Stop the World, I Want To Get Off

Edmund Poses with His Gingerbread Masterpiece

After completing our gingerbread house this past Sunday (I know, we're a little behind the times), Edmund decided to start spinning. He spun around the kitchen until he could spin no more. When he stopped he looked up at Steven and said "Daddy the house is spinning." A few seconds later he said "Daddy you're spinning too." Oh, my silly child.

Edmund Searches for the Elusive Gingerbread Baby

Animal Grossology

A mystical thing occurred this past Monday. Both Steven and I had off from work. I had decided weeks ago that we were going to use this day to visit the Animal Grossology special exhibit at the NC Museum of Sciences. I had heard about this travelling exhibit a couple of years ago, but didn't know if it would ever make its way to us. Then there's the fact that at the time I didn't have children and would have had to do a little more convincing to get Steven to go with me. If nothing else, Edmund is a good excuse to be a kid again. OK he's a million times more than that, but you get my point.

The exhibit was nice, but a little pricey for what it had to offer. I have a feeling the admission price goes to maintenance, and as the rest of the museum is entirely free it was worth it. The exhibit was free for children under 5, however. Score! There aren't many things Edmund gets into free these days, so we felt like we hit the jackpot.

When you first enter the exhibit you are greeted by an animatronic parrot. In fact animatronic insects and creatures abound in this exhibit. Much to my pleasure Edmund wasn't freaked out by these moving creatures as he is all other robots. Edmund is beyond terrified of anything Buzz Lightyear now all because of an animatronic Buzz Lightyear that sprang to life one day during a Target excursion. I think we'll be holding off on seeing Toy Story for awhile.

Edmund decided to check out an interactive quiz show on slimy creatures first. He was shocked to learn that some types of sea cucumbers can shoot their intestines out their rear ends when scared. Edmund chuckled when I mentioned he should try that the next time he sees Buzz Lightyear. Mommy was champion at the slimy creatures quiz show. Perhaps I shouldn't mention I only won because I messed up and hit the wrong button to record my answer. But the computers don't know that, so I'm still champion.

After learning about all things slimy we went to learn about all things poo. And what things we learned! But I'll spare you readers. Edmund then immediately headed to a submarine display. He dutifully took his shoes off before entering as he had been instructed by the docent. Of the hour we spent in the exhibit, Edmund spent 45 minutes of his time here. Inside the submarine there were facts on a variety of sea creatures such as coral, eels, and jellyfish. Edmund, being the two year old he is, was most taken with the captain's wheel and portholes. The submarine had a giant eel attached to it. One could climb up the eel's intestines, then slide out the eel's mouth. I tried to encourage Edmund to slide by testing it out myself first. The eel slide was awesome. Too bad my child has no interest in tunnel slides. Did I mention I knew that before I tested out the eel?

The great part about Edmund's intense interest in the submarine was that Steven and I could take turns exploring the entire exhibit. We were able to see just about everything in an hour. Steven and I learned about everything from animal scents to hairballs to tapeworms. We did encourage Edmund to leave the submarine to come up for air briefly. During his short stint back on land he found a station describing the male Darwin's frog. This frog carries its freshly hatched tadpoles in its mouth until they are full-fledged froglets, then burps them out. In order to demonstrate this phenomenon, young patrons can play a Darwin's Frog pinball type game entitled Belch-A-Baby. The object is to get the froglet (green ball) into one of the holes in the pond. Landing in a bird's mouth is not the object of this game. Not only did most of Edmund's froglets meet their demise, but when they did he would shout Carolina wins. I suppose we have a little work to do when it comes to our son's science knowledge. However, I think he's got sports down.

After the Carolina basketball game, er frog simulation game, we let Edmund spend a few more minutes in the submarine. Edmund finished his time at Animal Grossology in the gift shop where he chose to purchase a fifty cent sticky frog. That frog has since been found on our couch, coffee table, and floor. It's anyone's guess as to where the frog finds itself next. I'm hoping I don't end up with a sticky frog in my mouth anytime soon. The Darwin's frog wouldn't find it gross, but as for Edmund's Mommy that's an entirely different matter.

*We are such lazy parents. We forgot the camera. It was very dark in the exhibit, so the pictures wouldn't have been good anyway. Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it. However, you can google Animal Grossology images and see where Edmund had his latest adventure.

