Adam's Mom had clued me in that Adam was adept at making macaroni and cheese for lunch, so that is what they had! Kevin was not happy to say goodbye to Adam! Somehow *Guinness* was blamed for destroying a silk flower arrangement that sat in the dining room. A couple of pieces of the arrangement had managed to "fall" out over the past week. The thought occurred to me that perhaps I should take a photo of it in case I might need to recreate it, but I didn't.
I have invited Adam to return Thursday morning so that I can attend my Rotary Club at 7 AM. He is willing to arise in time for that hour! Now Kevin is asking to go to go to bed very early Wednesday night, so that he doesn't miss any time with Adam!
After spending a little down time (mainly for Grandma's sake!) working on the wedding puzzle (which is beginning to take shape since completing the frame), we went to the splash park down the street. What a fabulous place for kids!
It was in the 80s today, but overcast with an occasional rain shower. Kevin is not one to play alone! He teamed up with two brothers who turned out to be from Mexico City. They are here with their parents visiting an aunt and uncle. Early in their play, Kevin told me that they were trying to tickle him with sea grass, and would not stop even when he asked them to. The father came to me asking if his sons were bothering Kevin. I said, "How can a tickle be bothersome?" It was then that I learned there was a language problem. The boys did not understand verbally that Kevin wanted them to stop. They continued to have a lot of fun, sitting on the water streams and running on the barrier wall.
Kevin as King of the Mountain!
The Mexican boys left, and Kevin continued playing on the playground. Kevin is not one to play alone. Sometimes I hear how he introduces play with other kids saying something as simple as, "Can I play with you?" Usually they are taken aback by that and don't know what to say to him, but do allow him to play. Today, I saw him walk up to a boy who had been pushed and say, "I know how that feels." The boy turned to him and said, "What?!" Eventually, they were playing together.
He was determined today to conquer the suspended hand ring bridge. He tried over and over again with huge tears at each attempt ending in dropping off. A 5 year old girl was there who was a natural monkey! She gave him pointers on how to do it and demonstrated over and over again, which deflated his ego that she was younger yet so good at it. More tears! Adults nearby were noting his frustration, yet determination to succeed. His hands began hurting him, but he refused to quit until he achieved success.
It took quite a while, but he did succeed exactly at the point when we had to leave as our parking ticket had expired. Perhaps Grandma's little prayer helped too!
We returned to the fabulous restaurant beside the splash park for dinner on their porch overlooking the reflecting pond and lake. We watched the lift bridge rise for a laker to navigate through the canal to the Bay. Then we saw several remote control boats play on the pond.
He returned to the playground after dinner to reinforce his ability to complete the hand ring bridge.
This time he finished with the flourish of the 5 year old girl: grabbing the end post and sliding down!
Now he is just like the other kids who can accomplish it!
After some shoving with kids who did not want to take his lead and their mother scolding him, he danced around the playground and landed on a bench beside an unhappy looking boy. He encouraged this kid (in the red shirt) to follow him by saying, "Hurry! Come this way! We have to ....(whatever)." He ended up playing with this boy who is from Wales and here visiting his grandparents.
His grandfather has a remote control boat that was not working very well. He said his boat is on the same frequency as some of the others. The boys had to retrieve it from the pond a few times.
When we moved to Burlington 11 years ago, it was very similar to Naperville, IL in many ways including size and makeup of the city -- 99% white in Naperville and 99% Canadian Anglo-Saxon descendants in Burlington. As I looked around the playground today, I realized that Burlington has become as multi-cultural as the rest of the Greater Toronto Area! Canadian descendants certainly are in the minority at the playground. The little 5 year old monkey, who is Indian or Paki, was there tonight as well. I asked if she had not gone home. She pointed to where her mother was with a group of women in Saris at picnic tables, and said, "Sometimes we are here all night." No wonder she is such a gymnist! She plays there hour after hour day after day!
Kevin never speaks of the many skin colors around him. But he colored this picture yesterday titled "Jesus' friends learn to pray":
Kevin is so amazing in his charming way with strangers. It is wonderful that he shows no shyness with people he meets for the first time. Wish I had that gene! He seems to have a lot of empathy.
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Oh wow! SO interesting about the new multicultural makeup of the area!
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