A trip to the playground

To fully enjoy the beautiful, unseasonably warm weather today, I decided to take Madeleine to a nearby playground, both of us traveling on foot. The entire trip was full of Madeleine-isms, starting within our very first few minutes of walking. Thoroughly delighted at the chance to walk by herself, instead of being stuck in the stroller, Madeleine burst forth with her drunken-staggering hop-walking down the sidewalk; that is, until she heard the noise of lawnmowers and leaf-blowers at a house across the street from where we were walking. Frantically reaching her hands up towards me, she demanded that I rescue her from the fearsome sound.

MADELEINE: Mommy? Carry me to the NOISE?
ME: It's okay, Madeleine. The noise won't hurt us. Let's keep walking. I'll hold your hand.
MADELEINE: Mommy? Carry me to the NOISE?
ME: Don't be scared of the noise. Let's keep walking.
MADELEINE: I want Mommy carry me to the NOISE?
ME: We're almost past the lawn mowers. Don't worry.
MADELEINE: (as we moved past the mowers) That's so better to the noise.
ME: Yeah, see, I told you the noise wasn't scary.
MADELEINE: It's just LAWN MOWERS! That's SO better to the noise.
ME: Did the noise make you feel scared?
MADELEINE: Yeah. I scared to the NOISE.

As we continued along our walk, I insisted Madeleine hold my hand anytime we crossed an intersecting street, which apparently made her feel the need to have me assist her in "crossing the tree" as well.

MADELEINE: Mommy carry me crossing the tree?
ME: You don't need me to carry you. You're okay. Let's hold hands.
MADELEINE: Yeah, we're crossing the tree. Mommy, I did it! I cross to the tree ALL by MYSELF!
ME: (having no idea what tree we supposedly crossed) Great job, Madeleine!
MADELEINE: Yeah! I crossed to the TREE!

When we got to the playground, Madeleine busied herself climbing ladders, turning steering wheels, going down the slide, crawling through tunnels, and so forth. As another little girl arrived at the park with her grandparents, Madeleine decided to go into one of the baby swings, and the little girl went in the swing beside her. Hearing the other girl giggle with glee as her grandmother pushed her, Madeleine decided to prove that she shares her sister's utterly random associations and began forcing out some raucus fake laughter.

ME: Are you laughing?
MADELEINE: Yeah! I laughing at PINKIE PIE!

A few minutes later, Madeleine's stuffy nose began bothering her, and she asked me for some assistance.

MADELEINE: Mommy, I have STICKY nose.
ME: Your nose is stuffy?
MADELEINE: Yeah, I have STICKY nose. Mommy wipe my sticky nose?

So I used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe her nose, but I guess my efforts fell short of her expectations.

MADELEINE: Mommy? Wipe my OTHER nose?

What could I do besides wipe her other nose.

As we walked home after a fun half hour on the playground, Madeleine languished in the entire experience, stopping every few steps to play with leaves on the ground, and at one point she picked up a large stick, pulled off every leaf attached to it, then continued walking as she brandished her sword.

MADELEINE: Mommy? I just carrying my stick. I want to take my stick to the home?

I allowed her to take it to the home, but it wasn't allowed to come IN to the home, so it is now sitting out on our front lawn, awaiting its owner's return next time we go to play outside.