Friday, November 30, 2012 at 9:00PM Her cheeks make me happy.
Her faces make me happy.
Her imagination makes me happy.
This makes me a little scared.
But her awesome glasses make me happy.
Her fluffy hat makes me happy.
Going outside makes her happy.
Her happy makes me happy.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012 at 9:52PM Michaela has this idea about how she wants her room to be arranged. It seems kind of crazy to me. But she insists that it will work and be great, and she is quite persistent about it.
I don't know...it's her room. Do I help her move stuff around? Give her ownership of that? I could tell her that she can rearrange her room if she will also keep it clean, and if she isn't able to keep it clean, we'll have to move it back.
But that doesn't entirely make sense. It's not like she's keeping it clean now and that the different arrangement will make it harder to keep tidy. (Truthfully, I think that each member of this family could manage to mess up a room that was empty. We are that talented of mess-makers.)
I don't really have a legitimate reason for not letting her rearrange. The main reason is that I don't care for the proposal. But it is just my opinion.
Speaking of opinions, she has posted a sheet on her door regarding the situation. Actually, there are two sheets: one, with a blueprint of her room laid out in the new way, and the second, a poll, or OPININION SHEET.
On the poll, you can leave your opinion (or opininion): do you think the room will work with the new arrangement, or do you think it will not work? Christian has already signed the paper. Would you like to guess into which category he placed himself?
I don't want to sign. If I sign where I am inclined to, then I'm probably a dunce. Why give more credence to the notion?
What to do, what to do...
Wednesday, November 28, 2012 at 12:02AM It's tough to go from constantly being with Grandma and Grandpa
in a place that is fun and interesting, like the Jamestown Settlement,
to our own home,
but eventually we have to get back to our house,
and try to get back into a routine (ahahaha...that would presume there was a routine to begin with).
This is no small task. But I am determined to accomplish it. What is it that gives us an optimism that laughs in the face of the reality of our past? (Okay, sometimes I totally cry in the face of the reality of my past...but it's more fun to laugh.)
It seems insane, but I hope that tomorrow is a day for Getting Things Done. Because, believe me when I tell you, there are some things that need to get done around here. And besides, taking care of business here at home will help distract me from the fact that I miss my Momma and my Diddy.
Very much.
Monday, November 26, 2012 at 8:55PM Thanksgiving Day was pretty relaxed since we were picking up food from Cracker Barrel (don't judge...we had to pack up and leave the following morning; it seemed like the least stressful thing to do). We were also waiting for my brother to arrive, so to pass the time on a gorgeous day, we walked back over to the putt-putt/playground.
The kids weren't the only ones who enjoyed the game.
This picture of my dad makes me giggle...it reminds me of Prince Fielder holding a baseball bat. The bat looks so tiny, just like this putter my dad is holding.
Christian had already played all the holes, and he took a break from running around the playground equipment to keep Grandpa company for a little while.
It really was such a pretty day!
And we knew that we only had one day left, so we were focusing on enjoying our time together.
Christian and Eliana had fun tracking down some creatures: a ladybug,
and a butterfly. Where were these guys on our nature walk?! Christian liked that this butterfly had "eyes" on its wings.
The kids also shuffled around on the shuffleboard court. They said they knew how to play.
Since I do not know anything about it, I could not tell you if they were doing anything remotely similar to playing shuffleboard.
I caught Eliana taking a breather with Grandma and Grandpa. I took this picture and then said,"You look miserable. Why don't you cheer up?!"
She turned her frown upside down.
Speaking of smiling...the kids were all smiles, laughs, cheers, and general riotousness once Matt entered the building.
They all like him very much.
He is fond of them too.
He and Michaela share a love for the color orange. She thinks his car is awesome. I told her it was too bad she wasn't wearing orange.
Matt said it was okay, he didn't mind sharing his jacket with her.
Things like this and his crazy sense of humor have earned him the nickname "Funcle Matt."
Our trip was finally winding down. I think I have shown an ample amount of photos from this journey, but there were a few that hadn't made the cut yet. I thought I would do a Silly Picture Segment.
As we walked down the Duke of Gloucester Street, admiring the beautiful homes, Dad noticed something about this light.
Either you will think this is funny or not. My dad and I have the same sense of humor, and we both thought it was hilarious. Pretty sure there were no compact flourescents back in 1774.
And there are always a few pictures that go awry. The light, the expression, the misplaced hand...
It's just weird.
Speaking of weird...
Poor Mom. She was suffering from sinus issues. Sometimes you just have to stuff a Kleenex up there and leave it.
And I will leave you with this beauty.
Note to self: This is not a good angle for you. AT ALL. (I'm very glad there was nothing in my nose.)
Sunday, November 25, 2012 at 10:56PM A nature walk is always an interesting way to get outside and get moving. The kids had little notebooks and pencils. I even had a pencil sharpener. And an extra camera battery. How is that for being prepared?
A map was involved in this particular walk, because we were new to this place.
Christian liked to be in charge of the map, but Grandma wasn't too sure that he didn't take after his mom when it comes to reading them. (This would be an unfortunate trait to pick up from said mom.) (She has been known to say things like,"I hate maps.") (So, while he may be like his mom in the ability to read a map, he is unlike her in that he actually likes to look at them.) (He's still young.)
At some point he relinquished the map so that he could draw some stuff. A bush, a leaf, and a tree were among his still-life choices.
Frick and Frack. Laurel and Hardy. Bacon and Eggs. Bill and Ted. Simon and Garfunkel. Peanut Butter and Jelly. Ren and Stimpy. Christian and Eliana.
There are some things that just go together.
Eliana was very serious about her drawings. She drew the moon first. She wasn't satisfied with her original rendering, so she added a few to that. It ended up looking like the moon in several phases. She makes me smile.
Along with the moon and a tree, she sketched a person. Then a house and a car.
It's kind of nature? It's outside, right?
Now, if anything can interrupt a nature walk, it's a playground.
Teeter-totter
See-saw
Dandle board
Weeble-wobble
Jiggle-jaggle
Just teeter?
As the time went by, the sun sank lower and the cold started to creep into our jackets. We began our final loop back to the cottage. We knew we were near when we saw this sign.
Not to be confused with my wit's end.
Hopefully there is a long way to go before I truly reach that place. (Although, I'll admit, it seems a lot closer on some days...)