Is it just my child or do all children go through a cycle that looks something like this:
Sweet as can be for two or three weeks. Naughty as can be for three or four days. Then right back to sweet.
Arle just completed a naughty as can be phase. Luckily, she seems to be right back to my sweet little angel baby.
Looking back on it, I have a feeling she was feeling a bit neglected last week. It was a hectic week filled with watching others’ kids, my vein surgeries, and Trav working lots.
I had a follow-up appointment for my legs today and she accompanied me. While the nurse was doing the ultrasound, Arle was perfectly perfect. She sat in her chair and didn’t move a muscle or make a peep…except when she asked if she could get a Tic-Tac out of my purse.
Afterward, I had grand intentions of coming home and cleaning my house of the filth that currently resides within it.
Instead, I decided to just spend the morning with my favorite girl in the whole wide world.
Before leaving, we decided to go to the pond behind the hospital so she could show me the frogs she and her Daddy discovered while I was having my legs tended to last week.
She ran. She skipped. She bounced. And, of course, talked non-stop. She seemed thoroughly pleased to just spend time together. She kept running back up to me and kissing my hand.
Melt my heart.
After that, we went to Barnes & Noble to look at books.
Then we decided to walk around a bit. She spotted a shoe store and just had to go in. She is definitely her mother’s daughter.
How shallow does it make me that I am so proud of my daughter’s ability to pick out fabulous shoes?
The exception to this would be when she picked up a pair of Crocs.
With Dora and Boots on them.
Gross.
I’m not a Crocs fan to begin with, but good grief, add characters to them and it’s like an ugly pair of shoes just became possessed by Satan.
Apologies to all of you Crocs fans out there.
We left the shoe store empty-handed, thank goodness.
Arle announced she was hungry, so we headed to Dean & Deluca for a lunch date. My little foodie tried sushi for her first time. She didn’t think it was too bad until she accidentally got a taste of wasabi from my chop stick and freaked out a bit.
On the way home she said, “Thank you, Mommy, for my fun day.”
I may or may not have gotten a bit choked up at that moment.
I love that girl. Naughty or nice.
Kim said,
August 30, 2010 @ 1:31 pm
Life can be so simple, can’t it? Not all the time, but sometimes…
Love you 3 and can’t wait to see what the Lord has up His sleeve.
Jenny said,
August 30, 2010 @ 1:38 pm
Sounds like a great day, your right about the naughty/nice cycles, & the “filth” will still be there tomorrow…trust me. ;)
Suzanne said,
August 30, 2010 @ 2:22 pm
Oh, I absolutely love days like that! I recently read something about living life for this day and savoring the “little” moments. For little ones those little moments are huge! I’ve been trying to do more of the same here. I try to remember I’m going to miss these days some day when my babies are grown and gone.
Jenny is right…the filth will always be there. My MIL (an obsessively clean, organized, woman) wrote in her journal shortly before she died, “If I could I would clean less, read more, learn to dance well and laugh more often.” Those words are never far from my mind.
Glad you guys had fun and I hope you’re legs are better!
P.S.- my son may or may not own Crocs with Lightning McQueen on them. What’s a mom to do?? He is Cars obsessed and they are so very washable and un-ruin-able.
Yansci said,
August 30, 2010 @ 2:28 pm
It melted my heart just to read about it! Your heart must have been absolute mush!!
Grammy said,
August 30, 2010 @ 3:37 pm
Oh how I love that girl. Reading that melted my heart, too! While we were at the aquarium in Denver, we were just walking down the street and she started to stumble (she was holding my hand). I instinctively swung her up and into my arms and she just laughed and said, “Grammy, you’re so silly”. She says the sweetest, cutest things. I do love that girl :)
Kristen said,
August 30, 2010 @ 9:51 pm
good job with letting the chores of house work wait and enjoying time with your little girl…. praying I have lots of that in me when we have kids!
jami nato said,
August 31, 2010 @ 6:57 am
and that is what it’s all about.
minus the crocs. you were right not to let that little piece of satan into your house. dirty.
Your Mother said,
August 31, 2010 @ 11:01 am
You and Arle absolutely did the right thing. Clutter doesn’t really make memories. Frogs and walks and talks and lunch dates…that’s what good memories are made of. I love you both so much.
Nancy said,
August 31, 2010 @ 11:30 am
Heather you are such a perfect Mom….I love it!!! Enjoy every minute, it goes way too fast!!! Love you girls!
kristin Fulghum said,
August 31, 2010 @ 1:37 pm
so sweet. glad you had some fun time with your little girl!
bethany said,
August 31, 2010 @ 4:15 pm
Amen to the crocs! AND way to go mom… I’m sure it’s a day she’ll remember=)
.
PS – thanks for the lesson learned – I needed to read this today.
Evan said,
September 1, 2010 @ 9:15 pm
i love those days. they are one of the best parts of being a mom. sharing the simple moments together.