The Color Glitter

It was a brisk 22 degrees when I woke up this morning and a scorching 26 when I decided to bundle the kiddoes up and run my 3.6 mile loop. I am really missing the days of summer when I could just toss them into the baby jogger. No shoes? No worries. Still in your pjs? No one will ever know. Now it's pants, long sleeve shirts, shoes, socks, hats, gloves, blankets, and good grief, their giant puffy coats. These beasts are so stuffed their arms barely fit through the straps, and getting the buckles locked is maddening. Once I get them into their seats, wrap the blankets around their bodies, shove Puppy and Miss BunBun into a space for cuddlin', load them up with snacks and milk, and strap on the weather shield, I feel like I've already had a workout.

Heath was particularly cantankerous about going today, because the promise of stopping at the park at the end of my run was not extended. Thank goodness for those blasted Dora Fruit Snacks. When I told him he and Stella could have some, he happily strapped on one Frog and one Fire Fighter boot, ready to go.

The cold made it a tough run. I was, of course, glad I did it when I was finished, but it took more than half of it to warm up. Fortunately, Heath was in a chatty mood, so that kept my mind off the cold air whipping at my face. That weather shield keeps them oblivious to the cold. It also makes it tough to hear everything he was saying, but I got the gist of it.

When I get older, I'll work on the roof. Maybe Dora will come to my house. You like, Diggers, mom? I'll work on the roof in the digger. Hey, I got an idea. I need a monster truck. A blue, blue, red, red one. And you get one. Yellow and green. And Daddy, too. His will be blay-yack.

And he said it just like that. Blay-yack. Two syllables. Now, I'll be the first to admit, I don't always keep my native Charlottean tongue silent. I let some words have more syllables than are truly necessary, but I know for a fact, the color black is not one of those words.

What color, Heath? I wanted to see if he would say it again.

Blay-yack.

Did you say black?

Yeah, and Gigs will have a monster truck, too.

What color will her truck be? I hoped it would be black. One syllable.

Glitter. Two syllables.