Living in the Moment

Yesterday I took the girls for a walk since we finally had spring-like weather. S wanted to push R in the stroller which is big feat for a 2 1/2 year old since it's one of the big travel system strollers. She did a great job for the most part. Had a little trouble going straight sometimes, but overall did very well. R was babbling, and S said, "She's talkin' up a storm!" I had to smile at my little parrot (just as I held my breath earlier in the day when her Lego building fell apart and she said "CRAP!").

Anyway, we were walking along, taking our time - S was watching some boys play basketball, stopping to pick the first dandelion of the season, etc. She was wearing some pants that are a little too big, and I'd forgotten to put a belt on her so she was having to stop to hitch them up from time to time. I also forgot that she'd opted not to wear panties. As a newly potty-trained kiddo, I've been pretty lenient about underwear. I figure whatever she wants is fine for now as long as it's not a diaper!

So after we'd gone about a hundred feet, S decided she wanted to run while pushing the stroller. I told her she could if she was careful with Sissy, so off she went. And down slid her pants past her tushie to about mid-thigh. I was running after her yelling for her to stop. By the third time I told her to stop and she hadn't, I was getting frustrated and thinking to myself, "Why can't she mind me?" (We've been struggling in this area a lot lately.)

Just then, I heard a loud laugh from across the street. Our neighbor from a couple houses down was sitting on his porch and cracking up. I started to laugh, too, and S stopped and giggled. Where was the camcorder when I needed it? While it's important for the girls to learn to follow directions, it's also important to put life in perspective and not get bogged down in the minutiae. Enjoy the moment! There's a time for everything under the sun, and this was definitely a time to laugh.