Bredford Family: Daddy Daycare and Weekend Fun

Daddy Daycare-
Chris has July (mostly) off from work so is watching Bennett a couple of days a week. The other days Bennett goes to school and Daddy stays home and works on his etsy business. One of the benefits of Chris being home is that I get texts throughout the day letting me know what's going on. Below are some of the texts and photos that Chris has sent to me. Comments from me are in parentheses.

Friday 7/5

99 big yellow hats on the wall, 99 big yellow hats. If one of those hats should happen to fall... It takes that many hats to get to the country house. (This is a Curious George reference. We find it odd that sometimes they live in the city and sometimes in the country. The books are this way as well, with no explanation of them moving or getting a vacation home.)
Now we're doing Legos. He's building a "house". Pieces that don't fit are "bad".

"my lunch"

Just read the Sandra Boynton collection. This was after reading the other half of the bookshelf.
He's washing the table with his squirt gun.
Ice cream soda. Literally.

Clifford is attacking me. Just in case you wonder why I'm not here when you get home.
Bennett would like to go to the store with you. He wants corn on the cob for lunch.
I have to make hotdogs outside. And he didn't mention going outside until I asked if he wanted a hotdog for lunch. (You can't make it on the stove?) Nope. Outside. (Have fun with that. Maybe he'll run around a bit and tire himself out for nap?) I'm doing them inside. (Wimp. ) I'm caving. (Ha. He's whining, isn't he. "My want outside.") No. Just politely insisting that hotdogs go outside.
"I need shoes. Get those. Go outside. I need hat."
Apparently the leaves all over the deck are the result of "Daddy make mess outside."
We're using the umbrella. Cause we also have to eat outside for hotdogs. (which in the next few days prompted multiple conversations where Bennett asked why Daddy opened the umbrella.)
George is going to Scotland. To play golf. At the Uncle with the Green Tam's Castle. The Man With The Yellow Hat (TMWTYH) has a brother who has to show the deed on the castle every year or pay the back taxes. 400 years worth. Otherwise he has to move out by 3pm. TMWTYH was wearing a kilt. Yellow of course. No tam.

Wednesday 7/10

Your son took out his umbrella and held it over his head on the way in to Wegmans. Then put it away when we got inside. (He doesn't have an umbrella, so this was all pantomimed.)
He pinched his neck in the car. He said "kiss my neck when get home. Give me big hug and kiss." I said sure thing.
(He then sent this photo, which I recognized as being a "house".)

Everyone is sitting down to watch the movie. Curious George of course. That uses all of the Legos. The ones that don't have wheels anyway.

Ate half of a hamcheese (this is what Bennett calls it) sandwich. Left some of the cheese, which is weird. Took it apart and ate the ham, then some cheese and then ate the bread.
(@1:40) Went up at 1. He's still talking.
(@2:40) He just pooped so maybe now he'll sleep.
(@3:04) He finally fell asleeo shortly after the poop.
And we're outside in the pool. (It's that nice out?) It was kinda nice. Then the rain started. He wasn't happy about having to come inside.

Friday 7/12

Mummy, I waked up.
(Absolutely GORGEOUS weather! Cooler temperature and very little humidity.) Almost let him play in the pool this morning. But I think we'll wait until this afternoon. (I was wondering about that. Still a little cool for the pool. Did you empty it? And if so, did he freak out?)Nope. He actually wanted to help.
Pumping up bike tires. We may need to go for a ride later. (OK. If it stays this nice, I'm game.)

He's helping inflate tires. It's very tiring. (It's good to put him to work. Hopefully he gets more air in the tires than he lets out.) He didn't help for long. But now he wants to go for a bike ride. And I'm not up for that right now. (That was your fault for working on them now. I could have told you he would want a ride now.) But that's what's been stopping us, right? (Yes, but you should have been prepared to do a ride right now.) Nope. Teaching him about being patient. And we don't want to prevent Mummy from having fun.
(This photo of Bennett in a pirate hat sweeping around the garden.)

He's kicking his soccer ball around the garden.
And now we have a cape and going up the rock wall.
(after nap) And now for the pool.

When I got home we did go for a bike ride. He was very excited!

And now for the weekend recap.

On Saturday morning Bennett went to Nana and Grandpas. He mentioned numerous times how we walked with Grandpa to the playground and his shoes got all wet because he jumped in puddles.

After nap Bennett started working on some puzzles. These are a couple of Curious George puzzles that he's working on. He's done them so many times he almost has them memorized.

We went to Toys R Us looking for some more challenging puzzles. We weren't thrilled with the selection, but we spent a while exploring the store. He did really well and didn't get too upset when we had to leave.

On Sunday we went back to Sturbridge. I'm wondering if we're now averaging 3+ visits a month. Last year we went about every other week.

In the visitor's center is this display on the wall explaining how to direct the oxen. I think Bennett may need some lessons.

While taking a ride with Pete and Jim Bennett started waving and saying hi to the horses leading the stagecoach. So we asked our driver what their names were- Worthy and Barney. (Shown here are Pete and Jim.)

I made a book of photos from the first year of our OSV membership. Bennett loves looking at it. I've already started one for his year as well. I decided that it should have a "meet the animals" page, so I took a number of photos of the animals. Here's the new calf, Summer, who was born on the Summer Solstice (June 21st.)

On the daily agenda was "Meet the oxen". Since it was down at the farm we thought it would be Lance and Henry, but instead Doc and Blue came up the road pulling a wagon of teasel. We told the farmer about how Bennett was directing imaginary oxen around the house and he thought that was funny. He mentioned that his son sometimes uses these types of commands (gee, haw, ho, etc.) to direct him around the grocery store.

After lunch Bennett participated in the French and English tug of war. He was on the English side, but unfortunately they lost. Maybe because right before they started pulling Bennett ran off to the water pump.