Brenna's Bad Day

It all started yesterday afternoon... No one was napping so I thought we would go for a drive to get Doug's new glasses and the ride would knock the girls out- two birds one stone.

As we are preparing to leave our suburb and drive to the optometrist I decide to call;no sense in driving all that way if the glasses aren't in. And they weren't. OK, new plan.

"Ah-ha!" thinks I, "We'll go to the park. The fresh air will wear them out and we can all rest when we get home." It was a gorgeous day, lower 50's; the snow was melting, the sun was shining.

Brenna made for the swings, which was perfect; no standing water. But we weren't there for long because the swings overlook the great activity center. Slides, bridges, "rock" steps... The works. So out of the swings we go.

Now, the park is terraced between the swings and the activity center. I tell Brenna to wait because Caelan and I have to go around. I turn around to get the stroller and when I turn back around Brenna is gone. All I hear is a little voice,"Mommy... stuck."

And stuck she was. In two feet of snow. Because the terrace is shaded and the snow melts much more slowly when the sun doesn't hit it. So there is Brenna,wearing jeans, tennis shoes and a sweat shirt, up to her hips in snow. And not making any moves to extract herself.

I put the stroller somewhere it won't roll and remove her from the snow. I then stand Brenna in a dry spot and say, "Wait here while I get Caelan and we will all go around together."

I turn my back to get the stroller and as I am turning to move toward Brenna I hear whining. Walking down to the second terrace I can't figure out what is wrong, Brenna is just standing there. As I get closer I see that she has stepped in mud. So I tell her to get out of it. I see her trying... Her leg isn't moving. So I walk over and give a tug. Brenna moves; her shoe stays. Neat.

So I now have a child with muddy and wet socks, shoes and jeans. I carry her to the sidewalk, remove the remaining shoe, roll up her pants so I don't get mud all over myself and tell her, very firmly, to stay there while I get Caelan and the stroller. I return with the stroller, put Brenna on the handles, put her shoes in the bottom and we head for the truck.

A minute later I hear a very small voice say,"Sorry, mommy." OK, now I feel like an ass. I didn't think I was very upset or hard on her but she obviously felt badly. I told her that it was OK but we had to go home and take a bath to get warm and clean. Need I tell you that there were no naps?

OK, now forward to dinner. I was making turkey cutlets with spicy black beans.Brenna was helping. We were waiting for things to heat when suddenly I see Brenna tumble head first off the kitchen chair. Seriously... She was just sitting there and then boom. Right on her head. Lots of tears but luckily no blood.

Nothing else happened until we were closing in on the 24 hour mark this afternoon. Caelan and I are on the couch, Brenna climbs in to a chair with a base that lets it turn, rock and lean back. It's got some good springs in the seat. And Brenna begins to jump while holding on the the back. I've told her so many times that she is going to fall over, she's going to go boom,she's going to get hurt... Well, this aftrnoon it happened. Over goes the chair and Brenns is flat on her belly on top of it. And what does she say? "Mommy, broke it." sigh

At least she wasn't hurt.