Sidekicks

We spent yesterday at the zoo with some friends from out of town. Ryan was glued to Chris's hip or on his shoulders for most of the day. Lucie spent lots of time by my side, holding my hand as we enjoyed polar bears eating breakfast, fed a giraffe and shared animal crackers at lunch.

Our friend asked me if this sort of pairing, Ryan following Daddy and Lucie hanging out with me, happens often. I thought it was interesting that an outsider noticed this. It has become so frequent, it almost seems natural to us. We think it's likely a combination of factors that leads Ryan to Chris and Lucie to me. Most simply, I think our interests line up that way. To give an easy example, while Ryan would jump at the chance to accompany Chris to the hardware store, Lucie would rather hang out with me on my errand to the bookstore.

That's not to say that we don't love our mother/son and father/daughter time. It just doesn't happen as naturally, so we try hard to create opportunities for this. A few weekends ago, Ryan and I headed off on the train in one direction, while Chris and Lucie hopped a train in another direction.

I loved my day with Ryan. He's such a joy to be with, and a thoughtful, inquisitive companion. We spent the morning at a kids' museum, painting a car, building a house out of foam blocks, and hiding in tires made of pillow. It felt like such a treat to just be Ryan's mom for the day.

He had fun at the museum, though in all honesty, I think he was more impressed by this water pump across the street than any of the museum activities. He asked question after question, wanting to know how all the gears and levers worked. My attempts at explanation were mediocre at best. I told Ryan that we'll make sure to take Papa to a similar water pump close to home on his next visit for a full and detailed explanation. Ryan can't wait.