sorry.
