Fossil.

Since we only have a few weeks of “outside” weather down in the dirty, dirty south, I’ve been trying to take full advantage of the few days that we call spring.  Now that Anna is no longer scared of grass, she likes taking full advantage of the outside as well.  In fact, she’s no longer happy being inside.  She spends the entire day crying at the front door.  I spend the entire day crying at my computer desk.  An evil part of me wishes I could zap Anna’s memories of the outside – kind of like Will Smith in Men in Black.  Don’t get me wrong, I love that my child embraces the outdoors, but this constant need to be in touch with mother nature is making me a little insane.

So, giving in to my child, once again, we made a trek outside to the backyard.  The backyard provides no comfort, no relaxation, no Pottery Barn-esque tables and chairs.  So, I sit on the cold concrete while Anna plays in the weeds.  One day we’ll get a swing set, I promise.  Anna doesn’t care at this point.  She’s happy playing with sticks and fossils. 


Fossils?  Yes, fossils. 


You see, Anna is at the stage of life where she finds everything and brings it to me.  Much like a cat bringing its prized dead mouse to its owner, Anna is always very proud of her finds.  She runs up to me with a big smile on her face, and then she deposits a piece of lint or a stick into my hand.  I make a big deal out of it, congratulate her for being such a great finder of things, and then she goes on to find other random bits.  Lather, Rinse, repeat. 


On this particular day, I notice Anna looks especially excited about her latest find.  She holds it in her hand very carefully and runs it over to me.  As she gets closer, this is my thought process…


::What is she holding in her hand?  Is it a stick?  No.  Is it a bug?  No.  Is it an animal?  No.  Why is it white?  There shouldn’t be anything white in our yard?  It looks rather large and lumpy, so I know it’s not a rock.  It’s…It’s…::


A piece of fossilized dog crap. 


Anna found one of Cosmo’s old presents and took it upon herself to bestow it upon her mother.  How lucky am I to have such a kind and giving child?  And how lucky are we to have antibacterial hand soap? 


Man, do we need a swing set.  And some outside toys that aren’t fossilized pieces of dog crap.


Here are some pictures from another outside adventure day.  Please excuse the weeds.
 
She finds something very, very funny.  Either that or she’s passing gas.  It’s hard to tell. This was before Joe cut the grass.  I told you there were lots o’ weeds!  Anna has found a stick.  It’s not dog crap, I promise. She’s tempting Cosmo with the stick. Cosmo stole the stick.  Anna has decided to stack Cosmo’s bowls on my leg. They spilled. Cosmo is whispering sweet nothings in Anna’s ear.  Curls.  I wonder where she gets them from?