Empire

On a whim, my wife arranged a playdate with Troy, Misha, and Sasha today at Kids Empire. It's an indoor playground similar to the Safari Run place we had gone to for that birthday party. Since it was pretty cold outside today, it was actually a perfect way for the kids to get some exercise. This place was much bigger than Safari Run, and it had a lot more for the kids to do. Within seconds, they were gone, leaving us behind to try to find them in the throng of kids and parents. It was pretty packed and pretty chaotic, but they seemed to have a really good time. 

There was stuff to climb, obstacles to push through or shimmy over, slides to race down, and banded towers to fall down. They even had a motorcycle ride that they kids could do, where they got to drive a little motorcycle around a track under the play equipment. Although, you had to pay extra for this, and they only had two motorcycles going, so there was quite a line. Besides the super-steep slide, where they kids literally plunged down at break-neck speeds, their favorite part was this little slide off to one side. 

You had to have a sled to go down it, and the sled would move over the rollers pretty fast before sliding to a halt at the bottom. Misha and Troy struggled to carry the heavy sleds up the stairs, so I climbed into the apparatus with them. Then, they'd situate themselves, and I'd push the sleds onto the rollers to get them started. Pretty soon, other kids were asking me to help them too (I guess I was mistaken for an employee), so I was stuck at the top of the ride, pushing kids onto the rollers over and over. Even some of the parents asked me to help with their kids, so they didn't have to crawl up there too. I broke up a couple of squabbles as well and generally kept the peace. It was fun.

I'd definitely recommend the place, despite it being pretty crowded. There was a lot for the kids to do to keep them engaged and interested, and it was a great way to get out their excessive energy. You only have to pay for the kids entrance fee, and the adults get in for free. We stayed long enough to roll into lunch, so we decided to go to Razzoo's and get Troy some shrimp. He ended up completely missing his naptime, so we just kept him up and played with him some more at home. He was so exhausted from the day, that he fell asleep in my wife's arms at 7:30 p.m. without even having dinner.

From the Mouth of Babies

My mother-in-law and I decided to take Troy to the playground this afternoon, because it was a beautiful day outside and because he needed to get out of the house. I guess every other parent in the city had the same thought, because the place was packed. I chased Troy around a little bit, but it wasn't very long before he was looking for some other kid to play with. Surprisingly, he kept gravitating toward the little babies, like around one-years old. He would kneel down and show them how to operate something on the playground, he'd talk to them and encourage them, and he'd gently touch their heads or cheeks. It was beautiful to see how great he was with them, considering how rough he is with kids his own age.

The Chicken Fight

Troy: “Now, the dinosaurs are going to fight!”

Giagia: “Okay, I’ll be T-Rex.”

Troy: [taking the dinosaur out of her hand]“No, I’m going to be T-Rex.”

Giagia: “Then, I’ll be Indominus.”

Troy: [taking the dinosaur out of her hand] “No, you can’t be him either.”

Giagia: “Okay, how about the Stegosaurus?”

Troy: [taking all the dinosaurs and sliding them behind him] “No, you can’t be any of these.”

Giagia: “Well, you’ve taken all the dinosaurs. How will I fight? What am I to use?”

Troy: [handing her a small yellow chicken] “You can be a chicken!”

Giagia: “A chicken?! Don’t the dinosaurs eat the chicken?”

Troy: “Yes.”

 

Me: [walking into the room later and seeing a yellow chicken hanging from Gigantosaurus’ mouth] “That didn’t end well for you.”

Giagia: “No, it didn’t. I lasted less than one minute.”

Chewie

A friend of ours has a small ranch outside of town that we’ve been to before so that Troy could see her chickens and donkeys. Recently, she got a calf and some red wattle hogs, so she invited us over to see them. Troy was very curious about the hogs, as he’d never seen one before, but also very timid to pet them. But when he saw me stick my hand through the fence and stroke the wet nose of one of the hogs, he figured it was safe to follow suit. Our friend then surprised us by telling us that the hogs liked stale Cheetos! So, she ripped open a bag, and Troy fed puffy Cheetos to the hogs, as they climbed over each other to get to the cheesy goodness.