Breakfast with Santa

Not Too Close Santa

Several weeks ago I had Steven make reservations for A Breakfast with Santa at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill. If I'm being totally honest, this was not because I wanted my child to have some extravagant outing with the big guy, but because I myself wanted to eat at the Carolina Inn for less than $100. Steven and I aren't big eaters, so fancy places are out. With as little as we eat we can't justify the cost. The entire event was only $15 per person with kids under 3 being free. This is probably the last event we'll attend before Edmund qualifies as a citizen worthy of full prices. Truthfully, if Edmund weren't free we probably wouldn't have gone, but I'm glad we did.

When we arrived at the Carolina Inn Edmund immediately spotted a gingerbread castle sculpted from sand. The previous two weeks at school were all about gingerbread, so Edmund couldn't contain his excitement. He would have stayed at the castle much longer were it not for the fact his mommy and daddy were freezing their pants off outside. When we entered the inn we were directed to a large ballroom full of close to 300 parents and children. I was expecting something a little more intimate, but I was immediately able to adjust my expectations. There were two breakfast buffet lines. As a nice touch, the waffle and pancake line was at perfect kid height. It was fun for the children to see the options without having to be lifted up. Ever since his first hotel experience, Edmund has held a place in his heart for hotel breakfasts. This was a treat for Edmund, Santa or not.

Edmund loved the breakfast and probably had about three servings when all was said and done. The people at our table wandered over to the place where Santa would be, but we thought it best Edmund eat and jump in at the end of the line. As Edmund continued eating Santa made his way through the ballroom to the sounds of jingle bells. He shook hands with children as he made his way to his place of honor in front of the Christmas tree. We expected a bit of a wait so we decided to get up and tour the inn while we waited for the line dwindle.

The Carolina Inn has a "12 Days of Christmas" display every year that I'd always wanted to see. This wasn't really Edmund's thing, but he did have fun seeing "Bill and Coo", the two live partridges at the front of the Inn. As we wandered the halls of the inn we stumbled upon a gingerbread house contest. Edmund wondered aloud if a gingerbread baby was in one of the houses, as his favorite book at school the past week was The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett. I was most impressed by a gingerbread display made to look like an old covered bridge and cast my vote. Edmund couldn't choose just one house, so he passed on the voting.

After seeing as much of the inn as we could without surprising guests by entering their rooms, we returned to the ballroom. Unfortunately the line for Santa hadn't moved much. We decided we would stake out a place in line and take turns with Edmund. Edmund loves to wait for Santa. The problem is he will wait hours for Santa, but as soon as his turn arrives, gets cold feet. I know this because sometimes on cold afternoons we wander the mall. Edmund asks to wait in line to see Santa. He has a blast in line. Other parents comment on how patient he is, and when it's his turn to see Santa guess what? Edmund will turn to the child behind us and say "it's that kid's turn mommy." At this point I encourage Edmund to wave or give Santa high five and then we're on our way. Thus I knew Edmund would have no problem with the wait. It was mommy and daddy who would need to practice patience.

Fortunately there was a magician working the crowd in the ball room. He did some amazing magic, but Edmund was unamused. That is, until the magician made mommy's nose squeak. Edmund laughed so uncontrollably that the magician squeaked mommy's nose several times. I had a bit of a sore nose after that. Edmund also received a chocolate coin the magician found hiding behind his ear, but that couldn't compare to mommy's squeaky nose. Eventually even the magician had to depart, so Edmund decided to watch as the other children talked to Santa.

After a rather lengthy, but fun-filled wait it was Edmund's turn to sit with Santa. Edmund of course didn't want to sit on Santa's lap. He did however, agree to sit next to Santa. Santa asked Edmund what he wanted for Christmas. Edmund responded by pointing to a mini gingerbread Beannie Baby in a basket and said "I want a gingerbread baby for Christmas." Santa said "yes and what else would you like." Edmund gave Santa a puzzled look and said "a gingerbread baby." After hearing several long Christmas lists that included Wiis and Leapfrogs, Santa seemed shocked and perhaps a bit relieved that all Edmund wanted was the little gingerbread toy all the children at the breakfast would receive. When Santa handed Edmund his gingerbread baby, Edmund was thrilled. He held and cuddled his gingerbread baby the whole way home. The breakfast was indeed the perfect way begin our weeklong countdown to Christmas.

