If option A was toddler-cide, than option B had to be going outside to splash in puddles.
Naps were either incredibly insufficient or non-existent on a day when the mama really needed one (and, in fact, she may have fallen asleep during the fourth game of Chutes & Ladders). Mr. "I'm three and three-quarters but soon I'll be four" forgot who's in charge around here and we quoted Philippians 2:14 about a hundred times during lunch.
With an hour left until Daddy got home, there was no choice but to vacate the bad-attitude-infested walls. And when they looked up at me all wide-eyed and practically whispered, "can we dance in the puddle?!", what else was I to say? Shoes dry. Pants can be washed.
The best puddles, of course, were grouped like the Great Lakes in the busiest street corner of the neighborhood. It was so very Wayne's World: I'd call out, "CAR!" and it would echo, Levi then Owen, "Car! Car!" and they'd hop back up onto the sidewalk. Their joy was infectious -- to the sleep-deprived mama at her wits' end, yes, but I also caught knowing smiles lighting up the faces of drivers passing by. One even wished us well out of his open window as he waited to turn, grinning at the sight of my water-logged boys.
Levi: "Owen, can you come dance in this puddle? It's GREAT!"
Owen: "I'm going to choose my OWN puddle."
I'm not sure what Owen is doing, but he said he was smiling.
Going outside always makes things better. I need to remember that more often.
Even poor, congested little one was happy to be out.
Hooray for puddles!
ReplyDeleteOh, and here's the scene from Wayne's World: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpkecYVRt_E