After that, she called the calf in to feed him his bottle. Chewie came running when he realized that food was being served. He was a little shy around all of the new people, but he was willing to risk it for the bottle. Troy pet him while my friend fed him, then he took the bottle and had a go at it too! The calf nearly pulled the bottle out of his hands, tugging on the rubber nipple, but Troy managed to hold on to it.

Then, he fed animal crackers to the donkeys, so they wouldn’t feel left out. And he gave Bella, the dog, a big hug. It’s so neat to see his face light up when he gets to play, pet, and interact with the animals. I’m glad he has the opportunity to do this too, because I don’t remember getting to do these kinds of things when I was a kid. I mean besides the donkeys, cows, and hogs; he’s also pet a goat, duck, gecko, zebra, and giraffe!

The Dallas Zoo - Part 2

We took Troy back to the Dallas Zoo today, and as a last-minute treat, Misha was able to join us too. Since he’d already been there before, Troy took a much more targeted approach to the animals. He didn’t care to see everything. He had a specific list that he wanted to go straight to, and he wanted to see them in a particular order. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately), so did Misha. So, I spent the morning trying to meld their two agendas together and chasing them from exhibit to exhibit, while my wife, mother-in-law, and Misha’s mom followed slowly behind.

Troy’s number one priority was feeding the giraffes. Thankfully, Misha was cool with that too. I managed to get them to stop at a few exhibits along the way, like the elephants and lions, but it was more like a drive-by, not even long enough for a photo op. The drizzling rain might have also influenced that. We eventually made it to the giraffes, and luckily there were two hungry and waiting mouths ready to take our lettuce and carrots.

Misha was dead set on seeing the hippos, which seems to about the only thing she ever cares to see. So, we headed that direction, making brief stops at the elephant statues and gorillas along the way. When we got there, the mama hippo was sleeping under the water. You could see her occasionally raise her head and take a breath before submerging again. While we waited for some more activity, the kids took the opportunity to play on the hippo statues. Finally, both the mama and her baby took a few passes by the glass to the enormous delight of all of the kids.

From there, we circled back around to see the crocodiles before deciding to head home. Of course, we had to stop and take a few rides on the carousel first, which is a must before exiting the zoo. And we finished off the afternoon with a late lunch at Ziguan Cafe and Bakery, so we could enjoy good food while the kids played and hung out for a little while longer. Since we ultimately missed nap time, Troy and my mother-in-law took the opportunity to grab a few Z’s in the car on the way home.

Ice Cream Clouds

Troy: “I see the giant giraffe, dada! Look at him!”

Me: “I see him. He has his tongue out, licking something. What do you think he’s licking?”

Troy: “The clouds.”

Me: “Makes sense. What do you think clouds taste like?”

Troy: “Ice cream.”

Me: “Yum, ice cream. Maybe one day we can taste a cloud too.”

Coconut Ghosts

Me: “Troy, it’s foggy outside. That’s when all the ghosts come out.”

Troy: “I don’t see any ghosts.”

Me: “That’s because it’s foggy. They like this weather, because you can’t see them.”

Troy: “Wait! I see one over there! Well, it was just a tail.”

Me: “What did it look like?”

Troy: “It was white.”

Me: “Like a giant marshmallow?”

Troy: “No.”

Me: “Oh, just like a regular ghost? Like the sheet on the bed?”

Troy: “Yeah, and you can eat him.”

Me: “Eat a ghost?! And what does he taste like?”

Troy: “Coconut.”

Me: “Coconut?! I’ve never heard of a ghost made of coconut! But then, I’ve never tried to eat a ghost either. Maybe they all taste like coconut.”

Troy: “Yeah, maybe.”

Deaf Snakes

Today at the daycare, they were celebrating the Chinese New Year. So, they had activities planned to teach the children about some common traditions done during the season, like giving a coin in a red envelope, and about the Chinese culture in general, like using chopsticks to eat food. At one of the tables, they were demonstrating how animals are used to designate each year, such as the goat, monkey, and rooster. They had twelve stuffed animals laid out for each zodiac sign with cards about each one.

