The other day when I was out for my stroller workout, Kira fell asleep as she often does, for the duration of the workout. She woke up refreshed and ready for a stroll herself, so I let her out. Most days, I let both kids out of the stroller near the end of the workout, once we've parked the strollers and we're working with resistance bands, mats and stretching. I like to give them the benefit of breathing the crisp air, and walking / crawling around on the grass.
Well, what usually takes me 10 minutes to walk to the park with the kids in the stroller, took us ONE HOUR on the way home, because Kira had to pick up all kinds of things, and was she ever taking her time! But, I made a point not to rush her or to get upset. I just let her explore and sometimes coaxed her to move a bit more forward along the path home. Meanwhile, Calvin enjoyed the scenery from the stroller, and nodded off about halfway home.
First, Kira had to kick some leaves. Then she walked through a path of leaves while they crunched under her feet. Then, she picked up I don't know how many leaves to feed them to the birds ("Heeere, birdy, birdy, birdy!"). I found all of this rather amusing and I reveled in the sweetness, the innocence, and the adventure of it all. Once Kira remembered that I was still there, she proceeded to pick up sticks, leaves, and flowers and pass them to me as gifts. Then, she had to pick up every single dandelion in sight to blow on it.
Of course, she had to play peekaboo too, behind these enormous trees along the path home (Jay / Laura, this is right next to your house!).
After an hour of walking, we finally got home for some hot chocolate (well actually, Kira insisted on chocolate milk while I indulged in the hotter version) and cookies. I can't remember if Kira had a good night's sleep after this outing, but I sure can imagine that she had some vivid dreams as a result. :)
Here's a photo of the beautiful gifts Kira picked for me on the way home. I may not have kept all of those leaves, sticks and flowers, but I will keep the memory of this and all our walks throughout my life, my precious girl!
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