The Many Faces of a Sigh

     Daniel had taken my sweet boy to the library so it was just me and baby girl. I was working in the garden and she was playing on the back porch. I would look up at her as she toddled around. The sun was warm but there was a cool breeze, the sprinkler was on and I could smell the delightful dampness in the air. As I pulled weeds the crisp scent of the mulch and fresh earth made me feel at home and occasionally I would brush a tomato plant and it would give off that yummy real tomato smell that you can't find in the store bought ones. The dirt was cool and wet in my hands, easy to work with and brimming with the promise of healthy green plants. The birds were singing and the gentle patter of the water falling on the grass drowned out the sounds of the neighborhood and the street so that the only other sound was the sweet chatter of my toddler. It was the kind of moment that makes me think of heaven and believe that all these sights and sounds and smells must be there somewhere.

Disarming Cuteness In Action 

    Baby girl walked over to where I was and sat down in the tall grass beside me. She smiled at me and I breathed a sigh of amazing contentment...
...and then she stuck a clod of dirt in her mouth and began to cry as mud began to run out the corners of her mouth. I rinsed her mouth out, in as much as you can, and took her inside for a bath. She was too upset to console and cried all through getting her undressed and as tears mixed in they make her already dirty face an even muddier mess. The mud on my hands smeared on her face and clothes as I hurried her into the tub because we were shedding smaller dirt clods all over the bath mat. It isn't until I put her in the tub and she notices the running water that she calms down and begins playing with it. My beautiful baby looks up at me and grins, happy once again...
...and that is when I see that she has dirt stuck between her bottom teeth and all I can do at this point is, once again ... sigh.