Last night we had to make a quick trip to the grocery store, and because it had been snowing all day Leta wore her rain boots. As we walked through the parking lot toward the front door of the building she stopped just shy of a giant puddle, paused long enough for us to notice, and then leapt several inches into the air and landed right in the middle of the water creating a fountain as high as her knees. It was a stunning gymnastic feat, especially for someone who only learned to jump relatively recently in her life, and it signified a sudden and welcome change in her personality. Normally she would spasm dramatically into a coma at the thought of touching a drop of freezing water, and her disposition is a lot less mischievous imp than it is a grumpy, elderly invalid who is angry that breaking news has interrupted her daily episode of Dr. Phil.
But here she was standing right in the middle of this puddle, and as the water settled back around her ankles she screamed, “SPLAAAASSSSHHHH!” And the abandon with which she stood there covered in dirty snow water was contagious, so we bought ice cream cones. I don’t know why, it just seemed like the only way to reward her for acting her age.