enjoying springtime, in the street

today we went outside in our yard to play.  we explored nature.  rocks, flowers, dogs, y'know.  took a stroll around the block and found lots of good stuff.

anyways, i took some pictures.

um, do you SEE that leg?!

everything about this girl is dainty... right down to her walk.  and i actually have people tell me regularly how dainty my child is.  using that exact word.

stop and smell the flowers...  i taught her that.

because it's a good life lesson.  and it looks precious.

she fell.  i love her flopped over flower.  blowing in the wind.. just hanging on by her tiny threads of hair.  she's really good now with "just brush it off" and does it automatically. 

i find this adorable.  probably because it's my kid.

this rock was especially fascinating.

hi there!

this picture totally makes me wish her little linen skirt was actually a pair of linen shorts.  or both.  

 

very windy.  can you tell?

not sure where this face came from but it made an appearance quite a bit today.

the dog.  we went to take a look.  

because who doesn't love a good outtake?!  not sure if this was a sneeze or what.

see?  like a zoo.  but free.  and only two houses away.

i'm obsessed with this tree.  and no matter how much i photograph it, i can't get a picture to do it justice.

biker chick

 

i like that it "weeps" down low

and that it's the prettiest color ever.  seriously.  i don't understand how it's possible to not LOVE pink.

then baby girl stood by the curb, looked at me while i told her to come take my hand/wait for me...

and then she giggled and ran into the street... y'know, right in front of an oncoming minivan.

so you better believe i dashed to catch her, swooped her up with lots of firm "no no!" reprimanding and then threw her bike back in the garage, shut the garage door (which escalated baby's whining, like always) stomped inside, put her in the laundry room, and held the door shut for a few minutes.  i think that's the first time i've ever done a time out with her.  despite how calm i was, i was so very angry.  anyways, baby girl worked herself up crying so hard and then she stopped all the sudden and just started knocking on the door (y'know... because that's what you do when you want the person on the other side to open it) and then when it didn't open, cried even harder.  

when i opened the door she threw herself in my arms and was literally crawling up on me (i was squatting down at her level) so i held her while i continued to tell her that it's not okay to run in the street.  it was so sad.    i really just wanted to hug her and kiss her and dote on her and smother her with love but i tried to stay really stern and serious still because i was explaining what just happened.  she was trying to regulate her breathing but was still doing that huff huff sniffle sniffle thing and clung tight to me.  sadly, i don't think it taught her anything though.  which is kinda how i feel about time outs at this age in general... which is why i never do them.  but really, i was at a loss for anything else.  the "firm no" is really just not cutting it and i'm not patient with her learning about cars and streets.  for obvious reasons.

sooo, yeah... that's how our stroll ended.

just keepin' it real.