Magic Boots

E.'s Magic Boots

I had an eventful morning this morning.  First I dropped the boys of at school.  I was quite pleased that I actually had them there 12 minutes early--a new record for me!  There was absolutely no risk that they would get a tardy detention today from their teachers!  Also, I managed to persuade R. to do almost all of his homework last night, so we didn't have to frantically complete his spelling and grammar homework on the way to school.

Ok, well, he did leave a couple of things to do in the car still, but he wasn't scribbling frantically after I pulled up in front of the school.  Another improvement.

I got a kiss and hug from the boys as they ran off to their classes. I'm glad that they're not too "old" or embarrassed to still want to give their dad a kiss and a hug before they get out of the car at school.

The other thing that always surprises me is that R. has a backpack with wheels on it.  We got it last year when the poor guy had so much junk in there that I was worried about him getting back issues.  Anyway, I pull up across the street from the school and let the boys out.  Then I jump into the middle of the road to play "Safety Patrol" and make sure that no cars run them down.  R. grabs his wheeled backpack and takes off at a sprint.  He doesn't even pause for the curb on the other side of the road.  He just leaps gracefully and continues to pull his backpack until it collides with the curb...

BAM!  The backpack flies up into the air, lands on the sidewalk, and R. doesn't miss a beat as he keeps running.  The first time I saw R. do this, I was worried that he might hurt himself.  Then the next time, I was worried that he'd ruin the backpack.  This morning, I think I was able to appreciate it for the athletic maneuver and pure spectacle that it was.  Maybe I'll try to get a video of it tomorrow morning!  :-)

For some unknown reason, I decided to go running this morning.  I knew I had to take E. to pre-school, but I had a half an hour so I decided to do my 5k route through my neighborhood.  I think in part, I was grateful that it wasn't hot.  I've guiltily been feeling that I should have been running more lately, but we had an extreme heat wave the past week or so that has had temps in the 90s and above--even at 9 a.m. in the morning!

I finished my run to see E. waiting for me on the front porch.  This little girl really does make my heart melt because I think she is so cute and adorable.  Obviously, I'm biased, but I'm okay with that.  ;-)

E. was excited when I told her I wanted to
take a picture of her and her new boots

She had on these new boots that she just got a few days ago and she could barely contain her giddiness.  She was dancing and skipping around and basking in the sheer joy that she felt to be wearing these shoes.  It must be a girl thing. :-/

But that's okay, because she's my little girl.  I was utterly exhausted, but had her come with me for my brief "cool down" walk at the end of my run.  She even held my hand.  :-)

When we got back to the house, I grabbed my phone to take a picture of her.  I ended up taking a few.  I'm just sorry that the morning sun was so bright in her face, but I think you can tell how excited she is.

Just after I finished taking the pictures, E. started singing--mostly to herself--"Magic Boots!  Magic Boots!  Magic Boots!"

Oh what it would be like to be a 3 year old again!  If only life were simple enough that a cheap pair of cute black boots with pinkilish/purplish laces could bring happiness and joy to one's life.  Maybe that's one of the reasons that Heavenly Father allows us to be parents, so that we don't forget that there is happiness and joy in the small and simple things.

I packed E. off to pre-school and then started my day.  But I'm grateful for my kids and for their excitement and happiness.  Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll even find my own pair of Magic Boots today!