The How 'Bouts

Hey y'all -

Your Grandma Sue finally came home from gallivanting around wine country with her dad and sister, and offered to babysit y'all so your dad and I could go on a belated anniversary date.

We went to a great local restaurant downtown, and as we normally do, we spent most of our time talking about you two.

Specifically, we were talking about how Laney has a terminal case of the "How Bouts" lately. As in, "How 'bout you're the evil queen and I'm the princess and you try to stop me from getting to the swing?" Or "How 'bout upstairs is my hula party and you're invited and you can come at 7:30 or 8:30, but if you come at 8:30, you won't have to wait." Or "How 'bout I'm a grumpy old troll, and if you want to come in the front door you have to answer my riddle? Just give me a minute to think of one."

Your dad filled me in on some of the "How 'bout"s from your recent hikes, and had me laughing so hard, tears came to my eyes. 

Y'all are still going on daily hikes, which is great, because Missoula is beautiful in the fall:

You dad says that just yesterday, you guys were heading up the hills overlooking Missoula, and as Laney started up the path, she said, "Hey Dad, how 'bout we're the lava girls (?) and this mountain is actually a volcano and we need to stop it before it ewuffs and destroys the viwage." And your dad said, "Hey Laney, how 'bout we just take a walk that doesn't require a narrative?" To be fair, your dad, as someone who is completely unfamiliar with both girls and the theatre, has done an admirable job of acting out the roles of prince, monster, dragon, horse, etc. He's not going to win a backyard Tony anytime soon, but he tries to commit to whatever role he's been assigned. But sometimes, a man just wants to enjoy his nature. 

According to Dad, he got about halfway up the hill when he noticed Laney wasn't right next to him any more. He looked back, and she was sitting in the middle of the trail with the saddest look on her face. "What is, it, Laney? What happened?" he asked. "We didn't make it to the top of the volcano in time, and we didn't save the village," she sighed. "You know, Laney," he tried to explain, "sometimes you can just go on a walk, and it doesn't have to have global repurcussions."

We came home from dinner to find Laney sacked out on the couch. 

All that world-saving must be exhausting. 

Love,

Mom