Favorite Toy

17/365 - Favorite Toy

Something Stuffed, Something Special, Something Loved.

I will admit that this wasn't my first inclination for my picture of the day. When I saw the prompt I thought of "my" favorite toy which would be my camera.

I went to work and was thinking about it. I knew people with little children would pick the kids favorite toys. I could find my grandkids favorite toys they play with when they are at our house. Then it occurred to me, why not my boys favorite toys from long ago.

Our oldest son just turned 34 and our youngest just turned 30. It wasn't hard at all to remember their favorite toys and I had saved them. For people that know me, that isn't hard to believe that I would have saved them. I save EVERYTHING.

I went to the basement and looked in their big save tubs and found what I was looking for. Ernie and My Buddy. If you were to look back through our pictures, you would see these two toys in lots and lots of pictures.

Ernie belonged to our oldest son, Nick. This beloved toy has been mended too many times to count. One arm has been sewn back on twice and the other arm once. He has stitches in his chin. His crotch has been sewn back together and his poor chest just couldn't hold up the the many repairs. He is missing both his eyes, his nose has been chewed on so much it is misshapen and the fabric has a weird feel. His hair is matted down and his ears are a little deformed.

Most people would look at that thing and wonder why in the world I would save it because it looks so awful. Well, to me, it doesn't look awful, it looks very very loved. That was a precious part of my little boy's life and his constant companion. I remember it well.

My Buddy was Caleb's sidekick. I can't even begin to calculate the hours and miles that My Buddy rode on the back of Caleb's big wheel up and down the sidewalks when we lived in Westerfield Townhouses.

I don't remember Caleb sleeping with Buddy but he never went outside without him. He sat on the porch with Caleb, he went on walks with him but mostly he rode big wheels and tricycles with him. Buddy also had his own little wooden wagon that was pulled many a step. He even had a raincoat, hat and boots to wear outside in the rain.

Somewhere along the way, Buddy lost his shoes, and his hair lost its style. I'm sure that was in part by being carried by his hair sometimes. If you don't think Buddy was loved, just look at the dirt on his face. We would clean him up but it was dirty in just a few days. His hands are very dirty as are his clothes. He has been dragged around by one arm so much, I'm surprised he still has both of them attached. A very special part of Caleb's childhood.

Thanks for letting me ramble and reminisce. What memories I hold in my heart from my boys childhood and thanks for todays prompt for letting me re-live those memories by photographing their favorite toys.