We lost a member of our family this week...

A loved and revered member of our family met a premature death at the hands of a toddler this week:

These are the remains of Thomas's first bouncy ball. It was the first toy that captured his attention for more than thirty consecutive seconds. He learned how to walk by pushing himself to a stand while holding onto the ball and then picking up the ball from the ground. Thomas and this ball shared some good times:

Untitled from healthyfatboy on Vimeo.

And when Thomas inherited a basketball hoop from a friend, this was the ball he learned to dunk with. However, the thrill of dunking in a hoop three feet off the ground was pretty short-lived. Which is how the bouncy ball met its demise here:

in the top of the floor lamp - Thomas's choice for a more challenging basketball hoop. It might have gone undiscovered for some time if I had not turned the light on, heard a huge POP! and the immediate smell of melting plastic. (and yes, that is me on the floor. I've sloooooooowly been tackling the huge task of painting all the trim in our house white - more on that, later.)

We were sad to see the little guy go. The ball really was a huge part of Thomas's babyhood/transition to toddlerhood. Thankfully, bouncy balls are in abundance and we soon found a replacement for our fallen friend:

But no bouncy ball will ever be the same as The Original. RIP, Bouncy Ball. You were the best $1.50 that I ever spent.