Being out in the world with a toddler is much more exciting than just walking around on your own because around every corner, there might be something that will make you jump up and down and scream out in joy...okay, it'll make the toddler do that, but the enthusiasm is contagious!
The other morning, Finley and I were out running errands and as we headed back to our car, we turned the corner and ta-da--a garbage truck! Finley's latest truck obsession live right in front of us, picking up trash!!
He asked if we could follow it and so we did and he watched the two garbage men loading the trash like a hawk.
We walked with the truck for about two blocks, got waves from the garbage men, and the driver even pulled the really loud horn for us. Life was good. At some point, we had to move on with our morning and we headed off to a playground about ten minutes away. We parked the car and Finley commented that everyone had their trash on the sidewalk so the garbage truck must be on its way...brilliant deduction! He asked if we could sit on the curb and wait for it but thankfully I convinced him that if we played on the playground, we could keep an eye out for the truck and come back to see it. We played for about 45 minutes or an hour (with many false alarms for garbage truck arrivals, silly Finley), but as we were about to go down a pair of slides, I heard the much-anticipated truck around the corner so we made a run for it!
Amazingly, it was the SAME garbage truck that we saw in the center of town and I'm pretty sure the driver recognized me and gave me a sympathetic smile :) We sat on the curb and watched all the bins and cans being emptied house by house on the street and when the truck turned a corner, Finley begged for us to run and catch it. Ug. I suggested we hop in the car to track it and he obliged, so the hunt was on! We watched the big truck go down another street and a half before I made up a reason for us to have to get home so we waved to the truck and headed off.
Finley has loved trucks as long as we can remember and while his attention has mostly gone to the world of construction vehicles, trains and garbage trucks have come into his focus which has been a welcome change! We have several different toy garbage trucks at home and each day (sometimes several times), Finley will use his fireman little people figure as a garbage man and pick up all sorts of trash. He asks me to use the firedog as my garbage dog and fill up a second truck. Recently, we have been talking more about recycling and now he has a line of four garbage cans (round blocks) and several recycling bins (small, upside down foam bridge blocks).
Thankfully life imitates art around here and Finley is an excellent trash man on Thursday nights after dinner--emptying trash cans around the house, dragging full bags to the basement door, and helping Dan roll the trash can and recycling bins down to the curb. Plus, on Friday afternoons, he's eager to pull all the empty containers back up to the garage! Boys will be boys!
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