Chasing Elmo

One of the really fun things about being a parent is you can convince your children to do silly things and then laugh yourself sick over the ensuing spectacle. One of the sort of scary things about being a parent is watching your children do the same things to each other.

For instance, a few days ago I watched Abigail carefully spread a trail of Cheerios across the living room carpet in an attempt to lure Juliet all the way across the room, for no purpose other than her own (Abigail's) amusement. Mother of the Year that I am, rather than saying, "No snacks in the living room," or "Juliet should only eat finger foods when strapped into a high chair in the upright position," or even "Sweetie, don't tease your sister," I joined in on the Cheerio-spreading.

Which leads us to today's post.

We bought Abigail a pair of Elmo slippers last fall when the temperature dropped. They're fluffy with big googly eyes and an enticing orange nose.

They are the pinnacle of temptation in Juliet's world.

Every chance she gets, she tries desperately to gnaw on those googly eyes and puffy orange nose. Abigail, fortunately, is really good-natured about this and carefully pulls her feet away rather than kicking Juliet in the tooth (oh yes! She has a tooth!).

Today, however, Abigail saw the amusement factor in Juliet's consuming lust for the Elmos, which resulted in the following:


Figure 1: The Bait




Figure 2: The Huntress Sees the Quarry



Figure 3: The Hunt Commences




Figure 4: The Huntress Approaches





Figure 5: The Huntress Contemplates Her Angle of Approach






Figure 6: The Huntress Surveys Her Prey







Figure 7: Much Munching Ensues

My favorite part? They went all around the house doing this, with Abigail periodically hopping on one foot and waving her be-Elmoed foot to pique Juliet's flagging interest. Worked like a charm.