A Puzzle and a Power Tool

Sleeping in? check
Lunches with friends? check
Time chatting with girlfriends? check
Being coerced into a 2 mile run? check

Spring Break has been the perfect balance of rest, movies, eating out, and time with friends. The most important time of Spring Break for me, however, is the time that I get to spend with my boy!

We went to a large toy store the other day where Austin was allowed to buy one small gift for being a good listener. While he carefully examined every possible train option in the store, I noticed a shelf of puzzles across the aisle. "Well that might be fun," I thought to myself. "I haven't done a puzzle in a while. I could do that while Austin naps this week" (basically anything to occupy my time and keep me from writing papers and cleaning).

Of course once I began the puzzle, I couldn't stop. After nap time, I gave Austin some small puzzles so I could try to finish mine. "Please let me help you with your puzzle, mom," he begged. "No sweetheart," I replied. "This is a grown up puzzle. I don't want you to get frustrated. These pieces are too small for you to put together."

I put Austin to bed that night and finally finished my puzzle at about one o'clock in the morning. Puzzle completed? check.

The next morning while I was in the kitchen, Austin asked again about the "grown up puzzle." "Can I please do your puzzle?" he asked. "Sure, sweetheart." I thought to myself, "It just needs to be put back in the box anyway." I watched as he crumpled one of the corners of the puzzle with his hands.

While you might assume that I was in the kitchen making a fancy breakfast, I was actually under the cabinets drilling in some new shelves. I would rather have a power tool than a spatula in my hand any day! When I finished my drilling, I raised my head and could not believe what I saw... that boy had put the corner of my grown up puzzle back together.



He probably would have done the entire puzzle in half my time.

I need to show you his puzzle completing outfit, however, to make this story complete.



As I put this outfit on him the night before, he said, "Mom, this DOES NOT match." I had grabbed the first pair of shorts and shirt I could find. After all, I had a puzzle to finish that night. "It's okay, you don't have to match when you go to bed."

He looked down and reviewed his outfit one more time. "Are you sure, mom? I don't think I'm supposed to dress like this."

Okay, my two-year-old, puzzle-completing son, when did you become the fashion police?

I may not be a spatula-carrying, fashion-conscious mama, but he did get some new shelves this week from his power-tool-wielding mom!