Elfie

Haha!

Carnival!

We took Sayan to his first carnival!!

For at least a year he has been wanting to go on the ferris wheel. Whenever he sees one he demands we stop but it hasn't worked out. A couple of days ago I noticed the normally quiet parking lot where they hold the farmers market was buzzing with activity as they set up for a fair!

Granted it was a small little carnival but perfect for our small little person.

So on Saturday, as his reward for the stars he earned on his responsibility chart (more on that later) we took him to the carnival.

First thing was of course... the ferris wheel:

Jai was nervous he would get scared at the top but he was just thrilled. Loved it and pointed out our car down in the lot and everything else he could see from the "high high place".

He then ventured onto a ride "all by himself", the Speedy Cars ride:

Which goes around in a circle fairly slowly until it reaches a curve then it whips around jerking you back and forth. The first round or two he was on the verge of tears and I almost made them stop but Jaison turned it into a fun experience by cheering every time it went into the curve and by the end Sayan was whooping and smiling and laughing and eager to go again.

Next up the boys rode the roller coaster. Again, mini sized but just right for us:

He rode a couple of other rides by himself including this one which he chose to do as his "last" special ride:

All in all a wonderful time at our tiny fair which made for a happy boy and family.

Blue bonnets!

nature boy

Another favorite activity is nature hikes. We take along a nature bag:

(no this is not dog poop as Jaison observed it to be)

And head out on the trails collecting flora and fauna (the remains) of all kinds. Many many bones join the collection, as well as seed pods and lichen and shells. This plate sat on our kitchen table for about two weeks before I reached my breaking point of dining with bones every meal. Artistic perhaps, appetizing not so much.

There is a trail system just a few minutes from the house. Here is Sayan enjoying the spring day, holding a bunch of mountain laurels.

legos

Sayan LOVES playing with his legos. One of the few activities that will engage him independently for long periods of time. It's amazing the things he thinks to build: dogs, ducks, the north pole, houses in varying architectural styles, airports and flying craft of all kinds. Here is a house that we built he was particularly proud of:

While we were in Dallas he tried out Lillian's small legos and was surprisingly more adept with his creations. I hadn't been sure if they would be too intimidating and frustrating being that much smaller but I guess it was somehow more empowering and gave more creative options. But I'm hoping to get another few months of play with the "big legos" before transitioning, maybe for his birthday.

audio books

New favorite discovery for Sayan and parents: audio books!

Passive entertainment without TV!