Let's take the long way home.

Today was a beautifully warm and sunny day.   I decided to walk Stephen to preschool to enjoy the weather and get some exercise.  Mi Na would just skip her nap today.

It's 1.7 miles to Stephen's preschool.  He walked half of the way there and then sat in the back of the stroller the rest of the way.  He's much too big for the stroller, but it worked.  Mi Na sat in front and I had Li Ya in the wrap on my chest.

On the way back, I tried to find the trail route home.  We first stopped at a tot lot so I could feed Li Ya, and Mi Na could play.  Mi Na asked me for lots of underdogs on the swing and she got dirty running around in the wet mulch.

She collected lots of pine needles and showed them proudly to me.  When she and Li Ya wore their hats, she called Li Ya "cowboy Li Ya" and herself "cowboy Mi Na" in her best cowboy accent.

We left the park and found the trail home.  I fully intended to walk straight to our house.  We crossed a bridge over a small stream and Mi Na asked to get out so she could see the water.  At first I said no because I needed to hurry home, but then I realized that I didn't need to hurry home.  Mei Li would have after school art, which meant that we didn't need to be home for a couple more hours.  I let her out of the stroller so she could walk.  She threw her pine needles into the stream and then collected sticks and rocks to throw in there too.

I knew there would be more to see so I started moving on and she ran after me with a huge smile on her face.  She grabbed my hand and I noticed that her hand could only wrap around two of my fingers.  She's still so little, though it doesn't seem like it with a baby around.

We continued on the trail until we met the stream again.  She grabbed mud and rocks and threw them into the water.

I started to go, thinking she would follow, but she did not want to leave that spot.  She came eventually, grabbed my pinky and ring fingers, and walked happily on, noticing every bird, tree, leaf, stick, and sound on her way.  She looked like she was in heaven, so of course, I dreamed about living somewhere wide and open.

We passed a fenced backyard containing a barking dog.  Mi Na called the fence "branch" and said, "The dog is stuck in the branch! He needs us!"  She walked right over to the fence, fully expecting to rescue this dog.  She said to the dog, "Here's the problem, doggie. You're stuck in the branch."  I hurried her along when I heard the owner call for the dog.

We crossed one more stream that she had to stop at.  She threw everything she could find in it and I'm convinced she could have done that for three hours straight without food and water.

She hopped in the stroller when I needed to cross a busy street and we went straight home from there.  Li Ya slept soundly on my chest for almost that whole time.  I loved my slow and easy time with Mi Na today.  I used to have slow and easy times like this when I just had Mei Li and Stephen.

 Since Li Ya's birth, I've felt a little crazy.  Not today.  I just felt really, really good.  Hurry up, spring!  Cure my crazy!

Here's a picture of Li Ya from today:

I think she's really cute.