Way back in the summer, Cade decided that he liked rocks! He loved nothing any better than grabbing a rock from around the base of the goldfish pond and tossing it into the water! He loved the splash that it made.
Since we try to limit the amount of rocks in the pond, we quickly steered him away from the pond, and over to a barrel fountain in the corner of our yard. There he could throw rocks until his heart was content, and we could reach in the barrel and throw the rocks out after he left. We played this game throughout the summer.
Once fall arrived, Cade developed a different fascination with rocks. He'd stop, pick one up, and put it in his pocket. He treated the rock like it was his treasure, and always wanted to bring it in the house. The problem was, we recently bought a new flat screen television, and I kept having "visions" of Cade throwing his rock at our new television. I just wasn't comfortable with a two-year-old having a rock in my house!
So recently, when Cade had a rock, I came up with a plan. I offered Cade two pieces of candy corn (his favorite) for his rock--and he was okay with that deal! He ate his candy corn, and I put the rock up on the shelf where it sat for over two weeks!
The other night, as Cade was leaving from his visit, I told him I had something for him. Then I gave him back his rock. He was so proud--you would have thought I'd given him a new toy! I put the rock in his coat pocket, and quietly sent it home with him! Aren't I clever?