A mild obsession

We are currently chicken-sitting for neighbours of ours who have headed off to France for the summer holidays. 

In addition to the three chickens, the family have three small children and with it a garden filled with toys.  As I got to grips with the water dispenser, feeders and cleaning the coop, Alby commandeered the toy motorbike, wendy house and scooter before finally setting eyes on the Little Tikes Crazy Coupe car.

Now Alby has been in these cars before.  His first tantrum occurred when I tried to get him out of one at a local soft play centre.  At a play date with friends of ours Alby showed off his amazing social skills by sitting in the car for fifteen minutes and refusing to get out. He did the same at another play date but thankfully that friend had two cars so Alby and his buddy Arthur were able to both sit in each for twenty minutes at a time without anybody getting too upset.

Mark and I have discussed buying Alby one of these cars on many occasions.  So much so that at any given time I am likely to be found following the sales of at least three of them on ebay and have another saved to my Amazon wish list.  We’ve been reluctant though as they are a big bit of kit, even the second hand ones aren’t cheap and with baby toys you can never be too sure what will actually be used versus what will sit in a corner gathering dust.

A quick text to France and we are now not only caring for the three chickens but one red and yellow Crazy Coupe.

To say Alby is obsessed with the car really doesn’t do it justice.  He wakes every morning, runs to the back door and shouts out “car, car, car, car, car, car, car”.  Once outside he opens the door, gets inside, giggles, kicks his legs about, pushes the car backwards, giggles some more and then runs into the house shouting “push, push, push, push, push, push, push, push.” And then I have the pleasure of pushing him around the garden, still in my pyjamas.  At least three times a day the ritual is repeated.  If, whilst in the garden pushing him about you stop to, I don’t know catch your breath or throw one of Percy’s toys to the side, he hangs out of the window and starts tapping his magic finger on the roof whilst saying “mama, mama, mama, mama, mama” until I get my act into gear and get moving again.  

His birthday isn’t for another couple of months and Family Beebe are on a bit of a saving spell at the moment but I think we’re going to have to find some way to get hold of a Crazy Coupe before our friends come back from holiday or Alby will be out every morning demanding his car and no doubt being quite upset that it’s no longer there.