See the picture below of that little angel eating raspberries?
That was a lovely day. It began with the market in Feyance.
There was everything from hats to cheese to strawberry tarts and chess sets. In the afternoon, we went pedal boating again. I swam in the water so Noah and Lila could "catch Mommy." In between chases, we relaxed in the sun, eating pistachios.
Then there was today.
A fine, strong day with plenty of sun. The sort that is just perfect for visiting the small villages around, sitting in the shade and drinking wine.
Only Lila didn't want to leave the house. Don't ask me why. She just didn't.
See, when we decided to take this trip people said and we agreed that three is a perfect age for this sort of thing. She's not yet in school. She doesn't need a solid group of peers in the same way she would when older. It's a great education for her. And all that is true, but then again, she is also three and with three comes tantrums.
We managed to wrangle her out of the house anyway. Then during lunch, the unspeakable happened. A bit of Orangina - which Lila and now we pronounce to rhyme with vagina - spilled on her dress. Before you could say Charming French Village, she was flinging her shoes in one direction then ripped off her dress and insisted on hanging it to dry on the ledge of the balcony of the restaurant where we were eating lunch. A balcony with a gorgeous panoramic view and a sheer 100 foot drop below.
Is it wrong that it was not my child's safety that was of paramount importance? I was more concerned with losing the dress, her current favorite dress, the pink one with cherries, the one that she's happy to wear and that allows us to leave the house quickly every day.
Without the pink cherry dress, we were screwed. She would be distraught, and we would never leave the house again. We would never make it to the candy factory in Nice or the Gorge of Verdun. We would be stuck in this little apartment in Provence. Which I suppose wouldn't be so bad as long as we had enough wine.
Yes, these are the thoughts that went through my head as my sweet little daughter stood there shoeless in her underwear screaming. So I did what anyone would have done. I finished my glass of rose then took Lila down the street for a chat.
Turns out, she wanted to wear a long dress and go to Rachel's wedding. What? Noah's sister just got engaged.
Yes, mazel tov, mazel tov. The wedding, though, is not until November. Rachel sent us a picture of the flower girl dress she wants Lila to wear.
It's not easy being a toddler.
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