"I COLLECT BOTTLES."

Kaia collects coin purses. In fact, she has quite a cute collection. I find myself adding to her collection regularly. Blake was well aware of her 'collection' and wondered for awhile what he would collect. I thought maybe it was going to be little dirt bikes in cases, or something to that effect. But no. One day he found an old coke bottle in daddy's shop and asked if he could put it in his room. Next thing I know Blake is taking home any bottle that he has gotten soda in at a restaurant. He would rinse it out, dry it off and go place it next to the last one he had saved.

Fast forward a couple of months. Back to school night. The teacher is reading over the handout explaining how the school year will work. I sneak my hand in Blake's desk and pull out his journal. I am curious. I want to see how he is doing with his writing. I am curious what he is writing. How his sentence structure is coming along. How his thought process is. Day one he writes about going to the beach for vakshun (vacation). The next page he writes about playing ball with daddy. Imagine my surprise when I turn to page three. "I collect bottles." It is written so neatly. So proudly. With a nicely drawn picture of a bottle. It was then I knew just how serious he was about his collection.

Blake has a passion for rootbeer. It is his most favorite drink of all time. If he could have rootbeer for every meal he would. To make his collection more personal.....I thought I would recommend a specific type of bottle for him to collect. Rootbeer bottles. He loves the idea. I found these three at our antique store here in Napa. He is excited to start his own journey in finding rootbeer bottles. I think we will be stopping in at antique stores wherever we travel to look for old rootbeer bottles to add to his collection! I can just picture it now. Him walking through the store, hand-in-hand with daddy, searching for the perfect old rootbeer bottle.

At least I won't have to keep washing the Mexican soda bottles he keeps taking home from our local taqueria anymore! They don't have rootbeer as an option.