'Tis the simple things...

I have found that Cole particularly enjoys playing with simple things. Despite the fact that we have a room full of interesting, colorful and educational toys, he seems to gravitate towards the more subtle, less alluring diversions. For example, the other day I gave him a small gift box to play with. It was empty, it's white, it's made of cardboard. He entertained himself for a good portion of the day by taking the lid off and putting it back on again. Then, he'd push the box around on the floor. Then, run up to me with his arms outstretched, box clutched in hand excitedly saying "BAAAAA" (which I can only assume is "box"). Then, the box went for the requisite dunk in the dog bowl. This was repeated many times and seemed to satisfy his curiosity just fine.

Cole also gets tremendous enjoyment out of watching the traffic go by in front of our house. He perches himself on his little wooden chair, tactfully located in front of the window, and watches the cars and trucks go by. He nearly looses his mind when a truck goes by and I can't even tell you what happens when a bus rolls past the house. Hours and hours of entertainment.

Outside, Cole gravitates towards the small pebbles we have in our garden. He scoops them up with his shovel and puts them in his bucket. He checks to make sure they're all there, and then scoops more in. He chats to himself as he does this work and examines the pebbles, picking out ones that are interesting to him. Watching him play with simple things has made me appreciate the simple things more, too. Funny how a child can become the teacher to the parent. And, as usual, what more could I ask than to learn from my child?