Seeing as how we’re having one more (one more – that’s what I’m going with) winter evening right now, I thought I’d post a few personal photos from another winter day in January.
This one happened to be my birthday, and in celebration of that glorious day, my sister asked me to babysit her middle child, my very adorable, sweet, and sometimes mischievous niece, Lilly. (Although on this day she was all sweetness. I think she was surprised to see me in my home and not at my parents house, where we would usually meet, and which is much more familiar surroundings for her. )
So, she dropped her off and I took her to a playground near by. (One that keeps it simple and modern with the equipment, and we had to work together to figure some of it out). There were a few other families there together, and the youngest among them was a little boy not much bigger than my 2 1/2 year old. Unfortunately, he was not interested in playing with her; when she walked up to him and stared (as is her greeting with new folks she’s interested in), he tackled her and ground her face into the dirt until he was pried off of her back. And you know what this means? This means we go get cupcakes! Well, first we brush off and spit out dirt to show that we are ok, and play some more, and then we go get cupcakes. I let her pick out her own (yellow, which was lemon), got one for myself, and one extra in case she didn’t like the lemon. Can you tell that she asked to hold her cupcake in the car on the way back? It was about a 3 minute drive, and it was enclosed in the case, but about half way home I heard, “Uh-oh. Top came off.” This accident had been preceded by the sound of little hands clasping doggedly at plastic.
It was then time for both a nap and for her to be picked up, but neither of these happened.
While I tried to get her to lay down, she gazed out of my window, fogging up the glass, and pleading to go outside. It was getting dark, and so SO cold, and she didn’t have gloves, or the warmest coat – but how could I resist this face? So we went for a walk in the city. And the sunset light is my favorite light, cars in the background or no. I eventually had to insist that we turn back, and that is where she is turned around gazing out into the distance, knowing we’re going to go back but wanting more. She’s the explorer. Her sister would have been content indoors, but not this one. Always happiest outside for her, cold or no.
Lovely company for my birthday afternoon! And she gave me a new birthday greeting to use, “Happy Body!”
Happy body, folks.
