The Tortoise and his two Hares

Since we moved into our new house in Michigan, I have been spending quite a bit of time inside. I have projects to finish, addresses to change, tests to study for, etc. And now that I don't even have to walk from the parking lot to my office, I haven't been getting much exercise or fresh air. Fortunately, we have gone downtown a couple of times this week to see the sights, so at least I get to walk around then.

Today I needed a walk and I asked Ayden and Claire if they wanted to come with me. They got on dresses, put on shoes, got their babies (dolls) and their strollers ready and we took off. It was hilarious to see them walk. They would run and race each other with strollers careening madly down the sidewalk until they found something interesting. Then they would stop and stare at it and talk about it until I caught up and passed them. Then they would take off again to catch up to me until they found a new distraction. I felt quite a bit like the tortoise and the hare, and you can guess which part I played. I wasn't about to run, or even power walk to keep up. And I'm not sure I could have kept up if I had wanted to.

Towards the end, Ayden got tired and asked me to carry her stroller (because she didn't like the sound the wheels made when she pushed it). Claire however saw that our house was just down at the end of the street and took off running. I told her to wait for us at the corner. She got down to the corner and turned around to see us only half way down the block and decided to come back. She walked with us the rest of the way to the house. Ayden was talking to me as I walked and I could hear Claire singing some song but I didn't pay much attention to it. During a lull in the conversation, I finally caught what Claire was singing:

"If you caaann't run,

as fast as meeeee,

I'll just have to teach you,

aaaalll the time."

She repeated it over and over again all the way down the street to our house. She even came up with her own tune and stuck with it. That child's imagination never ceases to amaze me. For your entertainment, I took a video to share.