Collecting....

P, showing E his fabulous thorns.

We went out before dusk last week for our evening adventure and I was determined to finally get some biking footage.  E and I have been swearing we will preserve those little pumping legs for posterity... someday.... :)  Now, we've done it.

The early evening mission: to collect thorns from a tree discovered the day before.   En route, the Little Man also collected weed tops in the meadow.  And a few rocks on the path.    And, of course, the old standby... acorns.  The acorns are tiny and tight in their shells right now and the child thinks them adorable.

The little biking montage below features a few of my favorite things.  First, his favorite pants.  Ethan had an old shirt. The child, being the being he is, couldn't imagine letting loose of such a thing.  (In case I haven't mentioned the many collections we house already in our flat.... :)  Honoring his quirks (concerning keeping stuff) and my quirks (about simple spaces) is fabulous for creating creative opportunities. Fortunately, the child was happy with my suggestion that the shirt be reborn a pair of P pants.  (Seemed simple enough - just fabric sewn together with a drawstring, right?!  I didn't think about the fact that I'd never sewn clothing before, hadn't a clue or even had home-ec or that I'm a consummate optimist when it comes to creating....  But after a few, erm, revisions, he has a pair of pants he adores like no other and my already stuffed storage space is intact.  Of course, he's too young yet to realize they are a little bunchy in the waist ;)

 It also shows my favorite "drop" move that kids often have.  Frequently, when P falls, he just stays down for a bit, checking out what's at his new eye level.  Its the most wonderfully zen thing in the world.  His fall in the movie looks a little planned to me, so its not exactly the same thing, but it reminds me of this tendency that always makes me smile.

And third, his pumping legs.  Striding long to keep up with Ethan.  We didn't get him on a really long run along the bike path (we love how he looks over at the big bikes and then pumps even harder) like we've been hoping, but there are glimpses of when he really gets going.  Its a little tricky to film, in addition to the encroaching evening component.  I have to shoot him while I'm simultaneously scooting, which was a bit tricky to do one-handed :)

 And, lastly, it features a song we just discovered on a library CD P picked yesterday. Its called "Collecting Bottlecaps" and when I heard it I laughed out loud. Fortunately, the child was busy dancing and didn't notice :) Though E and I joke about the kid's collecting nature, its never, ever in front of the child. While loving him "just as he is", we wouldn't necessarily have a problem with him outgrowing this particular passion either :) So that external definition stays well hidden until bedtime on the off chance that he'll let it go....

Oh!  There's one more favorite thing :)  At the end, when he is trying to hitch a ride - he does it all the time.  Cracks me up.