Thank you to all my family who so generously bought my kids toys for Christmas. My sons are enjoying their respective, age appropriate computers, games, books, and movies. They really are! They have colored and drawn endlessly on their easel. Curious George is a new past time with us. They love to have the old stories read to them, as were read to me. Ummm, Auntie SuSu, you didn’t buy them their own George stuffed animal for the one to throw out the window onto a busy street, the George of the other (hehe).  Pilot has heeleyed all around and Jet has at least one Cars car near him at all times.

However, yesterday my boys (including Daddy) became enthralled in the simplest of toys. For hours, they played and were entertained by the noise, motion and sheer delight of eleven bouncy balls and an aluminum giant mixing bowl. The game began with the older one getting all of the balls into his hands, throwing them up and letting them fly ALL over the kitchen. After SEVERAL rounds of this, one ball chanced to fly into the said mixing bowl (previously used as the dogs water bowl, which was empty). For most of the morning and some of the evening, this naturally evolved game humored my family.

I must admit that I became fascinated at the wonder of my children as to what those persnickety bouncy balls would do next. Then watching as we varied the speed of the bowl, how the balls would swirl and bound out. At one point, I tried to keep bouncing one in the bowl without it bouncing out. Not as easy as one might suppose.