Gift ???

Cowboy Jack, Doing the Puyallup (fair)

Oh no, the days are running together and I haven't kept up with my gifts.  I am trying to be aware of needs around me and go out of my way to try to meet some need each day.  Sometimes, it's time.  I take time to listen more (actively, you know when you are not thinking of anything else but what the person is saying).  Sometimes, it's a gesture...putting a pacifier back into a crying baby's mouth, silence an alarm, extra words of encouragement, eye to eye contact with a smile...

Last weekend, I gave Jack a gift.  It was the gift of complete kid directed fun.  It's a Mom & son activity to go to the state fair every year.  We have tried to "be nice" & include others but since we like to do our own thing, it's better if it's just us two.  This time, I let Jack decide what we were going to do.  He is between little kid rides & big kid rides now.  He wanted to swing on the big swing...he was tall enough, so we did.  I reviewed mandatory Mom safety information first and swallowed a lump & away we went.  I sat behind him & videoed.  He had the biggest smile on his face! 

For the past 2 years, he has done the Mutton bustin'....riding a sheep, like bull and of course, falling off after a few seconds.  I REALLY wanted him to do it but he did not.  I did ask twice and when he said no the second time, I let it go.  Wow, that was a victory on my part.

When I asked him what he wanted for dinner, he said an elephant ear.  Wow, an elephant ear?  Not a hot dog first, then an elephant ear?  So, what the heck, like Aunt Kat said, "eat dessert first"...so he did.  He smiled alot during that one too.  Disclaimer:  he ate a proper dinner later in the evening, at home:)

I let him decide which animals, how long to stay at each site, which games to play (WAC a Mole was his favorite) and I didn't try to dissuade him from doing anything he wanted to do....that is, until we ran out of money.  I did have to put some sort of boundary on our adventure and I was VERY generous, but alas, the money ran out pretty fast.  Let's just walk around, he said.  So we did...we walked & looked and had the best time.  Peas & carrots...that's me & him!