The Children Going Round and Round; the Painted Ponies Up and Down.

After leaving the morning party, we decided that we weren't yet ready to go home. So, we took Bella to do yet another thing on her list of top 5 favorite things: ride the carousel. This is also one of my favorite things to do with her. For one thing, it only costs a dollar! Fun for a dollar!! Its unheard of nowadays! But there it sits, in all of its majestic glory directly inside the entrance to the mall. And Bella knows.

"THE CAAARRROOOUUUSSSSSEEELLLL!!!," she screams as we pull up in the parking lot, as if there is exactly nothing else at all inside that building. Then comes one of my favorite parts. "What do I want to ride?," she asks. But make no mistake. This is not really a question. This is her giving you the opportunity to say, "I don't know, what DO you want to ride angel?" Then she thinks. . . . this is a very big decision, and the wrong choice could ruin a girl's day. She must choose wisely.Once she decides, off we go. 

Standing in line at the carousel, I always experience 2 things: sadness and joy.

Sadness because standing there she seems so big. She waits patiently for her turn and never ever tries to run ahead of the other children. She understands that sometimes the animal she wants may already be taken, and she can either wait for it or ride something else (which she usually happily does). She's a big girl, and it breaks my heart.

But joy is there too. Joy because standing there she seems so small. Next to the massive mechanical magic, she looks so little.Watching the carousel go around with its enchanting lights and music, her eyes shine. Her smile is beaming. She can hardly wait. I try with all my might to burn that image of her into my brain, because I know that one day, far sooner than I want to accept, we will not be waiting for the carousel anymore. She will walk by it without a second glance. But for now, we are here. My heart is aching, and yet bursting, with love for her. She is still my baby.

Then the best part. Getting to ride. She is giddy the whole way to her animal. Once you put her atop the wondrous beast, her world is transformed. She is no longer Bella. She is a beautiful Princess riding her fauna through the wonderland that is hers.

She waves and smiles. She giggles and laughs out loud. And for those three minutes, my world is transformed too. I forget about all of the bills, the cooking, the cleaning, the war, the crime, and the hate. For those three minutes, our world is simply perfect.