Batteries need recharging

I actually had a couple of great posts planned for the next couple of days, but they require uploading pictures from my computer - my computer that is at the bottom of a pile of stuff that is covered in plastic in my basement - the basement that after 2.5 years FINALLY has it's first coat of paint on the walls. So... maybe I can start posting pictures again in another 2.5 years when we're done applying the second coat.

Meanwhile... you'll just have to settle for a cute little conversation with Ellie. Darn.

Mommy: Ellie, do you want to go to the park with me?

Ellie: Yeah! Yeah!

Mommy: Do you want to walk or drive?

Ellie: I know! I have an idea!

Mommy: What's that?

Ellie: How bout I ride my bike?

Mommy: Oh, that sounds like fun but if you ride your bike to the park, you HAVE to ride it all the way back home.

Ellie: Why?

Mommy: Because Daddy isn't coming with us and your bike is too heavy for me to carry.

Ellie: Ok, I will.

Mommy expected the trip to the park to be quick because Ellie was so excited to go on the swings, but to my surprise it was quite leisurely... I'd stop to show her some fuzzy leaves and she'd stop saying things like "I sdink my bike needs to be fixed. I will fix it wif dis grass." From what I could gather, she was using the grass to check the depth of the treads on her wheels. When we got to the park, we left her bike in the "parking lot" and played for a while. When we decided it was time to go home, she went to her bike and thanked the parking lot for keeping it safe, and said "We will be back soon, parking lot. We will be missing you." And of course, it came as no surprise when she tried to convince me she was too tired to ride the bike home...

Ellie: Mommy?

Mommy: Yeah?

Ellie: I sdink my bike is not working anymore.

Mommy: Oh no! What happened?

Ellie: I sdink da batteries are dying.

Mommy: That's probably true.

Ellie: I sdink we need to change da batteries so dat my bike will work.

Needless to say, it took a lot of creative games to get the girl all the way back, but we made it!