Soak up the Season

"Whoooooa!" my son yells, grinning, as the sunroof slides open, revealing the clear blue sky above our heads. Ziggy Marley pumps through the speakers:

"This train is bound to glory, this train
This train is bound to glory, this train
Choo choo choo, choo choo choo
Choo choo choo, choo choo choo"

I glance in my rearview to check on my passenger, bringing up the "caboose." His four pearly whites gleam in the sunlight, his silky hair blows gently in the breeze. He shakes his single maraca with glee.

"Ah, ah, ah!" he grunts, pointing a baby finger in the direction of a school bus he sees coming in our direction. "A SCHOOL BUS? You see a SCHOOL BUS?! Whoooooa!" He loves when I get as excited about a school bus as he is. He flashes a brilliant smile in my direction, so proud that he might as well have discovered a comet.

Now that spring has arrived, there's a whole new vibe in the air. My boy and I are be-bopin' around town, soaking up the sun, enjoying mini-adventures every day.

We stroll by the river, pointing at geese eating scraps of bread, introducing ourselves to fluffy dogs along the way. We watch the scullers move gracefully over the water.

We cruise over to the playground in my son's new push-car buggy. He squeals as a gust of wind blows his bangs around wildly. We zip down the steep yellow slide together. I hold my breath, praying my sneakers hit the ground first, waiting for my boy to say, "Ghen! A-ghen! Ghen!" I always take him down again.

We swing side by side, he in a baby swing, me in a child's swing, singing, "Weeeeee" into the breeze. We wave at the landscapers and admire the beautiful yellow petunias they are planting. We listen to the birds chirping in the trees on the verge of blooming. "They're saying, 'Good morning to you, good morning to you,'" I tell my baby and his big brown eyes light up.

He spots a dot moving across the sky, points his tiny finger up, and raises his eyebrows at me. "AIRPLANE, you see that airplane up there? Wow!" He smiles, thrilled that I see the airplane too.

He doesn't want me to miss one spectacular sight that catches his eye, one sweet sound that sparks his imagination. He wants to share the experience with me. He wants me to get squeal over a helicopter. Catch up to that tractor up ahead. Feel the fur of that adorable Golden Retriever. He wants me to clap my hands, pat my head, laugh with him, and yell "Whoooooa!" at the top of my lungs every time the sunroof reveals the glorious sky.

And, what can I say? I'm a sucker for that sweet little man who says, "A-ghen!" every time that Ziggy Marley song ends. We play it over and over again. He wants me to make the train sounds, and, of course, I always do. I open the sunroof, let the light in and sing wildly to my boy:

"This train has left the station,
This train carries every nation
This train is bound to glory, this train
Choo choo choo, choo choo choo
Choo choo choo, choo choo choo "

And, all the while, I can't help but think, for a little guy, he's certainly got it all figured out.