Interskate

Out of the blue, I asked Misha's and Sasha's moms if they wanted to have a playdate today.  It turned out that Sasha's family was already planning to go roller skating at this indoor rink called Interskate, so they invited us all along.  Misha was the only one of the kids that had been skating before, but it was years ago, so all of them were on a level playing field.  My wife didn't feel like going, so Troy and I headed off alone.

We met up with everyone, acquired our skates, and headed over to the "practice area," which was a mini rink off to the side for people who sucked at skating.  That seemed to characterize us perfectly, and to my surprise quite a few other adults and older kids.  It was pretty crowded, but we snagged one side, where the kids could test their wobbly legs.  After Troy fell a few times, he asked me to get him one of the rolling "V" things, which was PVC pipe made into a "V" shape and put on wheels that the kids could use like a walker.  He timidly tried that a few times, but he was still getting frustrated by how hard it was to keep your balance on skates that don't seem to want to go in the same direction.  I tried to give him a few pointers, but true to his independent nature, he kept pushing me away.  So, I left him to pout, and I went to skate with Misha instead.

Troy saw me pushing Misha around (she also had a PVC "V"), and he got jealous that we were having so much fun without him.  So, he reluctantly called me over and asked me to assist him.  I helped him out on the floor and got behind him.  He steered the "V" while I pushed from the back.  He seemed to enjoy it a little more after he got a taste for going a little faster.  It was also easier, because he didn't have to move his skates as much for propulsion, so he could focus on balancing.

At one point, I pulled out my phone to try to get a selfie video of us skating together.  I had to let go of the "V" with one hand to hold the camera out.  When Troy saw that I had let go of the "V" and he hadn't fallen, he suddenly realized that he could skate on his own.  After that, there was no stopping him.  He took off like a bat out of hell.  He sort of draped himself over the "V" and moved his little skates back and forth like he was running.  The only issue he encountered was stopping when he got to the end of the floor, but that didn't seem to mind him much.  He just picked himself back up again, turned his "V" around, and raced to the other end again.  In fact, he was having so much fun racing around that he didn't want to leave with everyone else.  So, we hung around for another hour and a half on our own.  I had a really great time with him after he finally got his confidence with the skates.

Sock Salad

Me: “I saw a turtle back there.”
Troy: “You did? Where?”
Me: “He was back there on the sidewalk, and I think he was eating a sock, which is just weird.”
Troy: “A sock?!”
Me: “Yeah, I have no idea why he’d be eating a sock.”
Troy: “Maybe he thought it was lettuce.”
Me: “Yeah, or a carrot. Basically some sort of sock salad. I wonder if turtles like cucumbers.”
Troy: “I like cucumbers, and carrots, and lettuce.”
Me: “You do, huh? Well, maybe you’re a turtle.”
Troy: “No, I’m a hybrid.”
Me: “Technically, we’re all hybrids if you think about it. We are part our mom’s and part our dad’s. But I’m guessing you’re talking about something else, so what kind of hybrid are you?”
Troy: “I’m parts of everything.”
Me: “Are you part roly-poly?”
Troy: “Yes.”
Me: “Part eel?”
Troy: “Yes, because I like eels.”
Me: “Part butterfly?”
Troy: “Yes, because I have wings.”
Me: “Part chihuahua?”
Troy: “Let’s see…yes, I’m part chihuahua too.”
Me: “Is that why you’re so loud?”
Troy: “No! I’m loud, because God gave me a loud voice.”
Me: “Touché! Hard to argue with that logic!”

Zen Snails

A couple of days ago, Troy was out in the garden with my wife, and he came inside with two tiny garden snails.  He wanted to keep them as pets, so I put them in a cup with a lid, and he threw in some leaves and a tomato (because he saw snails eating a tomato in the Turbo movie).  I assumed we'd keep them for a few hours and then set them loose in the garden again, but he wanted to keep them until the next day to show his tutor.  But one day turned into three, and he didn't seem to want to set them free, so we stopped at the pet store today to buy them a terrarium.  We also bought them some decorations from the aquarium department.  Troy wanted to buy them pirate stuff, but I talked him into some Stonehenge arches to give it more of a Zen-like feel.

