Wishful Thinking

Munchkin woke up, bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6:15 this morning, all traces of illness gone. I just love little kids - they shake sickness off like a bad outfit.

She crawled up in bed with me and snuggled for a few minutes. Then, she got herself dressed in a very green outfit (two different shades of green, mind you) and we went outside to enjoy a few minutes of "cool" air. She played on her swing, ran around in the grass and pulled her wagon all over the yard, picking up sticks and deciding what they were (hammer, christmas tree, baton, etc).

Then, we decided the Humpty Dumpties were on the menu for breakfast but that we needed some new bread. So, we hopped in the car and were off to WalMart for a quick morning outing. On the way home, we stopped by Nana & Papa's house for a cup of coffee (mommy) and a cup of milk (Munchkin).

Later on this morning, we headed back to WalMart where Munchkin unenthusiastically cooperated for her birthday pictures with a less than impressive "photographer."

*mommy aside - I know I sound harsh but I realized about 15 minutes into the "session" that I could do a better job at home, with my camera. The photographer didn't connect with Munchkin and, conversely, received a bunch of half-hearted or fake smiles. It took FOREVER.*

Ok, so we came back to the house, where Munchkin served up a delighful tea party with mommy and baby Emily (her babydoll) as guests.

After some miscellaneous play, we are now waiting for our lunch to be ready.

The point of cataloging our day thus far was to journal my own amazement about how much we've done in the six hours she's been awake and how much (and how deeply) I miss being home fulltime with her. Sure, she's exasperating. She's bullheaded (gets that from me) and opinionated and downright bossy sometimes (again, from me) but she's also delightful. She's brilliant and affectionate and ... well, let's just say this. Today, I am feeling sorry for myself. Thankful that I get days off that I can spend with her like today, but still a little sad that I have to take them when I get them.

For the first time in two years, I'm not blaming anybody or saying, "if only..." but just remembering..