Yesterday was a perfect day for a bit of soccer so Caleb and I grabbed a ball and headed out to the Prado. He kicked around a bit but there were simply too many people around — I kept waiting for him to boot the ball into someone’s backside by accident. So we made a few quick turns and ended up on North Bennet Street.

I am a little late on posting the images that follow but better late than never. The shots are from the block party on our street for the 4th of July. Our friend Lisa (in the photo below with her pup Logan) put together the shindig, and despite the intermittent sprinkle of rain, everyone had a great time.

Caleb busied himself by running around, playing with dirt from a nearby planter, and showing off his soccer skills. It’s pretty interesting seeing the effect he has on people — I suppose it makes sense that a sub 2-year old kicking a soccer ball around will prompt most adults to smile, cheer him on, or join in. (As an aside, several months ago Caleb was trouncing through a huge puddle in his red rain boots and a random person that was walking by decided she wanted to join in as well. Nothing like seeing a toddler and a complete stranger bond over a puddle.)

Soccer on Unity Street — and it wouldn’t be the same without the backwards Red Sox hat.

I think this one was a drop kick. Regardless, it looks like he kicked it so hard his hat flew off!

Lisa and Logan take a much deserved break.

Caleb graduated to a “real” bowl this morning. He wolfed down a giant pile of Cheerios and managed to grow a milk goatee.

The shots below are from this past Monday. Caleb and I were playing around taking funny photos before he went to bed and then we conned Megan into joining us. We were looking at the camera’s screen off to the side and I think we had more fun laughing at what we saw of ourselves more than anything. The drill seemed to go something like this: we would egg Caleb on to make a funny face, he’d come up with something ridiculous, we’d crack up, and then he’d crack up. Indeed, most of the images are of us laughing at ourselves and each other. That said, we did manage to nab a few of the “silly shots” we set out to capture…

I woke up this morning to news that people from our neighborhood would be cleaning up the Prado (the North End’s Paul Revere Mall). Our apartment overlooks the Prado and is a central part of our daily lives. Several times a day we walk our dog there, meet up with friends from the neighborhood (and their pups), walk through it on our way to work, and simply take a seat to enjoy a few moments of relaxation. Moreover, the Prado is a big part of Caleb’s life. It is one of his favorite places to go as he sees a lot of people that he knows, gets to hang out with the neighborhood pets (Logan, Diesel, Pistol, and others), and has a chance to run around with abandon. (The photo to the right is of Caleb walking through the Prado this past winter.)

So we headed out, grabbed a broom, and pitched in. Caleb brought his own broom and spent most of the time spreading out the various piles of leaves that had been arranged. …A master at getting into the thick of things, he is.

Despite Caleb’s efforts to re-spread the leaves across the Prado, the bottom line is that he was helping to clean up his neighborhood. It wasn’t play time or time to do whatever he pleased, it was time to work to take care of the place he spent so much time having fun. And indeed, Caleb helped clean and care for the Prado.

Truthfully, when he wasn’t attacking the leaf piles, he was very helpful. He held a snow shovel in place while Megan swept a bunch of leaves into it. Then he carried his load over to (well a few feet shy of) a pile, unloaded, and went back for more. The take-away that I had was that not only did Caleb enjoy himself, but he was also doing something good for the community. I realized that he didn’t jump right in just because he’s a good kid — he did so also because Megan and I spend a lot of time making sure he is conscientious of the world around him. At home we have him throw things in the trash, tidy up his room, help clean the house, and whatever other tasks that we can involve him in to teach responsibility and a good work ethic. And go figure — it works! Now if we are in a park eating lunch, he’ll more or less find a trash can and throw everything away without being asked.

Aside from the above benefits, Caleb is learning to be a good example, and will also develop a greater sense of pride about where he lives and where he plays. I don’t really see any downsides to that — perhaps we should clean the park more often.