Ford has taken a keen interest in helping us (and others) do....well....everything. So, we let him. Even though he's 2, we like to let him try to do anything he puts his mind to. He's been helping us with the laundry for months -- he's very good at transferring clothes from the basket to the washer/dryer and back again. He also puts away his clothes in the drawers he can reach. Does he keep them nice and folded the way I like them? No. But at least he's going things on his own, and I can't complain about that.
He shovels snow. He sweeps the floor. He puts away the groceries. And this is only the beginning! His recent pursuits into boyhood include rinsing and putting away the dishes. He's very good at pouring the water in the sink and putting the dishes on the rack. Sure, we always get water on the floor and all over our shirts, but that's okay by me.
Helping Boppa with a puzzle.
Helping Boppa and Grandma find Pirate Jake's things in a search-and-find book.
Helping Aunt Laura build towers.
Helping Granddaddy fix the couch.
Helping Mommy wash the dishes.
In addition to our expeditions into helping, Ford has made a lot of progress in his learning ability. He's using words all the time and says short, simple sentences. I took him to the Zionsville library one Saturday while David was working, and he loved looking at all the books, interacting with the other kids, and exploring. He especially liked the self-checkout machine because it has a red laser light and touchpad. I let him check out his own book (although it took a minute because he kept pushing the Instructions button), but again, I think it's good to let him try things for himself.
Sorting through the books at the library.
Found one!
Playing with the chalkboard and magnet ABCs.
Just this past weekend he showed us he knows his ABCs. Of course we couldn't capture a good video of him doing it because he gets shy when the camera comes out, but here's one attempt (starting at the letter
E):
His development has certainly made a difference in his and Corwin's playdates! Won't be long before they're having actual kid conversations -- ha! Ford can do so much more now than he could even a few months ago, so he and Corwin have a lot of fun together.
Their favorite -- books!
Boys being boys!
