Flower Garden

There is this little magical little garden in our neighborhood that used to be an empty dirt lot at a busy intersection.  Layla watched with anticipation all through 2012 as the garden was being created.  Once the giant metal flowers and butterfly sculptures were added, she begged me to go there, but it was winter and the thought of bundling up a toddler and a tiny baby and schlepping over there was more than I could muster.   I promised we would go as soon as the weather got warm again.  Flash forward to August 5, 2013 and I still hadn't taken her there despite the fact that we have driven by it every other day for the entire year and she asks me every time "Can we go to the flower garden?".

-"it's too hot out"

-"it's too rainy out

-"we have to go grocery shopping"

-"we have to get home so Luka can take a nap"

-"I have to work today"

-"we have to get home to eat lunch"

-"we are going to be late"

I finally decided enough with the excuses.    

I told her that I would be going for a run through the park, and that we would make a special trip over to the flower garden.  She disappeared upstairs and came down a few minutes later in her "running clothes".  She prefers to run with me instead of ride in the stroller (which can be pretty annoying because there is lots of stopping and taking breaks but at the same time I love watching her because she is so darn cute the way she swings her arms real big gets all winded and sweaty just running for a minute).  The girl ran for like half a mile, so I am impressed.  She also stated that "Running makes you healthy and keeps you from getting a big butt.  We don't want big butts, Mommy...we want our own butts!"  Geez I hope this is just her being silly and not the first signs of disordered body image ;)

Layla was so thrilled with this place.  It's not much, but to her it was like Six Flags or something she was so excited.

We spent a good hour or so pretending we were monsters chasing each other around the path, that we were stuntgirls jumping and somersaulting off of giant rocks, that we were princesses dancing under the flowers, and that Luka was an evil spider boy trying to get us.

Then we walked across the street to the library and colored and read books together on the giant cozy beanbag chairs before heading home.

So often the simplest days are the best.  I'm so glad I picked this day to say "yes" instead of "maybe another time".