Vroom, Vroom!

Isn't it always the "accidental" toys that end up being the most fun?

I know the running joke is "they liked the box better than the toy--" and a lot of times that can be true--in THIS case, we certainly didn't get a box, but a great family friend, Donna Sampson, thought of us, and gave us this little yellow car.

Started out, it didn't have a bottom in it. Now, Amara is coordinated, but she couldn't make it go (think, the Flintstones) and stay in it, at the same time. Enter, Jim Jahn. He fabricated some type of industrial tarp remnant bottom of some kind, and she was snug as a bug.

I guess she played in it for a while at mom and dads, before we brought it home for the day.

For I bet 2 weeks straight, we went for a walk/ ride every day when we got home from work, OR, every time we walked past that car--she'd reach down for it and we had to literally use other doors on the house, or HAVE to go on a walk (we're pushovers).

Suddenly, and without much explanation, the car "rides," became car "pushing" --as in, or mile-long-family-walks, turned into 1/2 a block long stretches of Amara pushing her own car. We couldn't get her IN the thing at all! She'd climb in, turn around, climb right back out, and start pushing--I guess she just figured it out, that she "could."

Another key point to mention, is that a critical element of the outings is leaf gathering. We pass about 10 different tree species along the route, and we stop to pick a few on our walks. Sometimes she is impressed with a pear, sometimes it's a weed from along the sidewalk, but she usually holds onto whatever strikes her fancy till we get home.

Now, we're somewhere in the middle. She will get in the car--still gets out a lot, still likes to push. But we are in that car literally every day, unless there is a monsoon outside.

OH, forgot to mention...putting the car away. At some point, we let Amara push the buttons to get into the garage, to "put her car away." NOW--it's a whole production, get the mail, park car, open garage, bring car in (park), then close the garage door. We don't care though, as long as she's interested, she can have her little routine.