Girls' Night

Monday nights are girls' nights at our house. Daddy and Corwin head off to Beavers (for all you American readers, that would be the youngest level of Scouts: Beavers, then Cubs, then Scouts) at around 6:15 pm, leaving Clara and I about an hour to do "girly stuff" before she heads off to bed at 7:30ish. Last night, we did one of her favourite things - painting her toenails. First, she had a relaxing bath - with bubbles, of course. After getting dry and into her pajamas, it was time. A big part of the fun factor for Clara is choosing her colour. We have even had two-tone pedicures, alternating colours on her toes. Last night, she chose "Purple Haze", a pale, iridescent lilac. The first toe is always the most exciting, and she's never been disappointed in her colour choice. "Oooh, Mommy, it's SO pretty" is what I hear every time. Once I get the second coat on, I blow on her toes to speed up the dry time (thank you to all the nail polish companies that make quick-dry products!), and then she takes her first steps with newly painted nails. I love watching the way she moves her feet, turning them from side to side to watch the tiny shell-like toenails catch the light. We've been painting Clara's toenails for several years now (not with a lot of regularity, and I refuse to use remover, so she has to wait until it comes off by itself), but the novelty still hasn't worn off. I hope it doesn't for a very long time. These evenings with my daughter are so precious to me, just as the glittering jewels of her toes are to her.