Everything is Magic, and Minion News!

P-man had been talking about it for weeks. I had made an offhand comment about visiting one of his Grandpa's at their work and riding a forklift.

I had completely thought he had forgotten about it until a couple of days ago when he piped up out of nowhere that we should go.

A phone call later, and the appoinment was set.  P-man would get up close and personal with a forklift.

Let me explain something to you guys.  P-man is obsessed, OBSESSED, like, unhealthily obsessed with machinery. Any machinery. All machinery. If it lifts, digs, pushes, pulls or flattens, it is aces in P-mans books. We will be riding around in the car going somewhere, and out of the backseat is the constant reminder that we are next to a:

"TRACTOR, DADDY!"
"LOADER, DADDY!"

"WHOAH, LOOK AT THAT TRUCK. IT'S GOT A FLATBED TRAILER!"

"DUUUUUUMPTRUUUUUUUCK"

When we arrived at the office where my dad works, I could tell P-man was excited, but seemed a little restless and apprehensive.

I'm not sure what it was, but when we brought him out to the warehouse where the forklift sat waiting for him, all nervousness, fear and trepidation melted away to be replaced by a look of abject wonder and awe.

P-Man spent about 5 minutes on the forklift, working the various controls to manipulate the blades, afterwhich he got really quiet.

"Hey, buddy," I said, kneeling down to his eye level. "Are you ok."

P-man placed his little hands in mine and whispered: "Daddy, I need to go to the car."

It didn't occur to me until later that perhaps his brain was having trouble processing what he just did. We have spent countless hours watching construction videos on YouTube. We have sat on the grass at playgrounds watching equipment working rather than playing in the summer mornings. He knows every piece of equipment there is to know. This is something that, to him, is something unattainable. This is like riding shotgun on Santa's sleigh. This can't be reality.

My God, I am so blessed to be witnessing these moments. Moments like these are the best part of being a parent.  Moments where our children exist in a moment where imagination and reality blend together to form an experience unparalleled by anything else.

There is magic in the world, and I am glad to see it in him.

P-Man, Grandpa and the Forklift

AND NOW SOME NEWS!

My wife and I are thrilled beyond belief that our new little bean is going to be a girl! I'm going to have learn all sorts of new things and play new games.  I can't wait.