A Very Good Saturday, Indeed

The day unfolded itself like a cat stretching after a long nap. The girls and I had nothing on our agenda, the hubby was working, and I had all the windows open and the ceiling fans cranked because despite the forecasted 80 plus degrees, I refuse to turn on the AC.

By 12:30 we’d already had a meltdown. And it wasn’t Amelia in all her glorious “two-ness,” it was Caitlin. I can’t quite remember what it was about, but one minute I was bringing them a little packet of Hershey’s coated kisses to split while they finished their lunch in the shade of a big patio umbrella, and the next minute Caitlin was beet faced and screaming her head off and refusing to come down from her swing set play house. I had to climb up and get her. It wasn’t pretty. She then proceeded to run to the furthest reaches of our yard and I chased her down and carried all 41 pounds of her into the house like a rolled up throw rug while she was screaming, “PUT ME DOWN YOU’RE HURTING ME!”

Sigh…

I think it was a mistake to assume two little girls would actually share chocolate. It seems Caitlin was upset because she did not have a pink piece of candy and baby sister did.

Double sigh…

Maybe it was the heat?

Despite really wanting to smack myself upside the head, as well as Caitlin’s bottom, I refrained. I hauled her to her bed and told her to come out when she was ready to act right. I shut her bedroom door, took a deep breath, and contemplated having a drink. But I had some water. A four-year-old’s tantrum is mentally exhausting, I think, because you know they know better.

But the afternoon got back on track. I kept my cool and cleaned up the kitchen while Amelia yanked grass and ran and fell over and over in the back yard, her knees red and indented from the overgrown grass. Caitlin came out from her room somewhat timidly about 20 minutes later, her brow sweaty from her tantrum, and we started all over. I’m really surprised she didn’t fall asleep. I loaded the girls up in our trusty red wagon and hauled them up to the neighborhood park and to our new totally awesome playground. And no one was there!

The girls ran and played and I chased Caitlin around the playground a half a dozen times. I went down the winding slide with Amelia in my lap and pushed the girls in the swings and they squealed and laughed and their pony tails were flying in the air. We came home saturated with sunshine and sweat.

Tonight we grilled burgers and went for a family walk. I pulled Amelia in the red wagon, the hubby walked Jack, and Caitlin walked Bailey on the leash for the entire mile. Although Caitlin needed a little help with Bailey when a car would pass, she did great and Bailey was genuinely smiling. You might not think dogs smile, but our old girl, who will be 10 this fall, was smiling like a puppy and had an extra spring in her step.

We watched Shark Tale and afterwards the girls put on a dance show, Caitlin in her strawberry GAP nightgown and Amelia in her peasant style PJs, that was a cross between gymastics, break dancing, and disco.

So it was a good day. Not a perfect day. Not an eventful day, but a very good day. A very good day indeed.