How to Bee cute...

My five year old daughter has had a lot on her mind lately about a certain small little something.

Something that she is both fascinated by and fearful of all at the same time.

I am not sure why this is coming up again 2 years later, but I believe it originated when my son (who was nearly 2 at the time) was stung by a bee in his eye. Apparently that made quite an impression on my daughter because nearly 2 years later, she is still talking about it. And lately- given her exploding curiosity with (what seems like) absolutely everything and how everything works, she has been quite curious about bees.

The other night, one of these curiosity Q & A's turned into massive tears, as she tried to wrap her mind around why it is that bees sting and, more importantly, how she could avoid ever getting stung. In all honesty, I am just about the worst person to ask about bees... I dislike bees very much. People always say, "Oh, just wave them away- they won't bother you." Well, those people are lying. I've tried that. Nope. I swear, it has happened more than once, a bee has smelled my "fear" from a mile away and flown directly to me, landed on my arm and just stung me out of spite. I've tried that "be cool and they'll leave you alone" and it hasn't worked. I've been known to hop out of my seat at an outdoor picnic faster than you can say, "pass the chips" and run away squealing like a little girl, at the mere site of a bee buzzing near.

BUT- of course I am not going to tell the truth to my already fearful daughter. The truth that bees really are just out to sting you. So, I perpetuated the "lie" and told her that bees are nice and they make honey and we can all just get a long with a little tolerance - you know - all that stuff.

Unconvinced and undettered, the questions continued on. More than anything, she was looking for a promise that she'd never get stung by a bee. Since I couldn't guarantee that, I tried to explain all the ways to avoid being stung. "Just be friendly," I told her. Bees only sting when they are scared and they think that you are going to hurt them."

Through her tears, she looked at me and asked, "Mom? Can I smile at the bee? Then it won't sting, right? Yeah- I'll just smile at it." And with that, she had resolved her own problem.

Oh.... my dear- if only life were so simple. But if that wasn't the cutest thing I had ever heard.

Until a few days later, when she said this...

Asking more questions about bees and how they make honey and how the colonies "work" - she expressed much interest in the "Queen" bee. Finally, she interuppted my husband and asked,
"So, Daddy- what does she wear?"

Daddy: "What do you mean, honey? What does 'who' wear?"

Grace: "The Queen!... Does she wear a crown? A robe? What does she wear?"

Thank you, Grace- for an entirely perfect "bloggable" moment. May you read this in 20 years and laugh about how incredibly sweet and full of wonder you were.

through a child's eyes...

It is so amazing to experience the world through the eyes of a child. To little Ariana, the youngest of the bunch, everything down here to her is brand new. Though this is (almost like) her 3rd time being down here (2 years ago in my tummy, last year as a 4 month old)- this is really the first year she is able to experience it.

She is absolutely amazed by the ocean. Or, I should say "obsessed" - all she wants to do is go... out... THERE! When we are not outside, she stands by the patio doors and whines and points to go out.

I love this picture of her and Mike that I took yesterday. Daddy holding her hand... but just a little bit... because off she goes to explore on her own.





Yesterday, as I sat on the deck with her watching the sunrise, it was hilarious to watch her face as she saw different birds fly by. There are so many different types of birds down here that we would never see back in MN. She is crazy about the pelicans. This picture was just one of many that I snapped while sitting with her, and although I realize that she looks a lot like a monkey, I still thought it was cute because the surprise and awe in her face is so genuine. And all because of a couple of big flying birds.





So while we are down here, I am trying my best to capture each of these precious moments of Ariana experiencing these "firsts" - and trying, my best, to remember what it's like to see things through the eyes of a child. It's so much more colorful and amazing that way.