The Itsy Bitsy Spider

This morning Braedon wanted to race Joe in the kitchen. That is not unusual, but today we made it official. I found an old race number and taped it to Braedon’s shirt. Then I explained to both Braedon and Joe that whoever could run the most laps around the kitchen before getting yelled at by Mom would be declared the winner. I gave the “on your mark, get set, GO,” before proceeding to the less chaotic living room, from where I could do a little reading until I clearly heard the finish. Well, I don’t know why Mom’s finishing yell had to start in the living room, but I suppose tomorrow the race director won’t leave the race site until the race is done.

Then things got a little interesting. Braedon is in this annoying wishy-washy stage of “I want to do this,” and one minute later it’s “but I don’t want to do this.” That’s how our real run started this afternoon. He didn’t want to run, but at the same time he didn’t want me or Joe to leave either. Then he wanted to run, only to repeat the cycle again. Finally, the three of us left in the midst of an “I want to run” minute. Once on the run, everything was fine, as it is more times than not. Braedon held onto a bill until we got to the post office. The temperature seemed to drop during the hour or so we were gone, and the wind picked up too, but that didn’t dampen our spirits. At one point, completely out of the blue, Braedon began singing, quite loudly, “The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Went Up the Water Spout!” We got a few smiles from people nearby. The young growing pains are definitely overshadowed by the innocence and small musical repertoire of a three-year-old.