Here’s the thing…I have a love/hate relationship with secrets and surprises. I can keep a secret like no other. However, if I know someone has a secret or a surprise planned (for me in particular), I can’t handle it. I have.to.know.

Growing up, (ok, even to this day) my best friend and I had this rule, if I tell you I bought you a present and you ask me two times what it is, I have to tell you and vice versa. Apparently that rule doesn’t apply to anyone else.  Dumb.

I can tell already that Rylee loves secrets and surprises too. Only…she’s the opposite of me…

Monday was Valentine’s Day, as you’re aware. And even though I’m over the whole Valentine’s Day thang, we still exchange cards. Of course, I also picked one up for Andy from Rylee. So, that morning, after Andy left for work, I called Ry into the kitchen to have her sign the card. She happily scribbled a little something into the card and then asked what it was for. When I explained to her that it was a card for Valentine’s Day to give to her Daddy she got all sorts of excited.

She giggled a little bit. Rubbed her hands together excitedly. Put her fingers up to her mouth. And smiling, she declared in a super high pitched, semi-whisering voice, “We got a card a you too, Mommy!!!!!”

She clearly new she was letting me in on a juicy little secret.

I smiled and laughed and thought “how cute”. And besides telling Andy the cute story that evening, I never really gave it another thought.

Fast forward to yesterday. I was at Walmart for work. Since I never shop there and have no idea where anything is, I find myself wandering through the entire fricken store just to find toilet paper. However, my travels bring me through the men’s clothing department where I spot a shirt perfect for my husband. It’s a Mickey Mouse shirt and it says “Mr. Perfect” on it. So, if you know Andy, you know this is the perfect shirt for him. I grab it, figuring I can give it to him for his birthday or Easter or something like that. There happens to be a $5.00 price tag on it. Upon checkout, I actually score the shirt for $2.50.

{And no, that will not make me shop at Walmart more}

Anyway, later that day I pick Rylee up from daycare and as we get home, I get her out of her car seat and start unloading the car. She inquires about the bag. So I tell her it’s a new Mickey shirt for Daddy for his birthday. She seems satisfied with the answer and runs to the front porch to hold the door for me. Sweet kid, I know.

We get in the house and go about our normal business. Rylee and I make a fire. She tries to open my Nalgene bottle do drink my “special water” from the straw. She plays on her toy computer in her little pop-up house thing. She asks over and over again if she can have those cookies sitting on the island in the kitchen only to be told “after dinner” over and over again. She goes potty. We start dinner.

She never again mentions the shirt for Daddy.

Andy walks in the door about an hour and a half later. Rylee’s face lights up as it does every night he walks in the door. She rushes to him and wraps her arms around him. He picks her up, hugs her and sets her back down on the ground so he can get his coat off.

Within 10 seconds (TEN seconds, people!) she giggles a little bit. Rubs her hands together excitedly. Puts her fingers up to her mouth. And smiling, she declares in a super high pitched, semi-whisering voice, “Mommy got a present a you Daddy!!!!”

To which Andy smiles and responds, “Oh really?”

And Rylee replies in the same high pitched voice as before, this time grinning from ear to ear and pointing at him with both of her index fingers while shaking her head yes, “Yea! A Mickey shirt a you!”

Andy and I both laugh.

Be warned…secrets are officially no longer safe with the little monster.