Girls night out

Yesterday was Margaret's actual birthday. June 26.

As much as I'd like to indulge myself by recounting, dissecting and wallowing in every detail of that fateful day 6 years ago, I'll spare y'all.

I picked up Margaret from daycare yesterday where I found her shoeless and covered in her ever-present film of dirt and grime.

She had received some birthday money from one of her grammas. Since that card came in the mail Saturday that money was burning her like a hot poker — that money mustn't be saved, it must be spent.

I gave her the choice of any store of her chosing. She wisely chose the good toystore downtown.

I let her browse for a good long time and we discussed which toys she could afford and which she couldn't. I didn't rush her or try to talk her into the learn the U.S. states card game.

She finally picked out a coloring/drawing book of animals and a new stuffed dog. She loves stuffed animals. When she goes to sleep at night, she arranges all her "guys" to her liking then she picks her favorite three or four which she clutches to her chest like they are life preservers and she's going down on the Titanic.

After we were done at the toy store, it was time to start thinking about dinner. Bill is out of town, so no one was going to be actually making dinner at home. I told Mar that she could have any thing for dinner that she wanted.

To my shock, she choose Pablo's Pizza which is a fancy, gourmet pizzeria. I was expecting McDonald's and was very pleased with her choice.

At Pablo's, I then told her that we'd get any kind of pizza she wanted.

Again I was expecting pepperoni.

But after spending some time reading the menu, she decided on their Aloha! pizza, which has Canadian bacon, shrimp, mandarin oranges and pineapple. She was very excited to be having shrimp which previously she had described as "nasty."

We had a great dinner and a nice walk around downtown.

Sometimes, I get so caught up in running from place to place that I forget to just savor the moments I have with my not-so-little girl.