I’ve been skimming our local newspaper lately, so I almost missed the small article on page five about a free holiday program.
“Free” always catches my attention.
The article said that the county 4-H office was holding a family event at the fairgrounds last Sunday from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm featuring crafts and cookies at no cost. The article added that it was open to both 4-H members and non-members. There was a phone number to call for more information and that was that.
I didn’t think we would go. Our homeowner’s association was having an information session at 2:00 pm. There was no way we could do both. Plus, I worried that the activities might be for older children. I remembered that I couldn’t start in 4-H until I was in third grader. I wondered if that was going to be the case with this event, but since I believed we had a conflict, I didn’t call.
Sunday morning dawned and Peter decided he was no longer interested in the meeting. Actually, he was still interested, but we both agreed that Philip would not be.
“Well, I saw an article about this free holiday program. I was thinking of taking Philip to it.”
To my surprise, Peter wanted to go with us. I appreciated the extra set of hands once we arrived, but not his eagerness to leave. Still, we stayed for forty minutes, so that was a small victory.
The event featured over a dozen stations staffed by volunteers. Some of the activities were led by youth, others by adults. Philip had a great time exploring the different media offered. He was thoroughly overwhelmed by one table where the young woman in charge told us, “You can make whatever you want. Just be creative.”
Philip took her empty ribbon spool and taped a short length of ribbon back on it. That made him happy.
Actually, all of the activities made him happy. He smiled when I squirted paint into a clear ornament. I made him tell me the color he wanted with his iPad. He smiled as we assembled one of those old-fashioned wooden toys where you catch a ball in a cup. He smiled as he decorated a small paper bag.
Even with the extra set of hands, I didn’t get as many photos as I would have liked. And a few of the items didn’t survive once we got home. You know Philip – he likes to deconstruct as much as he likes to put things together.
Overall, I would have liked to stay longer, but I suppose it was best to leave before both boys lost patient. I’ll definitely keep my eyes open for this event next year. And I would recommend it to others, but I liked how it wasn’t too crowded.
that cynking feeling 
pure sweetness!
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