The Prince of Sand(boxe)s

It was in the summer of 2010 that Prince Tyger learned about sandboxes when he came to visit Proud Grandparents ....  He got "down and dirty" in the sandbox, surrounded by dump trucks, shovels and other equipment and toys.  We had a hard time convincing him to return to the house.

In retrospect, we may not have been thinking things out too well.  Turning Prince Tyger on to sandboxes has its downside.  Fast forward to this summer, for instance!  Now, the Tyger cannot spot a sandbox without wanting to visit it.  Such was the case when Proud Grandmom accompanied Prince Tyger, his parents and baby brother, Prince Lightning, for a visit to a local park.  We didn't have a set program of activities in mind.  That was fortunate, because once Prince Tyger spied a sandbox, he refused to go any further.  Into the sand he went!

Shovels and pails were there a-plenty.  There was even a little playmate - something Prince Tyger would have died for last summer before he was two.

But now that he was almost three, and a Big Bro, he couldn't be less interested in a playmate - and she was a cute one - only in what he could find to learn from this new sandbox experience.

Now what's this?

A butterfly net perhaps?

Prince Tyger is very interested in butterflies.  In fact, he and Proud Papa had a special cocoon-to-butterfly project this summer.  He could even say the word "metamorphosis."  So the net was fascinating.  And one could just about see the little wheels a-turning.  "Hmm ... how many butterflies can I catch with this?"

Meanwhile, Prince Lightning was perfectly content to watch from the sidelines while Sweet Momma H fed him his lunch!

First things first!  For Prince Lightning, the glories of sandboxes will have to wait.