Camp Grandma: Nick's Visit

Last week was our second grandchild's turn to come for a visit. Nick (or Nicholas when he's in trouble!) is "five AND A HALF" and will be in kindergarten in a few weeks. He likes to talk (a lot!), play video games- especially Super Mario Brothers-, and bounce. He has more energy than any person I know. He loves salad and fruit- I think he could easily be a vegetarian. "Imagination" could be his middle name instead of "Tyler." His blankie, MmmHmm, is his imaginary friend who talks and is the instigator of trouble. All these things I've known; this week I learned some new things about Nick.

Nick is a thinker. You can almost see the gears turning and the lightbulb come on when he "gets something" or makes a connection from one thing to the next. He asks the really hard questions like "What does the word "opposite" mean?" He knows what opposites are but wanted a definition. Can you define "opposite"?

Nick loved riding the Metro into Washington, D.C. one day. He learned how to read the signs to tell how long to the next train and how many cars on the train. By the end of the day he a pro at negotiating the Metro- and even learned how to ride standing up holding on to a pole. We went to the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum where he rode the escalator up and down... up and down... up and down! The simulator ride about flying was also a big hit.

Nick likes to do grown up things... like going to Starbucks for hot chocolate and a scone, taking in a 3D movie (Despicable Me was "the best movie I've ever seen!") and reading books. He can read better than he lets on... road signs, signs in buildings, words in books when I tried to skip a page! We went to the library several times to get book, to read books and to do a watermelon activity. Did you know China grows more watermelons than any other country in the world? Like Grandma, Nick likes to put puzzles together.

Nick is a helper. He likes to carry bags in from the car, match up Grandpa's sox, and got the newspaper off the porch every morning. He picked out fabric for his new blankie but then decided he'd let me to all the tying! Did I mention he likes to play Super Mario Brothers? He tried to help me but finally told me "You just die too much!"

But the most important thing I learned about Nick is that it's really important to make sure he gets all his jumps out so he can sit quietly or be cooperative. He is a sweet little boy who tries to behave- he often asks, "Am I being have (pronounced hAv- with a long A sound)?"... too cute!!