Good Day Ramblings

I've been wanting to write a post for a while.  Things happen in my life, and at the time, I think to myself, "this would make a fantastic post".  But by the time I get home and get all the necessary daily things done, the inspiration has gone, and I don't even turn on the computer.  Today, a few of those moments happened, so I'm going for it.

It's Sunday.  Audrey was up at a bright and early 6:42, and we hit the ground running.  She helped me plan this week's dinner menu (penne with chicken, feta and sun-dried tomatoes, tuna melts and some Mexican cobbler concoction).  Then we went to the grocery store, where I was audience to a non-stop narrative of everything we saw at the store.   Here's a little example, from my daughter, Queen of Run-On Sentences:
    "Mommy, what do we need?  Olives and celery?  Oh, I can help, I will let you know when I see olives or celery because I have really good eyes and there are a lot of things here.  Wowee, this store has a lot a lot of things, huh Mommy!?  I don't see olives yet, but there's lettuce.  See, lettuce!  Ooh, there are carrots, I eat carrots at school with Amelia and we really like them.  They're so nice and crunchy, we should get some because I live them very very much."

Continue this for the entire time at the store.  I love it.  I smile like some giddy mother, reveling in the excitement and joy of a simple trip to the grocery store that a nearly-four-year old provides.  No longer do I dream of shopping alone.  It's much more fun with her.

Yes, I said it.  NEARLY FOUR.  Hard to believe, but when I observe her, she is clearly a kid now.  Adios infant and toddler.  She's a full blown kid, and I enjoy her.  She asks difficult questions, is big on having a "try a bite" with new foods, and can be oh so stubborn.  I wanted to take her on a hike (used loosely here) this weekend, so today we packed up with Mica and a backpack of snacks and headed to a county park.  She carried her backpack the entire way, only fell once, and wore her hat, to, in her words, "protect her eyes".  James took the lead with our dog, Audrey followed, with me pulling up the rear.  I remember hiking with my family when I was little.  Going first was the BEST, and I always wondered why my Mom seemed so content being the caboose of our 4-person hiking train.  Now I get it.  I enjoyed walking behind my husband and daughter.  Listening to her ramble about the spooky trees and how we might see a monkey or a reindeer, watching her blonde curls bounce, appreciating her careful navigation of a trail strewn with rocks and laced with tree branches.  In the back, there's a sense of contentment, seeing everyone ahead safe and happy.  There's no rush in the back, nobody to push you along, never feeling like you're holding up the train.  Mom, I don't know if this is how you felt, but if so, I get it!

We stopped at one point for a snack.  Audrey ate her snack, had some water, and was ready to continue.  She threw on her pack and headed off.  Ten steps down the trail, she gasped and said, "OH!  Where's my backpack?"  She said this just as she felt the straps, then let out a belly laugh and said, "oh, it's right here!".  How can you not love that?  She did 2 miles with no fussing, carried her pack the whole way, and insists she had fun.  :)

This afternoon we all had naps, James and Audrey made brownies, and we had soup for dinner with alphabet/number pasta.  A few bites into dinner, she said something along the lines of, "Mommy, this is good, thank you for making it for us."  Yes, I teared up.  A little.