I Think Tina Would Of Killed Me If I Didn't Pick The One That Involved Horses So That's Why I Asked For That One First XD - Blog Posts

14. Going on a sleigh ride + Zekina please!

zekina + going on a sleigh ride!

“Oh. Lily, maybe we could…not take our mittens off?”

Tina looks to Zeke for help, and he quickly scoops their baby into his arms.

“Hey, now. You gotta listen to your mama, little lady! The mittens stay on.”

Tina doesn’t usually have a problem getting her daughter to behave, but overstimulation is making it difficult to persist with her fair, patient parenting style. The cold weather grips her even through several layers of clothing, and Lily seems intent on doing everything in her power to frazzle her mom.

“Thank you.” Tina sighs. “This is fun. This’ll be fun, right?”

Zeke nods.

“Course it will be. Wasn’t this whole thing your idea, baby?”

That was true, but Tina had pictured the whole thing going a lot more smoothly. Family sleigh rides at the park! Why would that be stressful? As she’s quickly finding out, though, babies often make things more stressful than they need to be. Zeke likes to say that their daughter takes after him, but Tina just hopes Lily doesn’t grow up getting as many detentions as her dad did.

“Right. My idea.” Tina says warily. “Do you think she’ll have fun?”

As a mom, it’s hard not to worry about how well you’re doing. If your kids aren’t happy, intellectually stimulated, and well behaved at all times, you start to feel like a total failure. Miraculously, Lily chooses that moment to grin.

“Well, that answers that!” Zeke says. “See, T? She’s having a blast. So am I!”

Tina’s stress is no match for his upbeat attitude. When leans in to kiss her cheek, she starts to feel better.

“Are you really?” She asks. “Even though our sleigh ride was supposed to start at 4, and the first group isn’t back yet?”

Zeke nods.

“Are you kiddin’ me? It’s a day with my girls! Nothin’ makes me happier than that.”

Before Tina can answer, Zeke smiles at something behind her. He raises a pointer finger in that direction.

“Oh, boy. Look who’s here, T.”

Turning around, Tina gasps softly. The first group of sleigh riders has returned, and their massive sleigh is being led by three large, majestic horses.

“Ah!” Lily giggles.

“The horses!” Tina says, full of childlike wonder.

She’s only seen horses up close a handful of times, but this is a whole new kind of delight. For the first time, she’s seeing her favorite animal through the eyes of her daughter. Sure enough, Lily’s eyes are huge with elation. Zeke chuckles, squeezing his wife’s hand.

“Horses.” He agrees. “Wow. I can’t tell which one of you is more excited! You think you can handle this, Tina girl?”

As she tugs her family in the direction of the sleigh, Tina doesn’t answer. Reinvigorated, she marches through the snow, ready to give her daughter a Christmas memory she won’t forget.