The Walk

Having to figure out a way for her to be out of their hair for a while, I come up with a plan to do something useful--we will walk to the grocery store nearby and pick up a birthday cake for daddy. Its a secret mission and we are on top of it!

Off we go through the trails to the sidewalk. Along the way she stops and finds more flowers (the collection of flowers given to me has grown with the start of summer). She finds some pine cones, but then finds that she cannot carry them all and carry her toy and her change purse. So she hands me the pine cones. One of which then gives me a splinter (pine-ster?) I wonder at the fact that she did not get hurt by this particular cone--as I toss it behind my back when she is not looking.

I begin to wonder if my little trip to the grocery store 10 mins. away was a bad idea. We are hardly moving as she stops to pick up some discarded what-a-ma-call-it (it wasn't garbage per se, more like something that someone dropped--perhaps part of a game?) We move on to butterflies, bees and ants. And FINALLY I see the grocery stores parking lot.

We get in and she immediately insists that the birthday cake is not enough--we need cupcakes (!!) Of course my reluctance at first starts a sit down strike. And I have had enough rants for the day--so, I say, fine (heck, we needed Fourth of July Cupcakes anyways, right?)

And then I realize that she has underwear on--and she has just said "I have to pee" So...with a birthday cake in hand...we go the store's bathroom. Whereupon I feel like I cannot put the cake down (too icky). She finishes up, we move towards the checkout. (I hope she has forgotten about the cupcakes--but, no...we have to get some...)

I put the cupcakes onto the conveyor belt--and the package opens up and cupcakes with red, white and blue icing go all over it. I hastily clean it up with paper towel provided by the cashier--as she sits down frustrated ready for another tantrum because the cupcakes are ruined (DRAMA!!)

We pick up more cupcakes, we buy the birthday cake. She insists on carrying the cupcakes in the bag. She struggles with this burden, but she insists...and we start the long (really should be short) walk back.

She sings a song: "We are walking; we are walking; we are walking for birthday cake!"

My heart melts...and then we stop for another damned butterfly....

Wearily I warn her to say nothing about the birthday cake--that the cupcakes are special Fourth of July ones and she should burst in saying "Happy Fourth of July!" (Thereby presenting a distraction so that I can hide the birthday cake that my husband surely knows we have bought for him)

She does it perfectly, then proceeds to eat two cupcakes. Blue icing all over her face.

And then she wants to go on another walk. (DAD's TURN!)