AB_L20_111909_eclass101

AB_L20_111909_eclass101.mp3
Flying Kites
"Daddy is flying a kite!"
My daughter bends her whole body over my face, blocking the morning sun.
"Mommy! Daddy is flying a kite!"
I smile at her enthusiasm. "He is?" I ask.
"Yes!" she says, and she turns to toddle back through the sand to where her father stands, roping the wind with a plastic ladybug kite.
I can see them standing together, and although I can't hear what they are saying from where I sit on my beach towel, I know when my daughter points into the sky, she is saying, "Daddy, you're flying a kite!"
I roll over and watch them, my husband and tiny daughter having the time of their lives. The winds whip the kite's plastic tails around and the ladybug dives and climbs, dives and climbs, over and over again until it finally takes a header into the sand. My daughter runs as best she can on her chubby little legs over to the fallen toy, and she squats next to it as her father explains what has happened. In another minute, the kite is back in the air, and the scene repeats itself.
Of all of the things I love about being a mom, the way my daughter discovers the world is one of my favorites. Everything is brand new, and she makes me see simple things, like flying a kite on the beach, as fascinating and an opportunity for joy. I know that in a moment, she will be too old for flying kites with her parents, and so I watch her, imprinting this moment in my mind.
What activities do you enjoy on windy days?