Quiet Time

The last few days after Christmas have been pretty quiet for us.  Levi and I have worked our way through he is gifts that have required making.  We have also gone to the park and played at the water slide.  Levi has actually needed the time off the rat race and I have too.  He has loved the time that we just spend inside and work on projects.  Much of today, Levi has been in very few clothes because he has been painting.  Painting involves getting paint every where and a little bit on the paper in front of you.  Levi made a set of armour from some of the boxes his gifts came in.  and he painted it and set 'gems' onto it.  Then he decided that he needed to have several swords and daggers to go with it.  So more boxes were sacrificed to create those.  I put aluminium foil on the blades and he has been happily making more gems for the hilts of those.

Levi is allowed to have one play event that I am required to pay money for.   He understands all of that and is very good about the planning of it all.  He loves Pine Rivers Park because it is a free event and he can pretty much go on everything.  He found a friend there who was about nine years old.  The nine year old (Levi never got his name) had been given a remote control car that Levi loves to watch.  Now Levi does this all the time, finds friends, mostly kids much older.  This one made me a little nervous but not enough to do anything.  Interestingly though it meant that I kept a much much closer eye on him than I normally do, although I do actually watch him fairly closely.  Mostly under the guise of photographing him!

Anyway he was a little odd this kid but I figured he just wasn't getting enough attention at home or something.  He wanted Levi to sit in his lap and Levi refused.  Then when I was on the opposite side of the bike riding structure, he said something to Levi who shook his head 'No' and then tried to take his arm and Levi said No and then next time he reached for Levi, he lashed out with his leg, kicking him.  It wasn't vicious but it was definite.  I left them there watching and then the boy went off by himself. 

Later as we were driving away, I asked what he had said.  Levi said he wanted him to go with him off into the trees.  I told Levi I was proud of him for saying No.  He said he knew that I wouldn't let him and he said that the boy was a 'bit strange'.  I was very proud I will say; of him for saying No and of me for stepping back and letting him be strong enough by himself. 

Levi's front teeth are loose, so many of the photos have his tongue playing with his front teeth.  It is fun to have the photos.  A moment frozen in time, of wobbly teeth! 

The other thing we have been doing is putting together all the toys that needed large amounts of adult supervision.  The Ant Farm was given to Levi by Robert and Ken for Christmas.  We put it all together and then Jo and Levi caught some ants and they are now happily wandering around the maze!