It's all about running...

It amazes me how much joy comes out of a child when you let them just RUN!

I know with my kidlings they get this look of peace. They run with mischevious grins on their faces. They giggle as they gasp for air. They relish as their hair flops back as their legs move them forward. It's like they relish in how their bodies feel as the air moves past them. They feel their arms pumping. They feel their legs pushing against the ground. They see their world move past them. At their own speed.

My hubs sometimes gets irritated when the kiddos get loud as they run. Why? I don't know. Maybe he's not used to the intense decibel levels that the kids can muster up.

I just let the two run. I love to hear them laugh. I love to watch the two race each other. I especially love when they both flop on the ground for a "break" from the action. My Bear inevitably tries to climb on top of his sister as she's gasping for air as she's laughing from the excitement of running.

Today when the Princess and I went to pick up our pizza dinner, she had to run. I could see it in her eyes. We were in a strip mall with empty sidewalks. She glanced down to the right and I could see this longing in her eyes. She wanted to run ALL the way down to the end of the strip mall. When she turned around back to me. I stopped. I looked at her and said "On your mark. Get set." She looked at me and said "Oh!" She got down in a runners ready position. Can you believe it? "On your mark. Get set. GO!" She ran all the way down to the end of the strip mall. When she got to the end she stopped. She turned around. She got back into her runners start position. I yelled "GO!" And she came on running back.

Yes, it's true. She had that look of glee on her face. She enjoyed feeling the air rush past her face. She felt her hair billowing behind her. She had a HUGE smile on her face. It only took two whole minutes to make her evening that much more sweet.

What do your kiddos like to do? What puts a smile on their face?