The past weeks we have kept busy here at the Bird Nest. The interior being free of major projects, I've been spending my time in the many gardens and knitting things for winter. Lilah Rose has kept busy as well, checking gardening books out from the library and plotting out all the beds she'd like to see in the yard. She's had multiple playdates and picnics. School starts Tuesday. I'm not at all nervous this year since she did so well last year. She missed her little friends and teachers desperately all summer and can't wait to get back in the swing of things.
With the beginnings of the 4 year preschool class looming, I'm swallowing my kindergarten fears for now and focussing on all the lovely things happening at the moment.
The housewarming was successful and wonderful. I got to spend the afternoon with some of my favorite people in the world. It was nice to show off our hard work to people who haven't been there every step of the way. All the effort is worth it now that we have a house and yard to enjoy.
This weekend, our goal was to put in our fire pit. We went to Home Depot before Dano had to work and looked at the bricks and pavers we plan to use. The most expensive pieces happened to be half off, so that was a plus. Husband fussed over the weight of the items in the Versa and went on about snapped axels, so we only got some of the materials and will pick up the rest when he's done with his shift.
After we left him, Lilah and I went over to Old Navy. I'd promised Lilah a new dress for her first day of school. They were having some sort of safety awareness day, so there were police cars, fire trucks, and an ambulance outside. Lilah spotted balloons inside and asked for one. I told her it would depend on if she were a good listener and well behaved while shopping (we've had a few fits and bad listening episodes while shopping lately). She promised she would be both (she always does). We went immediately to the little girl dress section and I pulled a few styles out and held them up to her, debating between 4T and 5T. She looked from dress to dress and heaved a sigh.
"What's wrong?"
"Well, those aren't my choice." She's very into choices right now.
"I didn't say you had to choose these dresses. I'm just looking at sizes. But you honestly don't like either one of these?" I'd thought they were both very cute. One was magenta and one was navy, both polka dotted with little belts at the waist.
"No thank you." I put them back. She darted over to another section, and I pulled down a few more to hold up. "Um, no, no, and no." Oh, shopping with opinions. We moved on and I pulled down one dress absent-mindedly, then reached for a few more. Lilah grabbed the one I was holding and held it up to herself. "Yes, this is the one. This is my choice."
"Well, it is very nice. I like the colors and the flowers. But don't you want to keep that as a maybe and look at more dresses? This one is very nice." I held up a pink one with eyelet lace.
"That one is, well..."
"What? I think it's lovely."
"It's a bit boring." A catchphrase learned from Peppa Pig, may she be roasted in a pan with an apple in her mouth. The dress was simple, but it was pretty. The one she was holding was silky and deep purple with splashy bright flowers in pink and orange. She had snatched up a pair of shiny gold sandals to match. The outfit was very stylish. Nothing I'd have ever chosen, but all the colors worked well together.
"Okay, sweetheart. You can choose that dress." After a few ill-fated attempts at tempting her with dresses I liked better, we checked out with the dress and the shoes.
"May I have a balloon? I was a good listener." I asked the cashier for a balloon. She laughed.
"Yes of course. Orange or purple?"
"Purple, please." She was handed a purple balloon. "Thank you very much." Someone commented about her polite behavior and she beamed.
"Would you like your receipt with you, or in the bag?" The question was directed at me, but Lilah answered for me.
"Bag please. May I hold my new dress?"
"Of course. What lovely manners."
"Thank you very much." I could see the fear of having her balloon taken away etched between the lines of her good behavior. Being safety awareness day, she also left with a sticker and a Reese's cup. She was very happy.
We moved on to English Gardens to buy our Spring bulbs. We'd gotten a gift card for our housewarming and someone was itching to spend it. We traipsed through the rain, me pausing in the deluge to gaze wistfully at pricey hydrangeas while Lilah tugged at me and said those weren't for us, and that she didn't love shrubs.
We made our way to the bulb section, and everything was labeled with large pictures. There were bags of multiple bulbs as well as bins of individual bulbs. Lilah insisted we get a basket and started asking the names of things she liked the look of. She spotted something before I did.
"ALLIUM!!!" She snatched a bag of Allium bulbs, each one as big as a softball. Nearly 3 feet high when full grown, I tried to talk her out of them. Just like the school dress, she had her own opinions about this garden. She had a gift card in her purse and she was doing it her way. She wavered between white and yellow Narcissus, finally choosing a delicate yellow variety. She asked to see all the different crocus colors, having trouble deciding. She found one that was tricolor - yellow, white, and purple. Problem solved. I offered a few suggestions but Lilah Rose Marie had garden visions I couldn't interfere with.
She popped in some different colored single bulbs, then chose some tall, blood-red bearded irises called War Chiefs and a variety of tulips in matching color called Kingsblood. Looking at the photos on the packages, she worried there wasn't enough white in the tricolor crocuses, so chose a bright white called Jeanne d'Arc. Last, she swooned over delicate, frilly pink tulips called Angelique. I looked over the names of all the bulbs, laughing to myself that it sounded like a a war between fine French ladies and Game of Thrones villains. But again, just like the dress, together they made a unique blend of colors, heights, and textures in the best taste imaginable.
We stopped Sonic for hotdogs and slushes on the way home and I let Lilah sit up front with me. We chatted about all sorts of things, and I reveled in this sweet time of our lives where we could shop, talk, work, and laugh. On the way home (and safely back in her booster), she chattered happily about how we'd plant the flowers when we got home. I told her that if the rain had turned the soil too muddy, it would be a bad idea. I could see her start to fuss, but she swallowed a protest and nodded.
"I wouldn't want to hurt my bulbs. We should wait until the soil is better." She was growing up so much every day, maturing before my eyes into such a little lady. At home, the soil was in great shape after all. Loose and moist, but not muddy. I was looking at the packages and arranging them in my head. Lilah tore open the packages and dumped them into a large wicker basket. Even then, I started to sort the large bulbs from the small crocuses and Narcissus. Lilah gently took them out of my hands and shook the basket up, taking one at a time, hopping to a random place in the garden, and digging a hole for the bulb. I consoled myself with the fact that the entire front yard was full-sun, and that I had taught her to place them the right way in the hole, cover them with soil, and that she was digging deeper holes for the larger bulbs (I had to do the Allium). She talked to the bulbs as she planted them, making sure each was comfortable before burying it and singing sweetly,
"See you in the Springtime!" We went inside covered in mud, but happy. After a warm shower and some tequila lime chicken, we snuggled and watched some TV. I even conceded an episode of Peppa after the great day we'd had.
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