Day One Hundred Thirty-One

July is really giving March a run for its money in the "Longest Month in History" contest, no? I swear it has been July for months, maybe years, but there is one difference - I'm not hating this like I did March.

July is a good month.

I'm stretching it out a tiny bit more by taking this week off from work. Vacation time during a global pandemic works a little bit differently since it's not time spent scurrying to airports or driving cross country or any of that. It's more like, "What can we get done at home?" and "Where can we go in a day?"

The answer, of course, is hiking. We can go hiking. Because Mila decided today would be a good day to sleep until 11:30 (!!!!), I had to change plans at the last moment and stay somewhere close-ish. McConnells Mill fit the bill, so we headed out this afternoon for a long day of wandering aimlessly.

It was a successful trip because it's hard to have a bad day at McConnells Mill. We managed to complete three trails total, including part of one "difficult" one, so that's a victory. Mila in particular was enchanted by the whole thing because giant rocks and so much water and OMG WATERFALL. THERE IS A WATERFALL AND IT IS SO LOUD. IT'S LOUDER THAN MILA! I KNOW THAT BECAUSE SHE YELLED IT MULTIPLE TIMES AND WITH MUCH GLEE!

Seriously. Mila was so enchanted by the waterfall and it was stinking adorable. She mostly loved it because it's louder than she is which is, indeed, an accomplishment. But the thing that she found most amazing, and the thing that also brought Alexis SO MUCH HAPPY? This.

They each found a red leaf. They both screamed with delight upon finding said red leaves because they were both all like, "FALL! FALL IS COMING!" They agree vehemently that fall is the best and are both in a huge hurry to skip this summer thing and go back to school, wear sweaters, and enjoy all there is to enjoy about the season in the middle.

Personally, I swore at the little red leaves. GIVE ME MORE SUMMER, PLEASE.

Day One Hundred Thirty

Mila always has questions. Always, always, always. Most of her questions are about what words mean, because apparently she is working towards a vocabulary that any adult would envy, but whatever. Looooots of questions.

Today she asked a stumper, though.

Today was the day that Mila pieced together some things. She has a fairly appropriate grasp of what is going on in the world, which is to say that she is fully aware that COVID-19 is a thing. She knows that lots of people have died from COVID-19. She knows that lots and lots of people have gotten sick from it. She has a 6-year old level of understanding of how germs/viruses spread, which is to say she's pretty well-equipped for existing in the world.

So. Her question.

"If we all wear masks and stay apart from each other for a while, this virus would go away and I could see my friends, right?"

You go right ahead and answer that one, world. I've had about enough of trying to argue about things even a 6-year old can understand.

Day One Hundred Twenty-Nine

I've already told you a time or ten that Mila is an absolute delight AND IT'S TRUE. She is sunshine and light and the sweet spot in the middle of a tornado/hurricane/forest fire. She can destroy anything in ten seconds or less, but she always follows that up with a moment of perfection.

It's her brand.

So, I tried the drive-in movie theater thing with the girls on Sunday. Which, I do recommend, at least the one that's by the airport. I wouldn't try it on a Friday or Saturday because I am a chicken who likes global pandemics better when they are an inconvenience instead of a personally life-altering disaster, but on Sunday, there were a whopping 20 cars at the show we selected. There was space for probably 200, so basically social distancing was not a challenge. AT ALL. I also made a rule that there would be no restroom breaks, and the girls went along with my scheme which ranks as MIRACULOUS! HUZZAH! but I was willing to make them go in the woods if I had to. They might have figured out that was the option that was going to be presented. There's no going inside for concessions either (line up outdoors, order and pay at a window ... it works), so basically it was the same as sitting in our own drive way and watching a movie.

We saw Despicable Me and Shrek, by the way. As in, the originals. Somehow Mila hadn't seen them so we fixed that. Also, the whole thing was her idea, so she did a most excellent job of staying up waaaay past a reasonable bedtime so she could see a movie I can recite in my sleep.

Somewhere around the middle of Despicable Me, Mila started talking. A lot. That is the ONLY thing I miss about regular movie theaters. Mila is generally quiet at a regular theater, but a drive-in? Screw it. She's talking. Too much. This time she wanted to discuss wishing on stars because why wouldn't she? The scene where the girls first discover that the Minions are a thing is the perfect time for a conversation about stars.

Mila's main question was whether or not you can wish on any star or if you need a falling star. My theory is that you can wish on any star you want, but you should wish extra hard on the stars that are falling. Why limit the potential magic, you know? Mila liked this theory, so she set out to making some wishes immediately.

I pried her wishes out of her. Of course. Wish number one is why I plan to keep the kid around, even if she does talk through movies. She wished, "This virus would go away and everybody would be safe" and COME ON. THAT'S ADORABLE. It's also what I think basically every adult has been doing, so.

Her second wish wasn't quite as giving, though. Her second wish was that I would let her have 1000 pets. Literally, 1000. She listed out how many cats and dogs and fish and hamsters and bunnies and ... she wants all of the animals.

She's freakin' Noah packing up the Ark.