Never say never

Never say never. I believe this is a phrase that parents should have tattooed on them the day their little bundle of joy arrives. Seriously, how often have I said I would never do something and then bang, seconds later I am the number one fan of said "I will never do that" activity.

I'd like to introduce you to Peter-Donald and Peter-Donald ("Yes mom I want them to have the same name"). The Peter-Donalds are the two newest members of our household.

Oliver carrying one Peter-Donald

I used to see these big green/yellow plastic guys and think - who buys those?! I will never in a million years do that. Dinosaurs would have to roam the earth, Oliver would have to sleep through the night, it would have to rain $100 bills before I purchased said guys. So who was it scouring the internet the other night, and plopping down an extra $20 so the Peter-Donalds could arrive at our house in 5-7 business days? It couldn't be me. Ah, but it was. Our little street is 0.13 miles and is home to 19 kids under the age of 14. At about 3:30 most everyday kids and parents pour out of their houses and the street is abuzz with bikes, running races, matchbox car playing, water guns...I love it.

What I don't like is those crazy kids (and adults) who zoom down the street at crazy speeds, not seeming to acknowledge the throngs of children playing. So I went and ordered the Peter-Donalds and contacted our city councillor (oh yes I did). While there doesn't seem to be much the city councillor can do (other than the three Children at Play signs he had the town put up for us), he was very responsive and came and met with me and the other parents on the street. Hopefully we can get people to slow down so the kids can continue to be just that - kids.

Speaking of kids - Oliver. Where he came up with Peter-Donald, I have no idea. I have previously mentioned Oliver's knack for names (Serena, Peter, Charlie, Bulldozer, Jordan). Well, in addition to Peter-Donald Oliver has also introduced the name Fabio. The other night I went to put Oliver to sleep and he asked me to tell him a story about a snake named Fabio, it took all I could to not burst out in laughter. He followed this up by asking me to adapt Zippity-Do-Da to include a snake - "Zippity do da, zippity a, my oh my what a wonderful day, plenty of snakes heading Oliver's way...". (Oliver is not a fan of bedtime and so a lullaby really makes him mad. Zippty do da has tended to go over okay because it is, well, not at all a nighttime song. But this new version, hmmm. Sweet dreams.)