Jon got Otto dressed Saturday morning in khaki cargo shorts, a polo shirt, and his new summer sandals. Then Jon dressed in pretty much the same uniform - khaki shorts, polo shirt, summer sandals. I heard him tell Otto, "you should wear a nice shirt, you're going to get a haircut and we want to look nice for them." I can't get my boy to wear a polo for love or money, but for dad? Sure!
We drove downtown, and the kids were very polite and well-behaved for their stylists. We usually get a little treat after haircuts, but since we hadn't eaten much, we thought breakfast was a better idea. Walking from the salon to a restaurant, we broke up into the usual teams -- me keeping a close hand and a sharp eye on the curious, wandering Bel, the boys ahead of us walking side-by-side with the Sturm swagger. They made the white-striped crosswalks into a game, jumping from one stripe to the next. Easier for Jon, but Otto wasn't far behind. I still think Otto inherited my proportions (long legs, long fingers). But mostly he's a miniature version of his dad.
At the restaurant, Otto read his own menu and gave his own order - French toast, with a strip of bacon instead of the sausage link. We played Eye Spy while we waited, a game he's much better at than I am. Every time I play with him, I'm reminded of how aware kids are of their environments, how clearly they see things. He reads signs now, notices on doors, display labels, warnings. School seems to be less frustrating since he started reading more comprehensively. I think he's looking forward to being a first-grader next year and getting to show the new kids around school. Last week we talked a little about friends -- how some of the kids like to sit next to each other at lunch and talk. He's not anti-social, but I think it's taken him awhile to start noticing (or maybe just caring) about group dynamics.
He told me the other day Jake is planning a LEGO Star Wars sleep-over. I asked if Jake's mom was going to call me, and he looked surprised. "It sounds like fun," I said, "but I have to talk to Jake's mom first." I could see him thinking "Oh, yeah, the whole parent thing..."
Tonight I told him that we should have a backyard campout this summer for him and a couple of friends. "We could pitch a tent," I said, "it'd be fun!" He went a step further. "We could put up a force field!" he said, and I laughed. Then I asked what he thought of the idea, and he said, "what if a tornado comes?"
After some reassurance (radar, weather forcasting, etc.), I turned the discussion to our upcoming road trip. We agreed on taking some LEGOs, fresh books from the library, a couple of DVDs, colored pencils and a doodle book... We're planning on leaving super early, so he and I decided it would make sense for him to sleep the night before in clean sweats and a t-shirt. That way he won't have to try changing from jammies to clothes in the backseat. Somehow I don't think I have to worry about making sure he's got a clean polo shirt for the trip. His LEGO t-shirts, on the other hand, will probably get their own last-minute wash and dry so they're fresh for the weekend.
I'm kind of hoping we can keep him occupied without using the DVD player, which would free it up for his little sister. I think we're ready to start listening to audio books on trips -- any recommendations? He likes mysteries -- Cam Jansen, etc. -- and history. Jon's been reading to him about the USS Monitor lately.
I'm so glad Bel likes rock-n-roll, like me. Otherwise car trips would be SNOOZEVILLE.
I'm off to bed now - I have a workshop tomorrow that requires its own road trip and an early start. One more load of laundry and I can crash...
