Passing the Torch

Sydney's out-of-state grandparents were here this past weekend. We went to the Children's Museum and then the next day went out to eat and then to the park. For the Children's Museum, we wound up taking Sydney's buddy Emmalyn with us so her mommy could get some much needed rest after being sick all the night before. The park, however, was all Sydney and the grandparents. Here are some pictures:

At the park

Sydney loves a good game of "push me in the swing and pretend I'm kicking you." Grandpa was happy to play.

Daddy's version of "push me in the swing and pretend I'm kicking you."

Hide and Seek -- I wish the picture conveyed all of the giggles!

Here is Sydney playing with Grandpa at the Children's Museum. I'm not sure whose kid that is playing with the blocks, but he sure is able to build better than the average toddler.


Sydney's favorite thing was this long walkway that had steps up and down, a slight incline in one spot, and some humps in the middle. She went back and forth so many times. This was the best picture I could get, though, all the rest were motion-blurred.

I think a lot of mommies were jealous of the little girl who had the loud, rambunctious daddy willing to build forts and pratfall all over the soft mat. The pratfalls were Sydney's favorite -- she does a great fake fall herself.


One of the things I thought was the neatest was these doors. They opened to a mirror, and next to them are working light switches and doorbells. Sydney thought they were pretty cool, too. She also liked the big rocking fish. Especially when her daddy got behind it and it became a racing fish!



Sydney and Emmalyn playing -- the first picture is the bottom of the ramp. The other is a thing mounted to the wall that these cars would go back and forth down. Sydney liked checking for the "working" cars -- the ones that she put in correctly that went down worked, the others were broken and she tossed them aside.



Two other favorites -- the car and the ball pit. I think Emmalyn is adjusting the radio station and Sydney's not sure of her buddy's taste in music, by the way.

The ride home.

And finally, a word about the title of this post and a few thoughts, since this post has been picture heavy.
This is the moment. The moment when you realize that you may well be on your way to raising a very, very strange child. And you aren't sure whether or not that bothers you. At the park this last weekend, Sydney brought Jeremy a stick and some "stuff." I call it "stuff" because it really looked like something a bird would use to make a nest and that's the best I could come to identifying it. Turns out, it was Spanish moss. Those of you reading this who could have actually identified Spanish moss may also be the ones who have jumped ahead in your minds to where Jeremy went: a stick + Spanish moss = standard torch. You see, folks, that's how they made torches in the olden days. So Jeremy made this torch for our daughter, and hence the title: "Passing the Torch."

At least she'll know how to find her way through an Egyptian pyramid or booby-trapped cave if it ever comes to it.