Mila and I have been going for a walk through the neighborhood most evenings. Technically, I walk while she rides her tricycle, but you get the point. She's really very happy to chug along and point out all sorts of things along the way.
We have to stop and look at every single little flower. That's swell when we get to the yard that's filled with dandelions and clovers. It takes ... a while to get get past there.
We have to stop and talk about every single dog along the way, including the concrete statue of a Bulldog a few doors down. Dogs have always been a highlight in Mila's life.
We pause to comment on the colors of the sky, especially when Mother Nature puts on a show at sunset. Pink and orange clouds will always be worthy of a "Wook! They're so boo-tiful!"
We look for yellow cars. We talk about how everybody is sleeping or everyone is outside or why is that boy not wearing a shirt while he plays basketball? Mila asks every question that pops into her head, often with a rapid-fire style that makes me question how much duct tape you're allowed to use on a kid before someone calls CYS.
It's all very leisurely.
Except for Sunday night. Sunday night we waited just a little bit too long to get moving and ended up going outside as a storm was starting to report for duty. We were a block from our house when the wind suddenly picked up, knocking over a neighbor's trash can and scattering garbage all over the street.
I have never seen a tiny person pedal as fast as Mila pedaled when that trash started flying. She was Dorothy chasing Toto as the house crashed down on the witch and it was HILARIOUS.
I know I'm not supposed to laugh, but you have to picture her tiny little legs pedaling SO FAST and not really going anywhere because tricycle. Those things just aren't made to move fast. Even with me holding the handle on the back and pushing her, she was moving soooooooo slowly compared to the amount of effort she was putting into it.
And then it started to rain. Mila very literally raises her fist to the sky and shakes it in anger when the weather doesn't do what she wants, so she was the little person pedaling frantically with her fist in the air and an angry expression on her face. All she would say was, "STOP RAINING, SKY!" and I shouldn't have laughed as hard as I did.
Or maybe I should have because we are talking about the kid who licked me when she wanted my attention at lunch the other day. KARMA, MILA. IT'S REAL.
