Jack’s favorite event of the year started Thursday…AGRI-ACTION. There is little that excites him more than an expo center full of tractors and other farm equipment. He was jittery with excitement all day Thursday and was ready to go the second I picked him and Em up from preschool. Waiting the four hours until Dad got home was almost impossible.
Somehow both kids managed to make it….
I love to see how the kids progress each year. This year Emilie’s biggest goal was to score a balloon, which she did. She was willing to march up and down every single row until she found a vendor who was stocked up on balloons and susceptible to her big brown eyes and adorable smile. She also wanted to sit in all the equipment in between gathering lollipops at the various booths. Who knew Agri-action was just a cover for trick-or-treating!
Jack’s tastes continue to mature. While he still wants to sit in all the equipment, he is increasingly curious as to what each piece does. What job to they do on the farm? Where is the engine? Can these tires drive over muddy bumpy ground and not get stuck? What stuff does the scoop lift? Can I have a magazine (tractor brochure)? His interest is expanding past the “it’s cool to sit on a tractor” stage for sure.
In all honesty we didn’t stay that long at the expo this year. We were about halfway through the equipment when a noise that sounded like air brakes being released really caught Jack off-guard. It spooked him pretty good. He was nervous and ready to leave from that point on. We tried convincing him that we could go find the sound and see that it wasn’t scary but no go. He managed to gather enough courage to climb up and check out the big ‘tracks’ tractor but as soon as he got back down he announced, “Let’s get out of here” and practically ran for the door. *sigh* He’s never been good with loud noises…obviously we’re still working on that.
All was not lost though. We’d parked over by the Herret Center so we went to see all the exhibits before getting back in the car. They have replica mammoth dung there and, in the mind of a 2.5 and 5 year old, fake poop is AWESOME so the evening was salvaged. The glow-in-the-dark rocks (fluorite/calcite in a black light room) were a close second. Best of all Kevin educated me on how to use those darned prehistoric replica hand drills….it’s actually pretty easy once someone shows you what you’re supposed to be doing.
Despite that one little hiccup it turned out to be a good family evening after all. When Jack charged into is classroom this morning and announced in one loud excited breath, “Miss Loretta I went to Agri-Action last night it was AWESOME!!!!!!” you never would have guessed that anything had scared him. Can’t wait to see what next year brings.
No comments:
Post a Comment