I heard a noise

tonight. I wasn't quite sure what it was.

I was in the kitchen, surprisingly doing the dishes. I say surprisingly because, well, it isn't surprising. I seem to spend a great deal of time doing the dishes. Even my quest to reduce the dishes by packing half of the cups and bowls and plates into a box and putting them in the garage failed. All it meant was that instead of going through a dozen cups each a day, the kids started drinking out of Tupperware containers. I'll chalk that up as a big fail in the experimentation stakes.

So I was doing the dishes. Again. And I heard a noise. It sounded not unlike my dog after I have bathed him and put him down on the lino. Almost like a slipping half run kind of thud thud you would imagine a crew of possums would make if they ran over lino.

And so I did what most parents do when there is no scream accompanying said strange sound - I stopped, listened, didn't hear the scream, and kept on about my business.

And it was then that Miss 5 came running in to me - "Mum!! Mum!!! Come here, I have to show you something!!!!"

So I follow her, wherein she takes me to the bathroom.

Penny. Drop. I think I have found the source of the noise. 

And she goes into the bathroom, turns around to face me and says "Watch this!" and proceeds to start flapping her feet and legs around as though she was a squid and someone had hold of her head and was just shaking to billy-o. 

And as my smile broadened and I struggled more and more to restrain involuntary snorts of laughter from exploding from my mouth, I asked her what it was she was doing. 

"I'm tap dancing!!!"

Of course she was. And so I told her how amazingly clever she was and hugged her so so tightly for a good five minutes, predominantly to stifle the laughter so she wouldn't see. 

Such a gorgeous child. So so gorgeous. And openly so. This morning I started a new job. I was nervous, and I dropped her off at her classroom, gave her a kiss and a hug and said I was off to my new job and I would see her at after school care. 

And so I started walking across the playground towards the car. Then I hear "MUM!!!! MUM!!!!!!" and of course I turn around, to see her running across the playground after me screaming "I love you so so much mum!!!" whilst blowing me kisses, after which she indicates pushing me away and says "Now go!!! GO!!!!!!" blowing me some more kisses and running off to her classroom. 

And I got a tear in my eye. What a truly beautiful little soul she is.... in every way :) 

And what a lovely image and feeling to take with me as I walked back to the car.

It's still with me. And I'm still smiling. Both from the beautiful words and actions of my darling Miss 5 this morning... and her tap dancing......