With Darkness, Comes Light

Mina's Surprise

Lily

I woke up around 7 to find Mina still sound asleep which surprised me considering she's usually up before I am. I started a cup of tea on the Keurig and opened the back door, letting Phoenix outside. She did her business and walked back in, heading straight for Mina's room. Since we got Phoenix, Mina and her were inseparable.

Tomorrow was Mina's birthday, so today she would get her surprise and tomorrow she would have her party. I finished shopping yesterday so thankfully I didn't have to worry about that anymore.

I grabbed my cup of tea and made myself a bowl of cereal. I sat down and turned on the tv, finally getting a chance to watch what I wanted. I flipped through the channels and settled on Man v. Food. This show was fascinating and disgusting at the same time and I loved it.

A few minutes into the show I heard Mina giggling, letting me know that she was awake. She walked out of her room and headed towards me.

"Hey there sleeping beauty" I said causing her to smile.

"Good morning Mommy. Can I have breakfast?"

"Of course Mina. What kinda of cereal do you want today?" I asked her as I went toward the kitchen.

"Cheerios" She said as she climbed onto the couch. I prepared her bowl of cereal and some orange juice and set up the TV tray so she could eat. I changed the channel to Disney Channel and got myself ready for the day.

I showered and quickly curled my hair. I added a little bit of makeup and decided on shorts and a tank top so Mina could match me easily if she wanted. It was also supposed to get pretty warm today and we were taking Phoenix to the dog park. I put on tennis shoes and went to get Mina ready.

"I want to match with you Mommy!"

"Okay sweetie. Let's go get you ready" I said as I finished cleaning up our breakfast. Mina matched my shirt and shorts, but decided on sandals instead of tennis shoes. I knew that she would be running around with Phoenix so I packed tennis shoes just in case.

While she played fetch with Phoenix, I packed a bag for the park. I added a blanket, Mina's shoes, dog toys, the travel water bowl, dog food, and some snacks. I also put some cold water in a lunch box so we'd have something to drink. I called Phoenix over and put on her harness and leash and told Mina to lead her. I grabbed our bags and locked up the house. The three of us headed to the car and I hooked Phoenix onto the seat belt and checked Mina's car seat. I got situated and started the journey to the dog park.

We arrived at the park to find it full of dogs of all different sizes. I parked the car and heard Mina squeal with excitement. I quickly let them both out and grabbed our things. We found a nice shaded spot under a tree and I spread the blanket so we could sit. I took out Phoenix's toys and took her off of the leash so Mina and her could play. They played fetch for a good while and I called the furniture store to double check that they were still coming today. I texted Emily to let her know what park we were at and got up to join the girls.

I grabbed the frisbee I bought Phoenix and told Mina to watch; I had no idea if she knew how to catch one. I threw it into the air and she bolted after it, leaped, and caught it.

"Woah!" Mina said as Phoenix ran back to us with the frisbee.

"That was cool, huh?" I said. Phoenix dropped the frisbee at my feet beckoning for me to throw it again. I grabbed it and threw it a little farther this time. Phoenix bolted after it but halfway there a black and white dog joined her in the race to catch the frisbee. Mina and I started to giggle when the black and white dog caught the frisbee and the two of them ran back to us. This random dog sat down in front of me and held the frisbee in it's mouth while Phoenix joined Mina's side. I knelt down to pet it and take back the frisbee when a voice interrupted my action.