Troy was at the table playing with the “fluffies” with some other children when one of the children picked up the snake toy. He immediately wanted it, but my wife told him that he needed to share. So, Troy asked the boy if he could play with the snake when the boy as done with it. When the boy didn’t acknowledge Troy, Troy turned to look at him and saw the hearing aid in the boy’s ear. So, Troy tapped the boy on the shoulder to get his attention, looked him straight in the eyes, and slowly repeated his question, so the boy could read his lips.

He’s a wonder. To be able to not only recognize the boy’s impairment, but to act in an appropriate way to communicate with him is amazing. Unfortunately, Troy didn’t get to play with the snake, because the moment the boy released it, Misha grabbed it and ran off with it.

The Haunted Forest

This afternoon, Troy, my wife, and I went for a hike through the haunted forest. That’s what we’ve started to call the hiking trails near the Old Alton Bridge. The bridge is said to be haunted by the Goatman, a black goat farmer who was reportedly lynched on the bridge by the KKK back in the 1800s. (That’s a farmer that was black and raised goats, not a farmer that raised black goats. We had this debate in the car on the way.)

Troy and I had hiked through here on a another adventure, but this time we decided to take a different trail. This one followed along Hickory Creek and was mostly secluded and quiet. Other than a few guys fishing, we didn’t see another living soul. I say “living,” because Troy was convinced that the trees were haunted, monster trees that were sleeping in a magical slumber. They were only waiting for night to descend to wake up and start walking around. And if you were foolish enough to be caught in the forest at night, then the trees would wrap their long, gnarled fingers around you and pull you inside them. Where you’d sleep in a magical slumber…forever.

That story along with the eerie stillness of the forest gave the atmosphere a scary feeling. We heard birds singing, but always on the other side of the creek. It was like they avoided flying in this part of the forest. And to add to the effect, I periodically picked up small sticks and tossed them into the woods when Troy wasn’t looking. They’d crash and thump, and I’d tell him that the trees were restless. They were moving in their sleep, sensing living bodies walking through their midst. Which was enough to keep him moving quickly down the trail.

We stopped in an open place near the water, where Troy could throw rocks and my wife could sit on a stump and listen to the forest life. Out in the middle of the creek, a little ways downstream, there was a giant log submerged in the water. One branch protruded upward, and it looked like the head of the Loch Ness monster swimming along the shore. I told Troy it was a sea dragon, the ancient guardian of the forest. I warned him not to disturb the water and anger the guardian. Of course Troy would throw a rock and watch to see if the “dragon” would move. When it didn’t, he was convinced that it was only a tree.

That is until we heard a very loud crash in the woods on the other side of the creek. I said it was a bear, but Troy was convinced that it was the dragon coming to the water. And his solution was to leave it alone. He was also ready to go at this point, funny enough.

So, we started our trek back through the woods as the sun was setting behind the trees. I goaded Troy along with stories of the trees coming to life, but I also believe he truly wanted to see it happen too. Finally, I just put him on my shoulders, so we could get back before night fell on the haunted forest. He seemed okay with this, because it gave him more time to watch the trees for movement.

Pull the Toes

My Wife: “Let me help you take your socks off, so you can get into bed.”

Troy: “No, not like that! You’re turning them inside out. Like this, pull the toes.”

My Wife: “I see. You’re right.”

Troy: “Yeah, then they won’t turn inside out.”

Evie's Birthday

Today, Troy attended his first birthday party for another kid. We had been invited to a few over the years, but we’d always declined because nobody likes to host them at their houses like we do. And we were never sure about the exclusivity of the event in light of Covid-19. But as we open our lives more, we decided to accept this invitation.

The party was for a little girl in Troy’s class named Evie, who was turning four years old. Her parents decide to have it at an indoor playground experience called Safari Run, which honestly didn’t have much to it other than a giant structure to climb around on and slide down. But they did offer some pizza, snacks, and cupcakes in their party room. And since the place was technically closed for private events, everyone there was associated with our group.

The whole thing lasted a little under two hours, which went by pretty quickly, but it was nice for Troy to be able to see his friends.

