Well, it didn't happen that way, but the fact that it's been up there illustrates just how long Luke has been yearning for this thing. At some point we got him focused on the idea of working toward a long-term goal, and for the last several months, he has been squirreling his money away. Dave set up a few ground rules for him for summer drink sales (limited number, you must pay for your own supplies, etc); and on Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, and a few other summer weekends, Luke relentlessly hawked his cold drinks down at the beach for $1 apiece.
Five months and $119 later, he finally reached his goal. (If you think about five months, it's really kind of a long time for a little guy like him to save up for something - 6 percent of his life to be exact.) Dave even helped him find a VCRAC on eBay - for $10 less than the ToysRUs price - so he was especially proud to get a bargain.
Needless to say when it arrived in the mail yesterday it was a cause for much rejoicing. Luke invited his friend Shane over to help with the ceremonial unpacking and Lego organizing. We set up a table for him down in the office, and now he is deep in the building phase. I don't have high hopes for the future of this creation, given the tendency of expensive Lego sets to get destroyed in our house. But I am incredibly impressed with how patient he was (for a 6-year-old) over such a long time to hold out for something really special. I just hope it lasts long enough for him to enjoy it while he saves up for the next big thing.
Zach is on an involuntary leave from school, and it's been a real pain in the... Well, let's put it this way: Zach had an odd rash on his bottom. When they cultured it they found that it was MRSA, so he was effectively banned from preschool until it heals. I know he's enjoyed his time at home, but I also know that the infection has been incredibly painful, based on its location, and based on some of the things the doctor had to do to try to cure it. Oh, and he has an ear infection to boot. So even though it's been massively inconvenient (and expensive) for us to manage this while I attempt to start a new job, I have nothing but sympathy for the little guy. He's probably been in extreme misery.
On the first day it was diagnosed, after an excruciating doctor's visit, I took him to the CVS and while we waited for a prescription I told him he could pick out a toy. The first one he picked out was $24.99 and I had to backpedal, "I didn't mean that kind of toy." After several rounds of negotiations, he finally settled on a smaller toy that was $18.99, and by that point I was worn down enough to say OK. But just as we were about to check out, he saw a very small kitten in a stuffed animal display. He tossed aside the other toy, grabbed the kitten (only $3.99 - woo-hoo!) and literally has not put the kitten down since. Considering that he has, oh, I don't know, about a thousand other stuffed animals, I don't know why the kitten has such a hold on him. (On Monday at the wilderness park, Zach fed the fish, climbed over rocks and logs, and dangled his feet in an ice-cold stream, all with the kitten tucked safely under his arm.) I think there must be something about the uncertainty of pain or illness where you look for whatever reliable comfort you can find, and in the kitten he has found a small, portable comfort zone. Come to think of it, I should have bought three or four of them as backup for the day when he inevitably loses the kitten or leaves it at the edge of a stream somewhere. I've learned that when a boy has his mind set on a certain toy, nothing else will do.
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