May! And Legos!

In January, my awesome parents signed Caleb up for a lego car racing class (community ed) for his birthday*. He looked forward to that class with impressive enthusiasm, asking about it every couple of days (the class was in March), and later counting the days on the calendar until his class. And then, because March was one of the two months during which we were stricken with the plague, he didn't get to go. He had a high fever and a scary cough, and he was deeply, deeply disappointed. But because community ed is a fabulous institution, they changed his registration for the class in May.

And behold: it's finally May**. The lego car racing class was, in fact, last night. Highlights

• He built six or seven different cars and raced each a dozen times or so. There were several older kids (and a couple of Asians that may have been older teenagers but looked like they were in their 20's) who spent nearly the whole hour crafting their cars and then racing them twice. Caleb built and crashed, built and crashed, built and crashed (all the cars crashed--they're legos). Totally got his money's worth.
• Because he built and rebuilt his cars so many times, he eventually came up with models that didn't totally shatter and that were pretty fast. When one of the Asians put his masterpiece on the ramp to race, all the kids gathered around to watch (it was huge). Its crash was spectacular--and every kid groaned as it shattered to pieces. (I, on the other hand, laughed heartlessly. What can I say? It was funny that all the kids were standing there holding their breath and then were so shocked that it broke.)
  
  

  

  One of his sturdier models.

  
  
• The man in charge of the class was Caleb's new best friend. I got the feeling that he wanted to build cars with the older kids a little bit, but every time Caleb finished a new car (or improved one of his previous models), he'd get the man and tell him he wanted to race with him. This was funny because he could've just raced on his own (there wasn't much structure to the "class"), but he wanted to race with the man in charge. It tickles me that he doesn't think twice to ask for help or company
  
  

  

  Caleb, the ramp, and his friend.

• Of course, being Caleb, he also made friends with all the other kids nearby. One little boy had a naming scheme for his cars which involved calling them "_________ Fury," which Caleb eventually quasi adopted with such cars as Banana Yellow Fury, Lots of Drivers Car, and so on. 

Yes, that is Banana Yellow Fury. And wasn't he happy to take time out of his racing to get his picture taken? Yes!

Maybe we'll sign up for the next class when Paul can go. I bet he and the Asians would get along real well.


*Isn't that the greatest present? Not only did Caleb l-o-v-e it, but we didn't have to find anywhere to put it! We don't have to put it away! It's not taking up space in my house or his overcrowded room! Hallelujah, parents!


**Which, for Caleb, has been an amazing month so far:


Caleb: Mama? What's cinco de mayo [said like the mayo of mayonnaise]?


Me: [Details the oh-so-interesting history of Mexico kicking out Napoleon.]


Caleb: I can't WAIT for cinco de mayo! 


Later.


Me, after being prodded by a text from my sister-in-law: Do you know what today is?


Caleb: Cinco de mayo?!


Me: No, that's tomorrow. So today is....


Caleb, after thinking hard: Cuatro de mayo!


Me: Well, yes. It's May the....


Caleb: Cuatro?


Me: Yeah, and in English it's May the fourth. So here's a joke from Anna just for you. May the fourth be with you.


Caleb: [silence]


Me: Like on Star Wars? May the force be with you? Only today is May the--


Caleb: Fourth!


Me: Yes! So it's--


Caleb: May the fourth be with you! HAHAHAHAHAHA!


Guess how many times I heard that joke that day.