Yesterday I found myself once again hiding in the woods singing.
Okay, so it wasn't quite that bizarre, but it feels that way. There is about 10 feet of woods between our house and the park, criscrossed with paths of people trying to find the fastest way between two points. Within these paths is a small statuette of three frogs on what appears to be a shovel handle. Why is it here? Who put it here? Does the person who put it here still want it? still live here? These are my thoughts as Kiddo once again navigates straight to the frogs, cries out with joy to see them, and shoves her little fist into her other palm, which is her sign for "sing the frog song!"
So we stand there, and I sing about "three little speckled frogs, sat on a speckled log, eating the most delicious bugs. One fell into the pool, ooh, it was very cool, now there are two little speckled frogs..." (Mom, you can work on memorizing these words in preparation for our visit in two days.) I feel vaguely ridiculous, wondering what people who walk by must think, as they can't see us, only hear the repeat of the song over and over until I convince Kiddo that we can go play on the firetruck.
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There is a mildly busy road near our house. Kiddo would walk up and down it all day if I let here, because it has two of her favorite things. First, every single house has a door! That means we can practice (from the safety of the sidewalk thank goodness) going rat-a-tat-tat, just like the doctor in Miss Molly's story. (Words available by request.)
Sometimes we can pause in our recital of Miss Molly's dolly's illness when a car goes by, because cars have wheels! (as do buses and trucks) and then we can sing about "the wheels on the cars go round and round."
Then we see birds, and then we can sing about how "we will find a little nest, in the branches of a tree..." or "in the leafy treetops..."
And if I'm super lucky, she'll have a duck somewhere on her clothes, and we can sing about ducks.
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Midweek grocery trips are a good opportunity to break the budget. But occasionaly we go to the grocery store to buy one or two things (or just for a break from the house), and if I'm feeling like there is time, I let Kiddo walk. She heads straight for the deli section. The deli section? Yes, because a flag hangs there with a star on it. Then the two of us can stand in the deli section with me singing "I am like a star shining brightly..." while she really dances. Tears accompany us each time I drag her away. (They're hers, but one of these days may very well be mine.) And if I make the mistake of putting her down again, she heads straight back.
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At the end of the day, when we're all tuckered out from the exciting events of the day, just before bed, we brush Kiddo's teeth. She lets us (or we insist that we) help for a few moments to actually brush. Then we let her have the toothbrush. She points excitedly at the handle, because Elmo is there. And he has his very own song. So as she holds the brush in her mouth she also dances to Elmo's song. And she'll let us sing as long as we can stand it.
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But on Sunday, at church, while singing the hymns of Zion, I heard a little off-key voice from the little body next to me. She's starting to sing herself, slowly, occasionally, but she's there. So I guess we can sing some more.