The two snails, now named Squirmy and Blobby, loved the new digs (sarcasm implied).  They both headed to the darkest part of the terrarium and hid for the rest of the night.  Oh well, we can always repurpose it for some other garden "acquisition" in the future, if the snails don't work out.

The Milk Jug

Troy: “Dada, do you know my favorite place in the world?”
Me: “No, what is it?”
Troy: “Greece and Yellowstone…and Disneyland.”
Me: “But you’ve never been to Disneyland, so how do you know you’ll like it?”
Troy: “I saw a commercial for it.”
Me: “I see. Well, they always make commercials appealing. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll like it for real life. Did you know that there are actually two Disney parks in the United States?”
Troy [getting excited]: “Really?!”
Me: “Yep. Disneyland and Disney World. One is in calif, and the other is in Florida; on opposite ends of the country from each other.”
Troy: “Whoa, cool!”
Me: “And I’ve been to both of them. I went to Disneyland with Big Daddy and Disney World with Gammy. You’ll appreciate this. When Gammy was driving to Florida, she didn’t want to stop to let me pee, and I had to pee a lot! So, she handed me a milk jug, much like this one here, and told me to pee inside it. Then, when she’d stop for gas, she’d pour it out and hand it back to me.”
Troy [cracking up laughing]: “Really?!”
Me: “Yeah, I was devastated. I’m still scarred by the experience.”
Troy: “Well, I think it was very nice of Gammy to give you a milk jug to pee in.”
Me: “Nice?! How was that nice?!”
Troy: “At least she didn’t make you pee in the car!”
Me [grumbling under my breath]: “Nice would have been pulling over on the side of the road…”

Pit Row

In between the different sets at ninja class, the coach tells the kids to get water. Every kid takes off at full speed to their parents, grabs their water bottle, gulps down a few sips of water, slams the bottle down, and runs back to get in line. Coach Frank said that they’re rushing because they think they’ll get to go first. I equate it to a pit stop in NASCAR. The faster you get your tires changed, the faster you get off pit row and back out there. You could make up a few spots if you beat the other drivers.

Outsmarted!

Troy: “Dada, is this a real mosquito?”
Me: “Oh, absolutely! Every toy comes with a real giant prehistoric mosquito!”
Troy: “Then, is this a real egg?”
Me: “You’re holding it, aren’t you?”
Troy: “So, if I put it down does that mean it’s not real anymore?”
Me [incredulous]: “You’re a smart aleck! I meant that you are feeling it, so you’ve already confirmed that it’s real. If it wasn’t real, then you wouldn’t be able to hold it. I didn’t mean that it would cease to be real if you put it down!”

Mama's Way

Troy: “Dada, are you lost?”
Me: “No, I know exactly where I am. I’m in the car with you.”
Troy: “Well, I think you took a wrong turn. This isn’t the way to my camp.”
Me: “This is how Siri said to go.”
Troy: “This isn’t how mama goes.”
Me: “Well, maybe we found a new route.”
Troy: “I don’t think this is the right way.”
Me: “I tell you what. We’ll go this way, and if it turns out incorrect, we’ll just go ride the Ferris wheel instead.”
Troy: “Ooookkkaaaayyy, but I still think you’re going the wrong way.”
Me: “Noted.”

…two miles down the road…

Troy: “Dada, this still looks like the wrong way. I’m telling you, mama doesn’t go this way.”
Me: “Were you looking out the window when mama was driving?”
Troy: “No.”
Me: “Then, how do you know we’re going the wrong way?”
Troy: “Because this goes to the mall. Mama didn’t go to the mall.”
Me: “I’m telling you. There’s more than one way to get to your camp. Maybe mama went a different way.”
Troy: “I think you’re lost.”
Me: “Can you just let me drive?!”
Troy: “Okay, but this isn’t the way mama goes.”

…two miles down the road…

Troy: “Are you sure you don’t want to turn around?”
Me: “Positive.”
Troy: “So, you like going the wrong way?”
Me: “I’m not going the wrong way.”
Troy: “Well, you’re not going the way mama goes.”
Me: “So, you’ve said.”

