I guess she missed me...

Tonight as I was nagging her to eat a carrot (yes, I've become that parent who nags their kid to eat their vegetables), Rachel looked at me and said, "I love you, Mommy. I'm glad you're back from Vermont."

Even though I figured it was probably a stall tactic (so I'd forget about the damn carrot and give her dessert, which I did NOT end up doing), I was still touched.

"Why, thank you, Rachel!" I said. "I'm glad I'm back too."

***

Trenchant observation from my daughter tonight as we headed home from the playground and she finished gulping a whole bunch of water from the water bottle:

"Water is good for your brain, Mom."

I couldn't agree more.