Let a new tradition begin NOW!

Traditions in our house:  We do pizza every Sunday night (unless the kids had it earlier in the day for lunch at a birthday party), go out for ice cream after dinner the first day back to school each year, the birthday person gets to pick the restaurant we eat at on the day you are born, and now, we officially have a new tradition started.....mother/daughter pedicures on Mother's day. 

Sam picking out the colors she wanted.

Since the day I found out Sam was going to be a girl, I have been waiting so patiently to take her for a pedicure.  I dreamed of us sitting in side-by-side chairs getting our toes done. To my delight, Sam is a girly-girl and has been enjoying me painting her toe nails for several months now.  But I kept thinking I'd have to wait until Sam was 5 years old for her to appreciate the real deal experience. 

On Sunday morning, after I got to sleep in (till 8:00am!!!  Thanks to Jeff for making this possible), Sam asked me to paint her toe nails. Since I was planning to go get a pedicure after brunch, I decided now was the time to take Sam with me. I couldn't wait any longer.  If all goes well, we will make this a Mother's day tradition and go each year together for mother/daughter pedicures.

It was every thing I hoped for and more.  Sam loved every minute of it and basked in the pampering.  At first the nail salon people wanted her to sit in my lap when they painted her toes, but I requested she get her own chair, filled with water in the tub and all.  She sat there and proclaimed, "I'm a big girl!".  Everyone in the salon ate her up and kept commenting how cute Sam was and what a good girl she was sitting there. Two women wanted to know exactly how old Sam was because they each had toddlers at home and was counting down until they can do the same.

On the drive over, Sam informed me what colors she was going to get on her toes, orange and black.  Oh my!  Fortunately when the moment of truth came, Sam picked out purple and pink and wanted every other toe one color and every other toe, the other color.

The nail lady was able to do the whole nine yards on Sam's feet -- trim the nails, push back the cuticles, buff, lotion, and paint.  Sam watched very closely and let the lady know when she missed a spot and to make sure she did the other foot too. 



Look at me, I'm a big girl!



Watching very closely to make sure no toes get missed.

When Sam's feet were done, she looked at the lady and said, "finger nails now, please" and held out her hands.  How can you turn down that request?

Sitting very patiently waiting for everything to dry.

The whole experience was too cute and brought tears to my eyes as I sat there living the dream I've had so vividly now for the past 3 years.  Although, in my vision, I have us going out to lunch and shopping after the pedicures.  We will have to build up to that.  :)

When the woman who runs the shop commented on how much Sam was enjoying the pedicure, she looked at me and said, "You're in trouble!".   Oh yeah, and I couldn't be happier about being in this kind of trouble.