…a few minutes later…

Me: “Check out that bison statue over there.”
Troy: “Yeah, mama showed me a horse statue just up ahead.”
Me: “Oh yeah? Wait! How could mama show you a horse statue if she didn’t go this way?!”
Troy: “You’re finally going the right way. See there’s the horse statue.”
Me: “So, I wasn’t wrong! I was going a different way.”
Troy: “You didn’t go the way mama goes.”
Me: “But I still made it! Maybe Siri took mama a different way.”
Troy: “No. Mama never talks to Siri.”
Me: “Why not?”
Troy: “I don’t know.”
Me: “Do you think Siri is mad at her?”
Troy: “Probably. Mama talks to some man instead.”
Me [laughing]: “Maybe mama just gave Siri a different voice.”
Troy: “No, it’s not Siri.”
Me: “How can you be sure?”
Troy: “Because Siri took you a different way to my camp than mama goes.”
Me [groaning]: “I give up! Thank God, here’s the music school!”
Troy: “Good job, dada.”

Kids Empire: Charlotte’s Fifth

After our worm walk, we went to a birthday party for Charlotte at Kids Empire. We ran into most of the same kids from Jacob’s party last weekend, so Troy already had some friends to play with. But it didn’t take him long before Troy was asking me to chase them, and I happily obliged. 

For the next approximately three hours, I chased seven kids up, down, under, over, and through the kid-sized playground. I caught a few of them, I missed a few, but they never stopped running. And they didn’t all run in the same direction, which meant I had to chase one or two of them for a little while and then break off to chase one or two others when our paths would intersect. All of us were drenched in sweat by the time we finally stopped. And several of the parents thanked me for wearing their kids out for them.

I guess I was the cool dad that was willing to get in there with them. Troy was thrilled and proud, which is all I needed, and the kids seemed to really take to me. I also helped and encouraged some of the babies and younger kids slowly making their way across the obstacles. One little boy even asked me to go down the slide with him. His dad thanked me for playing with his son. Honestly, I loved every minute of it. I’m not sure who had more fun, but I hope the kids sleep like logs tonight! One of my favorite parties.

The Worm-Saving Mission

This morning, Troy woke me up early, and realizing that there was no chance that I was going back to sleep, I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk. He eagerly agreed, and off we went. Troy is more of a leisurely, wandering sort of walker. Whereas, I’m more of a power walker. So, I always have to steel myself to slow down and expect a hundred stops. Today, we stopped more than usual, because Troy found a helpless earthworm covered in sand and struggling to drag his rapidly drying body across the sidewalk.

We recently watched an episode of the Kratz Brothers where they explained why earthworms mainly stay underground. They secrete a slime all over their body to keep it moist and lubricated. It keeps them from drying out, but it quickly loses its effectiveness in the sun. So, Troy was immediately concerned that this earthworm wouldn’t make it to the safety of the grass before it was too late.

I found a stick, and we flicked it into the green, wet grass. But Troy realized that if this earthworm was struggling, then others were probably struggling too. So, we spent the rest of the walk searching for earthworms to save. Our worm-saving mission meant that we had to stop and check on every alive worm, dead worm, and worm-like stick along the way. But we put a dent in the suicidal earthworm population of our neighborhood. 

All told, we saved around 35 worms today. Although, Troy touched twice that many, the rest being dead. He had to make sure that we weren’t accidentally missing a worm that needed our help. But despite the fact that we were moving at a worm’s pace, we had a lot of fun together. We even saw a couple of rabbits and a roadrunner. It was a great way to start the day.

The Baby Pillow

It’s really cute how Troy has to sleep holding his “baby pillow” in his arms. It’s like a small, travel pillow that my wife got for him. It’s his “baby pillow” to differentiate it from his “mama pillow” where he puts his head, which is a standard-sized pillow. It’s funny because my wife and I both sleep, holding a pillow in our arms. So, I guess Troy saw us doing it and decided that he needed one too. Sometimes, he’ll even sleep on his face, holding a baby pillow in each arms! And on special occasions, he’ll sleep holding a baby pillow in each arm and laying on top of a lovie. Which is hilarious, because his torso will be raised off the bed and his bum will be jutting out.

