Boy toots horn. Music to a mother’s ears.

On Sunday, Parry and I thought it would be fun-ish to take the kids to a carnival that was in the parking lot of a local school. As we were driving up, Gus saw the big rides, was wondering aloud what was going on and was thrilled to get out of the car.

We got in the gate and a woman noted that the carnival was closing down early (likely to low attendance) so only people who still had tickets could go on rides. I have to admit, I was a little bummed out, but Parry thought it’d still be fun to just walk around.

And it was.

They were amped. Ozzie stopped to stay hi to every carny in sight and Gus lingered at each of the games wondering how he could get his hands on one of those tippity top quality stuffed animals. The rides that *I* was bummed they couldn’t go on? I don’t even think they noticed them. The boys were laughing and smiling and red-faced with excitement. It was perfect.

As we were walking out, there was a huge kiddie pool, filled with water, with plastic ducks floating in it. For the bargain price of $5 both boys could reach in and if they got a duck, they automatically “won” a prize. So, we paid for it and Gus, of course, grabbed a duck within 10 seconds of the challenge while Ozzie completely ignored the ducks and tried his best to get the top half of his body full submerged in the water. They splashed and played for a few minutes and then the woman urged me to pick their prize (a slew of aforementioned tippity top quality stuffed animals) but I spied a box of plastic horns and told her we’d take those. Carny woman: “Are you sure? They can have an animal” Me: “I’m sure.” Carny woman: “Okay, then.”

Gus and Ozzie cheerfully walked out of the gate, horns in hand, not knowing that they missed a thing. They both had their horns while we ate our first dinner of the summer outside and they both picked up the horns periodically to unsuccessfully blow in them. Ozzie dipped his in his yogurt and then yelled “Yo-geert” through the horn a few times – making us all laugh. We spent the rest of the evening outside, boys running around like goofballs – both of them holding their horns as new prized possessions.

After Ozzie went to bed, Gus was sitting under a blanket watching TV with me when he asked me to blow the horn. I did, he laughed, then he said “Mom, how can I do that, too?” So, I spent 5 or 6 minutes teaching him how to blow the horn. He wasn’t really catching on, so we stopped for a few minutes and then he just did it – when the pressure was off. He was so excited he wanted to show Parry so he ran into the kitchen. But each time he got there, he forgot how to do it and came back to sit with me, defeated. “I guess I forgot how to do it, mom.”

Obviously, I made him try again and, as he made his way into the kitchen to show Parry he would: walk two steps. Stop. Blow the horn. Smile. Walk two steps. Stop. Blow the horn. Smile. It was hands down one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen. And when Parry reacted exactly as Gus hoped, it just fueled his enthusiasm. For the next 25 minutes, Gus didn’t do anything but blow that horn and smile. It was ridiculous – but somehow escaped irritating us because we were just stinkin’ proud.

As I put him to bed Sunday night, he said “Thanks for teaching me that, mom.” I think it’s probably one of the first things that he actually realizes that I’ve taught him. Not to toot my own horn but…I think that’s pretty cool.

Note: In the morning, the sound of the horn crossed over to irritation and we already have rules around the proximity to my ear in which he can play it.

Tags: , boy, carnival, horn, mother