I Are Booper

Yesterday evening our neighbors were out with their two boys, Ty who is 4 and Liam who is 2. Liam is 2 months younger than Cooper, and they have begun forming what I hope is a long standing bond. Cooper has discovered he likes to make people laugh, and Liam is an obliging audience. The video is evidence of this. They make up the silliest games, like saying "achoooo" while jumping into Liam's driveway and running to touch the wall on the other side. Or running around the tree in our front yard with the training wheels that were taken off of Ty's bike for the first time last night, laughing and screeching. I would also point out that Liam wins the contest for the whitest person to ever walk the planet. We thought Cooper was in contention for that award, but once you see him next to Liam, the contest is over.

And yes, Ty gave it a go without training wheels. He did a pretty good job, although I would suggest he get a little bigger bike soon. I didn't get it on video, but he even took off on his own once. As with many things that involve skill, the moment he stopped thinking so hard and being worried about falling, he was rolling down the street like a pro. You could see the moment his brain registered "UH, dude, we are moving along WITHOUT TRAINING WHEELS" because his head would come up slightly, his eyes would get this panicked look and the handle bars would suddenly wobble and he would put on the brakes and tip over. But he was so proud of himself. As he should be. Ty is a big fan of Spider Man and of wearing pajamas. That is why he is out in the street in his Spider Man pj's. Some battles are just not worth fighting. Getting the kid out of pj's to ride his bike is one of them. He wears them just like he would regular clothes, with underwear and everything. Just in case you thought he was without some sense of propriety.

There was one breakthrough moment for Cooper, which again, I didn't get on video, where he turned to me from playing with Liam and announced with a slap on his chest "I are Booper!" This is quite the cognitive moment for kids his age. They often can tell you their name in response to the question "What is your name" but it is a whole new level of processing to say "I am so and so". It seems like every day there is a new thing he says or does that is a signal that a new synapse formed and connections are being made. It is amazing, frightening and gratifying.

Now if it would please actually become summer here, so I could use the pool. It has been raining and in the 60s for over a week now. The pool filter is fixed and working and the water is clear and mocking me. Maybe in July. Sigh.