Every boy needs a John Deere Gator

For about a year we have wanted to get Aaron a mini-John Deere Gator knowing that he would love it, but we refused to pay the brand new price, so Alan has been looking on Craigslist. One came up not long ago from an older gentleman not far from our house. It was a few years old, needed a new battery and had some issues with reverse, but it was perfect for us - and he ended up giving it to us for free! Not bad. All of the issues have been solved plus Alan has been tweaking it a bit. 


Aaron loves it. He gets my paper in the morning, delivers and collects the recycle bin, treks all over the front yard, goes for the mail, chases deer, and chauffeurs Adam around, giving tours of the yard. It might be the most adorable thing I've ever seen...


Here's a few clips from the first day (we had yet to get a new battery, so we just showed it to him)...

He immediately began to shift gears and make motor noises.

And check out all of the moving parts.

Later that afternoon, with a fresh battery.

Adam's first ride.

He really loves being a passenger.

 And a few more from the following days (after seat-belt installation)...

So happy.

Most of the time Aaron is a very serious driver.

Aaron starting to loosen up.

Since Alan was in the mood to tweak power-wheels, he got a new battery for the dump truck and Aaron is finally big enough to steer it correctly, so it is in service as well. With the new battery it is a little less like a dump truck and more like a little race car...close to helmet-requiring speeds. Scary. If you listen close you can hear Aaron making wicked laughing noises as he rips around the backyard....