Touch a Duck

Today, we went to some friends house for a play date. It was the first time we’d been to their house, and we were surprised to find out that they had a pond behind their house with ducks. Apparently, when they moved in, there weren’t any ducks in the area, and the woman’s mother had decided that they needed some. So, she went to a duck farm (I didn’t even know that they had such a thing) and adopted some large black and white ducks. They had thrived on their little pond, mostly because the woman’s mother had taken to feeding them every day, and now there were twice as many as they’d started with.

So, we got a scoop of food and knelt down to wait for the flock to arrive. And arrive they did. Within moments, ducks were flying and waddling toward us from every direction. They were so tame that they’d eat right out of your hand. And while they ate, they’d let you pet them. Now, Troy has wanted to touch a duck for as long as I can remember, but most ducks are too skittish and shy, and they swim off if you get anywhere in their vicinity. So, this was a dream come true for him. And at one point, even picked one of the smaller ducks up! Of course, now that he’s had the “taste,” he’s going to want to pet every ducks he sees.

Dada in Training

Sometimes, I feel like I’m just a dada in training. Like I’m still learning about myself in the context of Troy. I’m far from perfect. I still lose it from time to time, but I’m trying to learn to stay calm, not scream, and not throw things. Because I know that Troy is always watching and learning from me. He emulates everything I do, so I have to try my best all the time. I’m still learning how to be a good example…to be a good father. Because by doing so, I’m showing Troy what a good father looks like, which helps point him to the best Father.

Accede to My Greatness!

Tonight, Troy and I were wrestling on the bed. He was trying to push me over, but all he managed to do was get himself thrown down over and over. After a few minutes of participating in this futility, I said, “Now it’s dada’s turn!” I then proceeded to pin him on his face with his arms trapped against his sides, and I kissed all over his back while he giggled uncontrollably. When he’d laughed hard enough to start to hurt his tummy, I said, “Accede to dada’s greatness, and all of this torture will be over.” He held out for another minute, and I said, “Say it, Troy. Say ‘I accede,’ and I’ll stop.” He gasped, “I accede! I accede!” And I had won. At least until he ambushed me and started the process all over again.

All By Myself

Me: “Okay, hop in the car, so we can go.”

Troy: [gets in the car seat, and I start to close the door] “Wait, dada, I’m not clipped yet!”

Me: “You’re right, bud. Safety first.”

Troy: “That’s right, safety first.”

Me: “Let me get you clipped.”

Troy: “No! I can clip myself.”

Me: “Do you want me to help you?”

Troy: “No, I can do it all by myself.”

Me: “I know you can. You’re amazing.”

Troy: “Can you hold this part, dada, while I push the clip into it?”

Me: “Sure, bud. Teamwork.”

Troy: “I’m still doing it, dada.”

Me: “I know you are. You got this!”

Extended Christmas

My father and stepmother weren’t able to come up during Christmas, because they had the flu. So, they came up this weekend to see us. It was nice to see them, and Troy got a lot of quality time playing with his Big Daddy. Every time my father tried to take a nap, Troy would steal his hat. My father would wrestle with him to get it back, and then they’d start over again. They also looked at videos, built the marble track, and fished for tiny fish. My father was happy to do it all. 

One day, we went over to their rental house, so Troy could meet their two dogs. Troy just loves dogs so much. He pet them, talked to them, fed them treats, and even took them for a walk. They weren’t so sure about this enthusiast little human, but they humored him anyway.

I think Troy has enjoyed all of the attention this Christmas season.

Troy Magic

Troy: “Dada, I turned the sky pink.”

Me: “You did? How did you do that?”

Troy: “I clapped my hands together, and used magic to turn it pink.”

Me: “Well, it looks amazing. It’s a beautiful sunset, bud.”

Troy: “Yeah. I can clap my hands and make the sun disappear. Want to see, dada?”

Me: “Sure, let’s see it.”

Troy: [clapping his hands, as the sun disappears below the horizon] “And it’s gone!”

Me: “That’s incredible, bud! Now, bring it back.”

Troy: “Maybe tomorrow.”

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

Troy has two personalities. When he gets up in the morning, he’s sweet and loving, he’s polite and kind, he’s calm and subdued. As the day progresses, he’ll get a little more energetic and a little louder, but he’s still a good kid. We can have fun playing and laughing with him, and typically he’s helpful and willing to do whatever we ask of him. I call this his Dr. Jekyll side.

