I am feeling very proud of myself. This year I decided that those snakes aren't going to get the best of me, and I'm actually going to go in my backyard. Of course, it's a lot easier to tell myself that than it is to actually walk in the yard, knowing that there could be a snake lurking around any tree or underneath any tuft of grass.
Emma planted some watermelon, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds a couple weeks ago, and they were clearly starting to outgrow their little cups. I told her we'd go plant them out in the garden, but I kept putting it off because, let's face it, I am terrified of the garden. (Wasn't it only a day or two ago that I was poking a little fun at Emma for not being very outdoorsy?) Still, I'd promised her we'd do it, and I'd also promised myself that I wasn't going to be so scared this year.We made our way down to the garden and Emma fearlessly walked inside. I stood outside the fence and told her I was nervous about going in and she said, "It's okay, I'll protect you. I'm brave with snakes, remember?" Well, I'm a little skeptical about that, but I went in anyway and actually sat on the ground and helped her dig holes for her little plants. (We couldn't find a little shovel so we had to improvise.) Quite a triumph for me - and we didn't even see any snakes!
There were a few asparagus plants coming up from my long-abandoned asparagus patch, and Emma was excited to pick them. She carried them up to the house and, even though I had told her I would cook them for dinner, she proceeded to eat every last asparagus stalk while we played outside! I told her they would be probably be better if they were cooked, and she said they were already delicious. If you say so, kiddo.