Summer Vacation: Day 2

Ah, me! What summer vacation is complete without a ride on your very own train?

That's right. Daddy Jane and Grandpa Mel got a little crazy about a two years ago with the birth of their first grandchild. (Truth be told, we doubted Grandpa Mel's sanity when he shaved his head ... how can you shave away nothing?) So, during one of their earlier bouts of insanity, Daddy Jane and Grandpa Mel bought a child's size battery-powered Thomas the Tank Engine complete with track in the shape of an eight. Keep in mind that an "8" on its side is the sign for infinity. This is meaningful because a 2-year-old boy can be on a battery-powered train for an infinite length of time without being bored. Oh, yes, did I fail to mention that the Thomas train is musical? No summer vacation is complete unless you're ready to pierce your brain through your aural cavity with a red-hot poker at the electronic strains of the Thomas the Tank Engine theme song.

Sadly, no red-hot pokers were available.

Anyway, I digress.

Day 2 of vacation was spent first by having lunch at Grandpa Mel's favorite local hang-out where he dines regularly with Great-grandpa Horton and Great-grandma Gertrude. Hesperos got to meet his (only) great-grandparents for the first time, and we all enjoyed seeing Daddy's cousin Viviann and her two children, who all generously bestowed upon the boys their first batch of toys for the week, including two charming stuffed bears (named Helios and Hesperos, appropriately), truck and train puzzles, and an apparently edible caterpillar. Luckily, Mommy's concerns about her babies ingesting toxic chemicals were managed by Cousin Viviann and the great-grandparents providing toys made with natural coloring agents. We were a full table of children, finger-food, and adults who couldn't get a word in edgewise even if we'd wanted.

Later, our day was spent at Daddy Jane's and Grandpa Mel's where two little boys heard how wonderful, handsome, smart, lively, funny, and, in Hesperos's case, large they are. While Helios heard the story of Goldilocks and The Three Little Bears from Grandpa, Hesperos did his gimpy "zombie crawl" around Daddy Jane's and Grandpa Mel's home. Unfortunately, no pictures of Hesperos on this day are available but rest assured he was tickled and laughed like the Pillsbury Dough Boy on command throughout the day.