Melty the Snowman

Edmund and Melty

Greeting blog followers. This past month I have been taken hostage by a person of short stature who thinks communicating through raspberries is the way of the future. Fortunately, I have managed to escape for this one night to give you the report on our latest adventure.

Steven was on call today, which means I do my best to find activities to fill up our day. It's not that I mind staying at home and playing with Edmund. In fact this would be great, but the distractions of home life beckon to me from every room. It's great that Edmund can play by himself for longer stretches now, but I hate to spend the whole day saying "go play, I need to do laundry" or "go play, I need to vacuum up this minuscule crumb I just spotted." It is curious to me that these things that really can wait seem so pressing if I'm at home. I've discovered that if I take Edmund somewhere I'm able to just "be" with him. Thus I was excited to read about a children's concert at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro and was pleasantly surprised to find it took place on an "on call" day.

We arrived at The ArtsCenter a little early to participate in the Art's Sampler taking place this morning. The Sampler as its name states was a sampler of children's classes offered. Edmund was still a little young to quite enjoy the offerings. He was given the opportunity to make a pinch pot out of clay. He stuck his thumb in and was "all done". He also listened to a story by one of the art's teachers, but when she began doing interpretive dance he was "all done." As soon as the doors opened for the concert we headed in. Edmund could have his pick of any seat in the house, but he chose to sit several rows back. To my surprise he was very well behaved during the twenty minute wait for the show to start. He has been all about instruments these days, so it didn't hurt we were able to talk about the various types of guitars and trombone propped on the stage.

At 11 am sharp Lunch Money took the stage. The sound wasn't phenomenal in the auditorium, but then I really wasn't expecting it to be. Not the band's fault, simply the nature of the room. The great thing was it didn't matter. This indie rock children's band knows how to put on a show. Soon my little child who always refuses to dance and instead play air guitar, was begging to get on the dance floor. Edmund's dance move of choice was hopping up and down then falling down and squirming on his belly in the middle of the floor. This is why I never have a chance to sit back. Edmund is a very sweet child who has 100x more energy than most kids I know. Apparently he gets it from Steven, who is said to have had Edmund's energy times ten. Yikes! At least Edmund uses his powers for good and not evil. Nevertheless, I must be within arms reach of my child at all times, lest he get a little out of control.

Edmund danced through the entire hour long set. The majority of songs were interactive. I loved that they were short and about things kids can relate to. Edmund and I are both major Raffi fans and this is because his songs are short and sweet. Raffi's songs are catchy and hold a child's attention. A lot of the new children's bands have songs that are simply too long to be memorable. Lunch Money was refreshingly the opposite. The trombone is a recent addition, but I love that this band wasn't simply the typical vocals, drums, and guitar. Not that there is anything wrong with guitar, as it seems master Edmund is heading toward a career as a lead guitarist. However, I like that Edmund was exposed to an instrument we've often talked about but don't often see or hear. The concert was the perfect length for young attention spans at one hour. And Edmund loved it. His feet were still a dancin' when we walked to get lunch at the pizza place next door. I am a new Lunch Money found and will definitely be looking for a CD soon.

All that dancing wore Edmund out and he easily went down for a nap. As he napped a blanket of snow began covering our yard. I had heard tell of snow this weekend, but ignored it 1.because if I get excited about snow it never happens and 2. what fun is it if it happens on a weekend when there is no chance of school closings? When Edmund woke up I showed him the snow. He of course wanted to go out in it. I kept telling him "later" as I really didn't want to venture into the cold. However, I do love snow and couldn't deny Edmund the opportunity to play in it any longer. In North Carolina you have to take snow when you get it. For all we know this could be it for the winter.

When we walked outside Edmund immediately spotted the neighbor's snowman. He wanted to play with it and was disappointed when I told him he couldn't. So I suggested we build our own. It's been a long time since I've built a snowman, mainly because they are so time consuming. I forgot how quickly you can build one when the snow is perfect, and today we had perfect snowman snow. I rolled three balls for the snowman in less than ten minutes. Edmund helped me collect stick arms. We then went inside to find objects for eyes, nose, and mouth. Unfortunately we didn't have any carrots, but we did have some old green beans I felt bad about throwing away. So our snowman ended up with a green bean nose, raisin eyes, and an almond mouth. He also donned Edmund's hat from last winter. The perfect snowman with treats to share with the animals.

