The Taylor Five

Yesterday was a beautiful pre-spring day, so we did, as it turned out, what everyone else in Madison did:  we went hiking at Rainbow Mountain.

Finch even spotted his bizarro-world twin on the playground.  He saw a little blond boy run by, blinked a couple of times, and then exclaimed, “That looks like me!  I thought that was me!”

Wilson carried the backpack for us.  He’s in training for his big backpacking trip at the end of the month.

Marianne had fun.

Even though she was wearing boy pants.

Scene from two hours earlier:

Daddy:  Here are your hiking pants, Marianne.  Put them on.

Marianne:  Those are boy pants!  No!!!

Daddy:  Mommy got these for you to wear in the woods.  Put them on.

Marianne:  But they are boy pants!

Daddy:  Do you remember what happened when you complained about the bath water being too hot*?

Marianne, quietly:  COLD WATER.

Daddy:  Then what do you think will happen if you complain about these pants?

Marianne, after a moment:  COLD PANTS.

I didn’t hear the rest because I was laughing too hard, but Nick told me that he was thinking more along the lines of an ugly boy shirt, not cold pants.  I think cold pants would have been pretty darn effective, too.