A Gift From Lia

On Sunday, I took Lia with me to run some errands.  One of our stops was Kohl's where we were looking for a cookie jar (which we didn't find).  On our way through the clothing section, Lia got distracted by a display of costume jewelry.  About a minute later she walked up to me with her hands behind her back.

Lia:  "Mom, I found your Valentine's present.  But you can't see it, it's a surprise."

Me: "Okay, well how will I pay for it?"

Lia:  "You can just not look when I give it to the lady."

We walked around the store for about ten minutes, and the whole time Lia tried to keep the present hidden behind her back or inside her sweatshirt.  Of course, she's only five, so it dropped at least four times and I was able to see the gift she had chosen for me without her realizing I had seen it.

At the register I explained to the clerk that my daughter wanted to buy me a gift but didn't want me to see it, so could she please ring it up and put it in a separate bag while I turned my head?  Lia walked out of the store holding that bag tightly, and kept it on her lap while we drove home.  All the way home she talked excitedly about the gift.

Lia:  "Mom, you are going to love this present, it is SO special!"

Lia:  "Mom, you are going to want to wear this EVERY DAY!"

Lia:  "Mom, what if Dad gets you a present?  I hope it's not the same thing that I got you."

Lia:  "Mom, this necklace is so pretty, you will LOVE IT!"

Me:  "OHHHH, so you got me a necklace?"

At this point I looked in my rear view mirror and saw the mortified look on my daughter's face.

Lia:  "Oh Mom, I am SO SORRY, I didn't mean to tell you it was a necklace!"

Me:  "It's okay baby girl, I don't know what it looks like, so it will still be a surprise."

That night she hid the bag in her room, and the minute she woke up on Valentine's Day she had me open my present.  I can say it is not something I would have picked, but I wore that necklace proudly on Valentine's day and actually got quite a few compliments.

Now I just have to explain to Lia why I can't wear that necklace everyday - because it is JUST SO SPECIAL!