Beatrice Day

Beatrice rarely gets time alone with me or with Dev, so on Saturday I took Beatrice with me to the Americana shopping mall where I had to do an errand.  That quick errand turned into an entire afternoon as we went to the farmer's market, had lunch on the lawn, played on the playground and in the bookstore, looked through the shops, had lemonade at Jewel City Diner, watched the fountain water show, and rode the trolley. 

I remember I used to hang out with Beatrice at the Americana all the time when she looked like this:

Beatrice at the Americana, 7 months old

And here she is there again now:

With just the two of us - and no stroller! - going shopping was a real pleasure.  It was a glimpse into how it feels to spend time with a "big girl" instead of a toddler.

After we'd exhausted all there was to do at the Americana we went back home and Beatrice helped me make chicken soup and biscuits for dinner, as well as strawberry ice cream for dessert.  I love cooking with Beatrice and I must say, I am so proud of how much she knows already! How many three-year-olds can tell "macerate" from "marinate," distinguish chopping from mincing, or recite all the ingredients in ice cream? (And on Saturday she learned what an ice bath is, too.) 

Beatrice stirring the cream in the ice bath

Beatrice is very interested in cookbooks lately - she loves to look at the food illustrations and have me read the recipes aloud to her - and on Wednesday we saw an outdoor screening of the movie "Ratatouille" which only made her more interested in cooking.

Beatrice practicing her knife skills

At the end of a long day of shopping, cooking, and eating, I realized that Beatrice had gone the entire day without crying, whining, or getting in trouble, making it a rare and special day indeed.  I added July 28 to the calendar for Beatrice Day next year.