I got so caught up in the snowman building I forgot about the cold and our dinner engagement. I quickly threw Edmund in the car. As we drove away I noticed our snowman starting to lean. I thought I must not have balanced his segments well and hoped he would be in one piece when we returned. An hour later we pulled into the driveway. Our snowman had met its demise. Perhaps I'm slightly off my rocker, but seeing that the neighbor's snowman had met a similar fate made me feel much better about my snowman building capabilities. Edmund and I said good-bye to our frosty friend and headed inside to bid farewell to a day well spent.

Edmund Lets Loose and Dances with a Goose

Edmund Shakes His Vegetable

Edmund is so into music these days that I've been looking for an appropriate children's concert or music event to take him to. Edmund went to the benefit concert at my school a couple of months ago and loved it, but it was in an open air theater with tons of space to move around. Now that the weather is getting nippy, the concerts around the area tend to be indoors. I can't say I blame the musicians one bit, but there's always the chance for chaos when you put a bunch of toddlers in a room. I was delighted when I read about a children's musical act taking place in downtown Durham at The Broad Street Cafe, but didn't know what to expect.

Every 1st and 3rd Sunday from October through March The Broad Street Cafe offers kid's shows. Some of the acts are more appropriate for older elementary and teens, but this past week's act was for the young preschool set. We went to see an interactive performance by Mother Goose herself. And at 163 years old can you believe she was up dancing and shaking with the best of them?

Mother Goose performed with her guest Sir Anthony (a guitar playing pageboy) and was accompanied by her dear pet goose, Gwennyblossom. I won't spoil the fun for the children, but I'll let the adults in on a little secret. Mother Goose is actually a woman named Dr. Laura Royster who developed a preschool curriculum entitled "I Feel Better with Music" for children with cancer. The night's show was based on the curriculum. It takes a lot to impress me when it comes to curriculums for young children, but this one certainly did.

Mother Goose started out the evening by asking if any children would like to help her strum her guitar. As the children strummed we welcomed them in a "hello" song. As you may well know, Edmund loves his guitar, but he wasn't quite sure about Mother Goose yet. Fortunately, right before she closed the "hello" song Edmund mustered up the courage to strum. Can you believe he got to strum his first full-size guitar?

The Broad Street Cafe is like any cafe and had limited seating. However, Mother Goose came prepared with her very own "fairy blanket." This gave the children a nice, soft (and clean) place to sit, as well as gave the show a more intimate feel. The songs were perfect for preschoolers, short and catchy. Often children's musicians will write long songs that will lose a two year old's interest in the blink of an eye. These songs were a little longer than a blink, but were interactive enough to keep the children engaged. The children helped Mother Goose correctly complete the rhyme "Humpty Dumpty," as after 163 years one can get a bit forgetful. The children also used vegetable shaped shakers while singing and dancing to a song called "Vegetables Dancing on the Table." Edmund had a blast with this one.

Between songs Mother Goose would return to the stage to read bits from her book. During one reading she asked Edmund to care for Gwennyblossom. I wanted to warn her that perhaps another child would be better suited for the job. Edmund quickly fell in love with Gwennyblossom and kissed and hugged her repeatedly. He got a little too excited about Gwennyblossom's beak and needed a few reminders to simply pat her on the head, but all in all he did his job well.

For her final act, Mother Goose passed out Bubble Bears for the parents to blow bubbles. Edmund squealed uncontrollably as the bubbles bounced around him. In case you didn't know, when Edmund gets excited, he really gets excited. He danced and laughed while Mother Goose finished her song. When Mother Goose concluded her "set list," Sir Anthony passed around a tip jar. We gave Edmund a few dollars to contribute because we all had such a great time. Edmund took the money, looked into the bucket, clutched his three dollars in his right hand, and went to grab the money in the bucket with his left. Sir Anthony cracked up at my son's antics. It appears we have a little way to go on the "we don't take money from other people front." But hey, he's only two.

The evening was a success. At a little under an hour, Mother Goose lasted the perfect amount of time to hold a two year old's attention. It didn't hurt that we were able to order some delicious wood-fired pizza. It really is a testament to what a great time Edmund was having, that he didn't ask for pizza until 10 minutes before the show finished. For a boy who would eat pizza for every meal, that really is saying something.