But when 9:00 p.m. strikes, Troy becomes Mr. Hyde. He’s a monster. He refuses to do anything, he becomes disobedient and belligerent, he screams and hits, he throws things and makes every single process longer and more difficult. It’s really sad to have a great day with him, only to have it end badly. And we’re tired, so we don’t deal with it well. It’s hard to deescalate and makes things fun, when you’re exhausted and someone’s intentionally trying to push all of your buttons. I go to bed angry almost every night, and I hate that.

I’ve started to dread when it gets close to 9:00 p.m. I feel like I start mentally preparing myself for the upcoming battle. It an unavoidable task that I just have to get through, but it takes a toll on me too. I have battle scars from these encounters, even if they’re only on my heart.

Giant Broccoli

Me: [seeing the oak trees near our house adorned with green Christmas lights] “Hey, Troy. I see the giant broccoli over there.”

Troy: “Yeah, but it’s not real broccoli.”

Me: “Sure it is. I just need some ranch sauce to eat it with…well, a lot of ranch sauce, because those are very big broccoli plants.”

Troy: “No, you can’t eat them!”

Me: “I’m going to.”

Troy: “You’re just messing with me, aren’t you?”

Me: [laughing] “Yes, I’m just messing with you. I’ll probably eat them with cheese.”

Troy: “Nooo!”

Wolf Ban

Troy: “I see the moon, dada.”

Me: “Is it full?”

Troy: “Almost. We need one more day.”

Me: “Really? I thought it was going to be full today.”

Troy: “Not yet. You need one more day.”

Me: “But I want to be a wolf tonight.”

Troy: “Well, you can’t.”

Me: “I’m going to do it. I’m going to howl.”

Troy: “No, dada.”

Me: “Just one little howl.”

Troy: “No, dada. You can’t be a wolf tonight.”

Me: [whining like Troy does] “But I want to be a wolf! I want to howl.”

Troy: “Sorry, you aren’t allowed.”

Me: [howling]

Troy: “Stop it, dada! You have to wait one more day!”

Me: [whimpering]

Live Like Nobody's Watching

If there’s one thing my son has taught me, it’s to live like nobody is watching, sing like you don’t care who’s listening, dance just to have fun, and play without inhibitions just like when you were a kid. I took my son to the mall the other day, and he wanted to play with the toys right there in one of the stores. So, I plopped down on the floor with him in the middle of the aisle and played too. Our lizards hugged, they fought, and they made sound effects. I have no idea who might have walked by and seen us. Frankly, I didn’t care. I was just in the moment, having fun with my son.

The Dallas Aquarium

We took Troy to the Dallas Aquarium today. It was kind of a rainy day, so we thought an indoor activity would be good. It was the first time that Troy had been there, and we enjoyed his awe and wonder at all of the varieties of birds, monkeys, and fish. He really enjoyed the giant catfish, the penguins, the bats, and the octopus. But his favorite was the sharks. He would press up against the glass and stretch his arms out as they swam by. Unfortunately, it was pretty crowded, so we couldn’t spend more time in the shark tunnel. But we were pacified by the giant pink flamingos honking and flapping their wings. I think Troy enjoyed himself, and he got a stuffed squid to remember the day.

Tough Cow-d

Troy: “That’s where the cow lives. Wait…dada, he’s gone! Where is he?”

Me: “I don’t know. Maybe he moo-ved on.”

Troy: [with zero appreciation for my dad joke] “Maybe. I think he was scared.”

Me: “Of what?”

Troy: “The trolls.”

Me: “So, he got in his car and co-moo-ted somewhere else?”

Troy: [still not willing to give me my creative due] “Yeah, probably.”

Me: “What kind of car do you think he drives?”

Troy: “I don’t know.”

Me: “I think it was a moo-stang.”

 

[only the sound of the crickets chirping]

The Naked Snake

Me: “Look at that, Troy. It’s a snakeskin.”

Troy: “Well, where’s the snake?”

Me: “I don’t know. He just took his clothes off and slithered away.”

Troy: “So, there’s a naked snake somewhere?”

Me: [me laughing] “Yeah, I guess there is!”