Hi worm. I love you.

So I've been meaning to start blogging on here but life has been getting in the way.  Now, sitting out on the back deck watching my strange child, seems to be as good a time as any to get started.  And we'll get started with what is actually going on out here on the back deck.

A few minutes ago, I was sitting here watching Izzy play in the sandbox.  I knew the sandbox was nice and clean, as I had spent over an hour last week scooping out leaves and dirt with a cat litter scooper (a rather genius idea!)  So all of a sudden I hear her say "awwwwww...." and she slowly climbs out of the sand box holding something carefully in her hands.  Through the yard she walks, affectionately talking to this unknown object, carefully walking up the stairs and stopping right at my face.  "Look Mom," she says, "it's a worm."  And there between her fingers was a little green worm.  A little green squished worm, I should add.  "Ohhh Izzy," I say.  "Please put the worm down, I think you killed it."  She shook her head "no" and held the worm to her shoulder where she rocked it back and forth and patted the hand holding the poor squished thing.  At that point, a friend of mine called.  I relayed the story to her, horrified that Izzy was babying this thing.  "Taunya, you need to be creative," Sarah said.  "Go get a blanket for the worm and put the damn thing nite-nite.  Grab a piece of toilet paper or something.  Geez..."  Of course.  Why didn't I think of that.  

So I grab a piece of toilet paper and we put the worm nite-nite.  Izzy is patting it and I realize the poor little thing is still alive.  Squirming for it's life.  I think it's time to act fast, so I make a move for it.  Izzy beats me to it by putting the bottom of a cup on it.  This time, it's squished for real.  I try to pick it up with the piece of toilet paper, only to upset her tremendously.  "Fine," I said.  "Take it back to it's Momma in the sandbox.  It really misses it's Momma."  "Okay." She says, carefully picking it back up, holding it to her shoulder and slowly walking back down the stairs.  But first, she thought it should take a few joy rides down her slide.  At that point I just decided to go with it.  After a couple of rides down the slide she picked the worm up, walked it back to the sandbox and sweetly said "Hi worm.  I love you." before tossing it back into the sandbox.  She turned around and said "all done Momma".  Well the worm definitely is, that much I'm sure of.