The Broad Street Cafe
1116 Broad Street Durham, NC 27705

Kid's Events:
1st and 3rd Sundays of October-March
4:30 unless otherwise noted
*see website for acts

Trick-or-Treat

Enjoying the Night's Bounty

In Edmund's class this past week there was nonstop chatter about Halloween. This would be unnoteworthy in any elementary school class, but was rather comical given the fact that these particular children can barely remember what they had for dinner last night, let alone last Halloween. Last October 31st most of the kids were having their first bites of non-pureed food, so the chances are slim that any of them tasted candy then. If they did, their parents aren't fessing up. However, most of these kids have now tasted the sweet stuff and know what they were missing. Can it really be? There's a night when people hand out candy without mommies and daddies saying "eat your veggies first?" These kids were sold, and Edmund was no exception.

Last year Edmund donned his adorable pirate costume and I thought there was no way we were going to top it this year. Edmund's recent visits to the Museum of Life and Science had him in awe of space and he went around telling everyone he was going to be an astronaut for Halloween (not that he knew what Halloween was). Surprisingly astronaut costumes are hard to come by or really expensive. I know I could have made one, but as crazy as work has been that would have been one more stressor. So after talking to several friends with children Edmund's age, I concluded it was fine to go a little crazy with this year's costume. He's only two once. The years of cheap Darth Vader costumes aren't that far off, so I decided to splurge on a space suit with a little help from Kay Kay.

About a week ago, Edmund was invited to a pumpkin hunt at his friend Logan's. This was the perfect place to do a test run with the costume. We had to coax Edmund into it with the promise of candy at the party. He wasn't completely sold, but it's amazing what a two year old will do for chocolate. After a few minutes at the party he threw off the astronaut hat and wandered around in only the suit. I was in for a shock the following Friday when we attended a jack-o-lantern festival in Fearrington Village. Not only did Edmund willingly put on the costume, but refused to take off the hat. Steven was afraid the hat was obstructing Edmund's view, but Edmund didn't care. He was the cutest astronaut ever and he knew the hat completed his look. That night Edmund also got his first taste of trick-or-treating. We walked into a store and prompted Edmund to say trick-or-treat. Edmund complied and was able to take one Tootsie Roll. We asked him "what do you say?" Edmund's response? "Open it." "Thank you" was the answer we were looking for. After that Edmund wanted to go to more stores. He liked this candy thing. After one more store we called it a night. That was enough practice for the time being.

Finally, the big night rolled around. Edmund had been invited to go trick-or-treating with the kids in the neighborhood. We thought about it, but decided they were setting out too far past bedtime. Not only that, but Edmund is about 2 years younger than the next youngest child. The neighborhood kids love Edmund, but we think it's because they've figured out how to get him to do their bidding. "Ah man our Frisbee went all the way over there." "Hey Edmund do you want to play Frisbee with us?" Edmund happily runs after the Frisbee none the wiser.

As we approached the first house on our trick or treating route, Edmund couldn't contain his excitement. He eagerly rand the doorbell and said his "trick-or-treats" and even "thank yous" right on cue. However, he thought we were supposed to mosey on into each house. It took a couple of houses before he realized we weren't going in for a play date.

All was going well until we came to a house with a giant inflatable spider and Frankenstein's monster. Both were cutesy, but Edmund ran and clutched his mommy. Edmund had seen both decorations at Lowes earlier in the month and with fascinated curiosity asked, "What's that mommy, what's that?" I gave him a quick answer and he stood before the creatures dancing his silly dance. Seeing them at Lowes is one thing, but I suppose seeing them in the dark on the neighbor's lawn is quite another. Our neighbors thought Edmund was adorable, but Edmund kept saying "I go home now." We convinced Edmund to stay and take his treat. Edmund should be happy he stayed for he got his favorite treat of the evening. They had stuffed animals for the younger set. Edmund got a cute pug that barks when you push its tummy. He didn't let go of it all night. After the spider house, we had to convince Edmund to keep going. It didn't help that the neighbor kids had now congregated next door. They were all dressed as Star Wars characters. Edmund was a little wary, and the kids were so sweet as to show Edmund how they looked without their masks.

