A Chicken named Willow! Part 1

She had been waiting for this day all year. Her grey-green eyes danced into focus above my face as I struggled to make sense of her rapid words in the context of the early- morning winter's light spilling across the cozy nest of my down comforter.
Fumbling for my glasses and swinging my feet to the floor in one unconsciously practiced movement, small cold hand eagerly tugging mine, we started our day..
At breakfast she asked again even though she already knew the answer-just to make sure,"Is today the Teddy Bear Picnic?"
I first heard about the legendary picnic before she even began attending her preschool - I was on the phone with her principal trying to decide if TLC would be the right place for her. After hearing her heartfelt recollections of picnics past(the kids play with their bears at school all week, as if they were a part of class, and on Friday, they lay their bears down for a 'nap' so the kids can go to the picnic in the gym. The gym with the huge amateur mural of Jesus' face. And when the kids are done, they come back to their room the find that the bears have...ransacked it. Sugared-up chaos ensues as the kids react to the naughty bears' antics..) Needless to say, the principal had me sold.

So, there we were, pulling into the school parking lot to drop Willow off for the big day; she barely touched the pavement as she skipped up the sidewalk and through the doors of the foyer that smells perpetually of scratch-n-sniff stickers. Clutched to her side and peering around her arm was the sky blue plush bear that she had named hours before, appropriately, "Bear".
Together in that moment, they made a perfect picture. I told Justin so, and as he nodded his agreement, I remembered that I had forgotten the batteries for the digital camera! After finding out the picnic didn't start for an hour, Justin and I(along with Ginger) piled back in the wagon and set off for batteries. After a short discussion concerning whether to go to the Dollar General or the local drugstore, we chose RiteAid out of a vague sense of family loyalty and headed that way..

To be continued...