And he refuses to sleep without them. We bought several of them to rotate them out while we’re washing them, but we have run into dire situations where all of them are in the wash at the same time. In those cases, we found that a lovie will work as a temporary substitute, but we also find ourselves on probation for screwing it up!

Weird People

Troy: “Can we go to the mall today?”
Me: “No.”
Troy: “Awww, why not?!”
Me: “Because it’s raining.”

…one minute later…

Troy: “Is it still raining?”
Me: “No. And, no, we can’t go to the mall.”
Troy: “Dada! Why not?!”
Me: “Because it’s raining.”
Troy: “No, it’s not!”
Me: “Then, why does that person have their windshield wipers on?”
Troy: “I don’t know. Because they’re weird.”
Me [cracking up laughing]: “Ha, ha, ha…my boy!”

The Disastrous Dream

Me: “Hey, Troy. Did you sleep well?”
Troy: “No, not really.”
Me: “Awww, why not?”
Troy: “Because I had a bad dream.”
Me: “I’m sorry, what about?”
Troy: “You picked me up and threw me against the wall.”
Me: “That doesn’t sound right. I’d never do something like that.”
Troy: “The devil made you do it.”
Me: “Well, there you go. That’s how you know it was a dream, because the devil doesn’t make me do anything. Were you okay at least?”
Troy: “Yeah, I had a couple of broken pieces, but I was able to put them all back together.”
Me: “That’s good…I guess.”
Troy: “Mama also got eaten by Gigantosaurus.”
Me: “Ouch! That’s a little harder to come back from.”
Troy: “Yeah.”
Me: “Did anything happen to me?”
Troy: “Yep. You were thrown into the air and slammed into the ground really hard!”
Me: “How did that happen?”
Troy: “The evil Emperor used the force to lift you up into the air and then he moved you around like this, and then twirled you around like that, and then moved you around in circles, and then he slammed you into the ground right onto your head!”
Me: “Oh my gosh! Was I okay?”
Troy: “Yeah, but you were walking funny after that.”
Me: “I imagine so. I just sustained a brain injury. What happened to the Emperor?”
Troy: “Oh, I killed him.”
Me: “But I thought you were in pieces?”
Troy: “I was okay by then.”
Me: “I see. So, it sounds like mama was the only one to not come out okay.”
Troy: “Yeah, she’s still in Gigantosaurus’ stomach.”
Me: “That sucks.”

The Dallas Flight Museum

We went to yet another birthday party this weekend, this one for Jacob. It was at The Dallas Flight Museum, which oddly enough was one of the places we had looked at for Troy’s group party with Misha and Sasha last year. Since Jacob was one of the kids from Troy’s class last year to get split into another class, we didn’t really know most of the people there. I spent most of the time playing with Troy until he was able to join a group of chase with some of the other kids.

There wasn’t much to do to be honest. The kids had zero interest in the flight history part of it, so the main focus was the play area, which was kind of sparse of equipment, but which was flight-themed. They had a couple of decommissioned 747s near the party area, where you could go inside, and the kids used those to play hide and seek. Troy had fun running around as usual, but we’ve been to better play areas.

Black Dada's Treasure

It’s been raining a lot lately, so we’ve all been cooped up in the house. So, I decided to make a treasure hunt for Troy and my wife. I went around the neighborhood, and I took pictures of certain landmarks. Then, I wrote little poems about each one. Finally, I took the pictures and poems and made a large treasure map. I cut it up and hid the pieces at each landmark, giving them the first piece to get them started.

It was a pretty hot day, but at least we spent the majority of the time in the car in the A/C. Between the two of them, they did pretty well on the clues. Troy keyed in on the pictures, and my wife used the poems to help narrow it down. In the end, the map led right back to our house where Troy got to dig up a buried treasure, which was a King Ghidorah action figure…to go with his Godzilla action figure.