We continued on. Although now mommy was responsible for carrying Edmund to each house lest any spiders jump out at him. He also had daddy carry his pumpkin basket so he could ring the doorbell, then would quickly take it back in time to retrieve his loot. This slowed us down a bit and the neighborhood kids nearly made it around the entire cul-de-sac before we got home. We raced home to greet them for their "trick-or-treats', then hit up two more houses. By the last house, Edmund was a pro at this candy thing. The lady attempted to give Edmund a red lollipop. Edmund took one look at it and declared "green" as he reached in the bowl. He's had one lollipop in his life and already he has preferences. When we got home we allowed Edmund one lollipop. The lollipop kept him still enough for some pictures. We told Edmund he could have one more treat before bed. He chose pretzels the bag of pretzels he got across the street. The kid is making good choices already. It's been two days since Halloween night. Edmund seems to have forgotten about the candy, but his mommy and daddy haven't.

Go, Heels Go!

Edmund and Rameses

This past Saturday, Edmund attended his first UNC football game. Grandma and Grandpa were so kind to invite us to the game against William and Mary. Several days prior to the game we prepped Edmund by telling him we were going to see Carolina play football. From then on every time we got in the car to go somewhere Edmund was convinced we were headed to a football game. All this anticipation meant that he could not contain his excitement when the moment actually arrived.

Football is not my game. I enjoy being surrounded by fans and get caught up in the excitement, but I simply don't get football. Basketball I understand. It's a fast paced game with clear, simple rules. Football is a bunch of guys running and falling, followed by what seems like an eternity of stop in play. I probably could learn the game if my heart was in it, but it seems my brain has put up a shield preventing me from learning even the most basic rules of the game. This was evident when I pointed out the goal to Edmund and said "see that? If Carolina kicks the ball through that they get a touchdown." Steven heard this and quickly corrected me, "Um they get a touchdown if they run the ball over the line over there." My mistake.

As a parent you start seeing everyday things differently. When the fans started cheering at the first tackle, I couldn't help but wonder what Edmund was thinking. As a parent and teacher of young children I spend a good portion of my day saying how unkind it is to jump on people. And now people were cheering and clapping uncontrollably as several big guys piled on top of one another. Edmund hasn't tried to make a tackle since the game, so for now I think we're safe. Edmund enjoyed himself immensely throughout the first quarter. After that he was all done. "I go home now, ok." We had to get creative in order to keep Edmund interested enough to stay the entire game. Earlier we had seen the Rameses mascot walking around. Edmund said "Rameses, I give him hug and kiss." So during the second quarter when Rameses approached our section I decided to take Edmund to greet him, as a distraction. I wasn't sure Edmund would be quite as enthused when he came face to face with the giant mascot. I was wrong. Edmund immediately threw his arms around the big ram and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. We got quite the keepsake picture to capture the moment.

During half-time we got a hot dog and some popcorn. That most certainly kept Edmund entertained. He also loved watching the instruments during the marching band's show. He is becoming quite the musician and now relishes in any live music.

Half-time concluded and it was back to the game. Edmund was getting a bit antsy. He asked grandma to take him on several walks up and down the stairs. When he returned, he started to get into the cheers. Edmund loved the opportunity to scream without anyone telling him not to, and as he has quite the pair of lungs on him, made quite the contribution. I may not know football, but I knew well enough to know the Heels weren't doing all that well in the second half. Steven's earlier reminder of how the game works was a good thing because I was able to cheer extra loud as the team made their way down the field for a touchdown. By this time Edmund had caught onto the chant "Go Heels Go" and said it so sweetly that the spectators around us couldn't help but smile.

When Carolina scored the touchdown, a round of fireworks was set off into the early evening sky. To everyone's great surprise, Edmund, who normally shies away from loud noises, simply looked at us and said "I see fireworks." This was a good test. Maybe he'll be ready for his first big fireworks display by next 4th of July. The touchdown and the plays that followed were enough to put Carolina in the lead. All they had to do was keep William and Mary from scoring. With our football team's track record, this was easier said than done. What do you know? They actually played great defense and earned themselves a win.

When we met up for pizza with Aunt Alison after the game everyone talked about how proud Edmund's Granddad would be that Edmund saw his first football game. Tar Heel football made quite an impression on young Edmund. Today while all the other kids were relaying tales of Halloween night, Edmund was running around the playground shouting "I got a football, Joshua. Go, Heels, Go!" Edmund has the most infectious excitement, so by the end of outside time more than half the class were playing imaginary football and shouting "Go, Heels, Go!" Only time will tell whether Edmund will be a basketball or football fanatic, but we all know where Granddad stands.

*Don't worry. A Halloween post will be coming your way by the end of the week.