Monday was a little bit rainy, but we decided to go visit a trolley museum in Shelbourne Falls, MA. We rode on the yellow trolley a bunch of times, and they had a little hand cart that the grown-ups could pump up and down. I had a special spot on the hand car, where I could hold on to the railing with two hands and ride!
There was only a short amount of track for the trolley to ride on, so everytime we go to the end of the line I would tell Grandpa that we “need more track!” And the trolley was my FAVORITE color, YELLOW!
The museum was right next to some tracks from Uncle Ted’s railroad, so soon after we arrived a big grain train rolled by with a BIG engine. We watched that for a while, too.
Mom and Tia Deb’s had enough of the museum after riding each thing twice, so they headed down the hill to the famous “Bridge of Flowers” in Shelbourne Falls. The bridge was actually the old trolley bridge! And 84 years ago, when the trolley went out of business, the bridge was transformed into a garden with flower beds on either side and a walk way down the middle. It has some really old trees and plants on it that are beautiful, and every year the plant new things to fill in some of the bare spots.
We met back up at when the rain got a bit worse, and then traveled to see the east side of the Hoosic Tunnel. It was fascinating to us boys, but the women (mom and Debbie) said “So, I guess this is what an empty tunnel looks like.”
At the cottage there is a really tall ladder that goes STRAIGHT up the wall to a super secret, amazing room. This is where the grown-ups keep all the toys, and where Tillie hides because she’s knows I can’t get to her up there. I was trying to get to Tillie, so Mom suggested I climb the ladder! She was sure I wouldn’t get very far, until I climbed ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP without assistance. Things get tricky at the top, because you have to hold onto some silver handles to get all the way up, but even those weren’t a problem. Everyone things that 2 and a half is WAY too early to be able to climb into the loft, but I did it several times (up and down) without issue. A grown up as to help me at the top to both climb up and to get back down again, but they are only really there to supervise. I do all the hard work myself. Maybe next summer I’ll be allowed to sleep up there.
Later throughout the week we did a lot of activities around the lake. I tried out all the different kinds of boats that we have: canoe, kayak, and sailboat. I swam EVERY DAY in the lake, sometimes with the life jacket to help me float, but most of the time in the beach area where I am big enough to touch. Grandpa taught me that I can go out deeper into the water (supervised of course) if I bounce on my tip toes to keep my head above water! I LOVED getting “throws” in the lake!
So more cute things that Preston’s been saying:
“I don’t like this, I want fruitinells” (Translation: “I want something else”)
“This corn bothers my teeth” (When he has corn on the cob stuck in his teeth)
“This is DELISHUS!”
When Preston was swimming in his little pool we got out goldfish for a snack. I noticed Preston carrying the bag around with him, and when I confiscated it was full of water. He told me “fishies swimming!” We had to get rid of that bag of goldfish.
I was joking when I told Preston he should climb the ladder to the loft. I pointed to it and said “Hey Preston, you can climb the ladder to get to Tillie,” and 10 seconds later he was at the top! I couldn’t believe it! He had no fear at all, and got back down again 10 seconds. I remember being 3 or 4 and panicking every time I would get to the top and I would have to move my hands off the ladder and onto the silver handles. And them coming back down again!? Forget it. I had to make sure that my Dad was at the bottom to catch me in case I fell. Preston could care less – I’m the one at the bottom of the steps panicking that he’s going to fall down. Of course he didn’t, because there was always someone there to catch him, but he was REALLY good at it. The first time he climbed, John wasn’t at the lake yet, so I had to call him immediately to tell him. Everyone agrees that it is TOO EARLY!
We worked a LOT on potty training this week. I really have no idea who to report, because I don’t know what’s good and what is not good, but I do think he’s doing well. I made a sticker chart; so he gets a sticker every time he uses the potty. He seems to really like that. At one point he figured out how to beat the system. I would give him a sticker for using the potty, and then he was ask for another sticker. I would say no – you need to use the potty again before you get another sticker. So then he would immediately want to use the potty again. By the end of the week he seemed to be holding it longer, and he no longer wanted me to tell him when to go (he wanted to be in charge). He still needs reminders, and he still has accidents, but I think we are making progress. He even woke up in the middle of the night to tell me he tinkled, and he seemed upset about it. Of course, it was ok, because I let him wear a diaper at night, so I hope I didn’t set precedence by telling him it was ok. Anyway, we are moving along, and I guess it will be a slow process.
Hopefully this week we will get back into our routine. With fireworks and night and other crazy thing, Preston’s sleep has gone off schedule, and I don’t think he’s sleeping enough. Hopefully we can reset that, and reset his toddler attitude!!