Grasshoppers and Monster Trucks

Riley is obsessed with 2 things: Monster Trucks and Grasshoppers.  If he sees anything bigger than a mini van, it's automatically a monster truck, and grasshoppers are his very favorite toy.  I don't know how he finds so many of them, but he does.

He will always walk around the house and outside with his hand in a little fist as if he's holding something, and if you ask him what he's got there, it will always be a pretend grasshopper that he's carting around - and he will expect you to talk to it.

I'm used to there being phantom grasshoppers everywhere.  He has told me that there's a grasshopper on the baby's head.  He has told me that the baby has eaten a grasshopper.  He has told me that there are grasshoppers loose in the toy room.  I've learned that most times, they are just pretend grasshoppers, but on occasion he will thrust his hand into your face while you're sitting on the couch and between his fingers looking you square in the eyes is a terrified looking grasshopper.  

Today I had quite an experience.

Riley was walking around the house with one of Connor's socks in his hand.  He had the top of the sock bunched up in his fist and the bottom hung loose like a bag of some sort.  

I asked him "What's in the sock buddy?" His response "A GRASSHOPPER!"  with so many false alarms I assumed it was a rock or something that he was pretending was a grasshopper and went about my day. 

About an hour later he came up to me and said "Mommy, the grasshopper is sad!" I said "Oh no! Let me see!"

So I grabbed the sock and I opened it up, and sure enough down in the toe area was a living breathing grasshopper.

Nothing really phases me anymore.  I handed the sock back and told him to take it back outside because grasshoppers don't like to be inside of houses.  

5 mins later I realized that every time I would look at him, his hands were behind his back!!!

I asked him "Riley? Where's the grasshopper?" at which point he took off running back outside.  I got there at the perfect moment to see his little hand reach into the sock, pull out the grasshopper, drop it on the sidewalk and hear the "Splat!"

While that was pretty gross, I can't imagine what would have happened if he would have forgotten about the stupid thing and I would have found it in the laundry!!! 

It could have ended up in my underwear drawer!!! The possibilities are endless!

If anyone has any information about support groups for mothers of boys, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Until then.. bring on the Chocolate and Diet Coke!