Reid Update

When my eyes creaked open to look at my alarm clock this morning and I saw the bright red glow of 6:32, and my first thought was "The Orr's are on their way to --."  I never know how much to share about other people's lives on my own little blog (I suppose I should always ask for permission, which I have done once or twice, but sometimes I'm just too lazy). But I can't give an adequate accounting of Reid's summer fun without a special write up for his sweet friend Benny.

I am a bit romantic about my own childhood friendships, so I suppose that may account for the tender spot their bromance holds in my heart. I have loved watching these two grow and play since infancy. I remember a time when they were barely two, and Benny, in all his excitement, toppled Reid in our Church entryway. Reid, significantly larger in stature than Benny, burst in to tears. Benny's dad and I just laughed. Who would have thought, when corralling them as toddlers, we'd have to tell the little guy to "be soft"? Reid can be quite the Ferdinand at times.

In late January, I started watching Benny and his baby sister once or twice a week while their mom worked. A few of those hours were complete chaos, but most of them were sheer joy. Some days seemed easier if Benny was over. He lessened the fighting between Reid and Nell and always kept them both so busy. 

I realize this is turning into a post about Benny, and not Reid or his growing milestones, but my goal with these monthly updates is to give my kids a look back at their childhood. I'm fairly certain Reid's memories of Benny will all but vanish as he grows older (I remember little about my life at four-years-old), but in this moment right now their little friendship is so important to my sweet boy. 

Reid tends to absorb the mood/personality of his friends, and with Benny he was all smiles. Weather permitting they spent all their time outside. They loved to make up games, one of my favorites was hug-chase. One of the boys would stand at the bottom of our driveway while the other mounted the ziggle at the top of the driveway. On "GO!" they'd both head straight for each other, and the person on foot would try and hug the person on the ziggle. Basically, it was a high stakes version of chicken, and luckily the ziggle rider always made a last minute ditch right into the ditch -- sparing the chaser a lot of pain. They were all giggles!

They also had a knack for exploring. They dug numerous holes under our pine tree and in our garden. They loved poking our various ant hills, looking for worms in our orchard, or jumping in puddles wherever they could find them.

After a few fights I made a new rule that if they couldn't play without my intervention they just wouldn't play together. That quickly took care of all fights (and tattling). Together they learned a lot about team work and keeping a friend happy. They really were quite the duo and I hope and pray Reid finds a friend like Benny when he heads off to preschool this fall.

He has been attending tot time several days each week (barring Benny isn't over "Mom, you know my rule. If Benny is here I don't go to tot time!"). Ironically (but not so ironically) the two boys he plays with at tot time are Reid and Henry (had Nell been a boy, we'd have named her Henry). When I ask him what they play together he responds with "good guys and bad guys", "superheroes" or "Star Wars!"

It's been fun to watch him grow just over the short few weeks of tot time. The first few days I parked the car and walked him over to his teachers, but one day I just got him out of the van and waved him off. When he realized I wasn't walking beside him he paused to think about what he should do. He ran back for a quick hug and then hurried on his way. We're now at a point where he hardly looks back. He might wave his hand at me, but his eyes are searching for Reid and Henry.

He loves the snack and book time. He often gives his craft to a family member (he made me a bracelet one day, Nell a beetle, etc). They have "water Wednesday" and it is the highlight of his week! Every morning he asks me if it is water Wednesday yet.

His summer is shaping up to be a fabulous one. I've been trying to convince him to stay four for one more year. I even told him we could still have a birthday party with cake and presents, he just has to stay four instead of turning five. His response: "But mom, that's the magic of birthdays! I go to bed every night so I can get bigger and then on my birthday I have to turn another year!"  Pretty magic indeed.

Sometimes, he even grows during a spontaneous nap on the couch!

Lately, as in the past six months, this little boy has become obsessed with breakfast. Almost every night he reminds me that I need to make him food when I wake up. If he had it his way, he'd run out of bed and find a big plate full of hot dishes on the kitchen table each morning. Well, the other night I was tucking them in and he says: "Mom, I have a favor to ask."

Usually Ben does the tucking in, so I figured his favor was something sweet, like tickles and snuggles. "What buddy?"

"It is something that rhymes with d."
"Are you sure it doesn't rhyme with pickle?" I asked, rubbing his arm up and down.
"No it rhymes with d. No it rhymes with read!"
"Okay buddy, what is it?"
"It is something that rhymes with read. Can you guess it?"
I was starting to grow impatient, still tickling him I asked "Just tell me buddy."
"It's ... FOOD!" I immediately rolled my eyes and started to walk away, but my disdain did not deter him, "Will you make us food in the morning, before we wake up? I want it ready right when I wake up."
"Goodnight buddy!" I said as I closed the door. On the bright side, he knows food and read both end in d, and he's sort of catching on to the concept of rhymes.