Jiichan's

Hi Guys,

These two are simply great - I could essentially drop them off someplace and come back in 4 hours, and they'd be fine finding something to occupy themselves...

Before we could leave Crest School from picking Casey up, they had to discuss where we would go for the outing - it always is a big deal, as tho the world's survival rested on their final decision....they started out first deciding they'd just stay at the Crest School play structure to eat their lunches, but as we were heading to the structures, Casey suggested we go to Venice's school and her play structures for lunch - they decided that would be a good idea...

As we walked back to my car, they started exploring other options, Chuck-e-Cheese being one, "because we'd not been there in over 2 months...!" - the magical time lag between paying events - that was dropped for bowling, again because we'd not been there for several months - by the time we got to the car, they were still deliberating on where we should go, and when I asked if they still wanted to go to Venice's school for lunch, they said they were still deciding...!

Everyone got buckled up, I started the car, and Venice suggested we go to Amazon Park, and they could eat their lunches on the dinosaur - Casey agreed that'd be a good idea - but when I started the car moving, Venice said they'd not decided yet - then she corrected herself, and said she'd not made up her mind yet - I reminded her that she'd suggested Amazon Park, but she said that it was only a suggestion for them to think about, and she'd not made a final decidion of what she wanted to do today...! - So, I shut the car off...

Venice mumbled "Amazon Park..." - "bowling..." - "Amazon Park" - then, she said that it should be Amazon Park, because it has a lot of shade, and they wouldn't need sun screen - Casey agreed...

On the way, Venice asked if we could stop at Ben&Jerry's so she could get a shake for her treat - Casey liked the idea so he could get a cone to take to the park....we stopped at the mall, and went in to B&J's - Venice got a shake, and Casey got a dish instead, because he wanted to carry it over to Amazon Park - when we got our ice cream, and as we were leaving heading for the car, Casey asked if we could just sit here and eat our ice cream - I said fine, and they proceeded to play on the low concrete wall around the walkway and tables outside all the little shops there - we spent maybe 40 mins while they climbed the low walls and "tight-rope walked" along the wall, stopping periodically to eat their ice cream or drink the shake....Casey's ice cream melted, and spilled over the edges because the sun was so hot and he wasn't eating it fast enuff....at first he said he didn't think he could eat all the ice cream, but I told him to eat as much as he could - after I'd helped him with my eating a couple of spoonfuls, he did finish it all....I finally suggested we go over to Amazon Park, mainly because there wasn't much shade where we were, and I was tired being in the hot sun - reluctantly they agreed, they were happy just to stay playing on the wall as their play structure...

When we arrived at Amazon Park, the two of them headed for the dinosaur, and started their lunches - they interrupted lunch when they packed everything up and went over to the tower and fire engine structure - they opened their lunches on the top of the tower, and between bites, climbed on the structure, and went over to the fire engine and climbed that, and at one point even climbed over the wire fence separating the play structure area and the surrounding grassy areas and bike paths - then, they climbed back over, and resumed their play...

At one point Casey told us a joke that Tori had put in his lunch = "What did you say after eating a Wookie...? - Mmmmm, chewy...!" - I'm not sure Venice got it, her not knowing that much about Star Wars, but she did laff - Casey roared with laughter...! - I told him I thot it was pretty funny...

It took the two of them the whole afternoon to finish their lunches, and I think they finally did - at least I think they did - one time during all this, they left their lunch boxes open near the empty wading pool, and they were visited by about 4 big black birds - they didn't seem to find anything of interest, tho they did poke around a bit - I couldn't tell if the birds actually ate anything or not - the wading pool has been empty for a long time, and in fact I don't recall any time I'd been there when there was water in the pool - it didnt' matter - the two found twigs, leaves, pebbles, and who knows what else, and made up some game involving all these things - they didn't need any play strucrtures, as they made up a whole story and activity around the things they found right there - they played at this for nearly an hour...

At no time was there any tension between the two that I could see or hear - they get along famously, and seem to genuinely like each other - they play off each other's strengths, and don't seem put off or feeling put down for not having skills the other has - Venice is clearly the more athletic, with excellent small and gross motor skills - Casey is less so, but even he has improved in his climbing and running skills - he seems willing to try to climb or do anything in a physical way, and does a fair job of keeping up with Venice....Venice is the one with the huge imagination, and she usually starts any of their discussions of what the plot or story line will be - Casey contributes, and seems to hold his own with adding things from his own imagination - they play off each other quite well...

Venice doesn't have the depth of knowledge about Star Wars that Casey has, but that doesn't seem to bother her - She typically doesn't bring it up, it being Casey who does - if she doesn't know something that Casey is talking about, and "stuff" about Star Wars comes pouring out of him like a flood, she just says so, and he explains it to her - she's seen the Star Wars display at McDonald's, so she has some familiarity with the characters - when Casey describes one of them, she remembers "him" from the display....Casey also brings up a lot of things that Venice has never had interest in, they being something scientific, or something esoteric that only Casey would be interested in, but of late she seems to be catching up in terms of things scientific herself - anyway, the two can carry on a conversation about something scientific, something to do with Star Wars, something about faeries, about goblins and dragons and Jack Frost, and whether any of it is something real or imaginary, something that could never be, or something only possible in the future - as I say, they get along famously, and I'm just along for the ride - well, a driver on their ride...

They don't seem to be much aware of other kids around them when they're together - sometimes another kid near their age will be playing near them or will come up and try to enter into whatever they're doing, and will usually be the one to begin some exchange, and I'm usually not near enuff to hear their conversations - they may play together for a while, then the other kid will be off, leaving the two of them and they return to whatever they were doing seemingly without missing a step...

Yesterday they were playing on the fire engine, when a child, maybe 24 months old came up, cautiously because they were whirlwinds on the fire engine - Venice and Casey are climbing on, rushing around, and jumping around and off of the fire enjine, so the little girl is way intimidated - she touches the back of the fire engine, then backs off, and as her mom comes up tells loud enuff that I hear her that the two kids, Venice and Casey, told her she couldn't go on the fire engine - I'd not heard or seen either of them say anything to the girl, and in fact they seemed more oblivious of her as tho she weren't there, but I told Venice and Casey that they couldn't tell the girl she couldn't get on the structure, and Venice said she'd not said anything to her - the girl's mom said it was all right, neither of the two said anything to the little girl, that she just made that up...

I did tell Venice and Casey that they still needed to be conscious of littler kids around them, and to make sure they weren't too overwhelming for them - Casey and Venice said "We know...!"

The two were very reluctant to leave the park - I'd given them a headsup of 20 mins, then 15, then 10, and then 2 - that it was then time to leave...."Awwwww...!" - When they had to go back to the tower for their lunch boxes, they took the long circuitous route climbing on every play structure between were we were and the tower - and, they followed the same long-way path back to where I was....they dragged their heels getting into the car, and even once we were on our way, Venice wondered if we Casey to could play at her house before going home - "Pleeeeaaasssseeeee...!" - Venice said to Casey that they should talk to their Moms and see if he could have a sleep over tonite, and they should really try to convince their Moms about it....I told Venice that we didn't have enuff time for Casey to play at her house right now, because his Mom would be picking him up at 5:00, and we were going to just get to our house by that time - "Awwww....! Pleeeasssseeee...!"

So when I dropped Venice off, she was sad that she had to leave Casey, and we talked about a sleep over at Granny and Jiichan's sometime soon - that didn't help her right at that moment...

So that was the day - I never know where we're going for our outings, but I'm going to have to rememger to take a book to read or something...

Jiichan...