Bible Story Time

We try to read Big Sissy a Bible story every night before bed. She has a great Toddler's Bible, which I would recommend to everyone (well, not everyone). It's simple but true to the text, and it has GREAT illustrations. She could sit and flip through the pages for a half an hour. We always end by saying, "Tomorrow we're going to read..." in anticipation of tomorrow and also to remind ourselves where we left off. Tonight she asked if she could read me a story. She doesn't really get where one story stops and another stops, so she just "read" as she flipped through the pages. Here's how tonight's story went:

This is brave Queen Esther. She doesn't have leprosy. God told her to go get some fish. Then Jonah said, "If you throw me off this boat I will lose my shoes." And he did. The end. Tomorrow we will read, "Peter Goes A Floatin'." Let's pray.

Day 8

We made it home with no major issues. We spent another hour and a half at McDonalds on the way home. This time the play area was outside. It was nice to get some fresh air, but I was totally grossed out by all the bird poop on the playground equipment. Ughh. Poor Little Sissy barely got to play since she can't walk and I wasn't about to let her crawl through that. Since no one really napped in the car, everyone went to bed early (except me). I guess I'm back to my old ways--staying up late.

We had a great trip. Yesterday we got to see my cousin Adonya, who I haven't seen in about 9 years. Last night we went to Rainforest Cafe, which the kids loved. It wasn't exactly a vacation, but at least it was a really fun weekend away. Now that Hubby's back to his workshop in KC, I'm really glad to be home. Now I need to plan this big birthday bash this weekend. She's only going to be 1, so she won't care if I forget something, but I basically invited the entire family and that's a lot of people!

We got some cute pictures at the farm. Feeding the goats was particularly funny. I guess they don't get fed except by the visitors because they acted famished. Big Sissy was a little excited and a little freaked out.

Day 6

Well, we're here in KC. We made it. Yeah! I forgot Hubby has a laptop here, so I'm typing in the dark while Little Sissy naps (the fun of staying in a hotel). Daddy took Big Sissy swimming for a while. She is SO excited to see him. She's also back to loving Howdy Doody...weird. She loved him about this time last year, and then I didn't hear much about him for several months. All of a sudden she wants to take him everywhere. All the older people here (those who actually know who Howdy Doody is) are cracking up b/c she helps him walk everywhere we go, he sat with us at the breakfast table, etc. The trip turned out to be pretty good. We got on the road about 10:30. That's a little later than I wanted to leave, but I figured that was a pretty realistic time. We stopped at McDonalds in Columbia for lunch and stayed about an hour and a half. I couldn't seem to get my stroller open, which might have something to do with the suitcases being piled on top of it. It's probably all bent up...so I had to carry Little Sissy. That's been the only snafu so far, trying to figure out how to carry her and a tray full of food or carry her and help Big Sissy go potty and wash her hands, etc. Anyway, the nice long break was great for Big Sissy. No one really napped in the van, so they both fell asleep about 6:45 p.m. as we were on our way to visit some friends in Lee's Summit (the MO side of KC). It was so great to see our friends. I used to work with her at Covenant, and they have a 9-month old baby boy I had never even met. I love catching up with friends! This afternoon we're going to go visit a "farmstead" here. As much as Big Sissy loves animals, she's never been to a real farm. We're excited to see all the farm animals. One other weird thing about being in a hotel room is that I actually went to bed at 10:30 last night. I haven't gone to bed before 2 a.m. in at least a month. I didn't really want to sit in the hall by myself, though, so I thought I'd try to go to sleep with everyone else. I woke up a lot, hearing all Little Sissy's noises and Hubby's terrible snoring, but I feel really great today. Hmmm... Signing off for now. Praise God for a safe trip!

Day 4

Well, we leave tomorrow for our trip. So why I'm not packing, I have no idea. Probably the same reason I always clean my house the night before final exams...dread of the necessary. Procrastination. God has been good to us this week. Everyone has been calm and happy (except for all the wetting of the pants, which is still happening daily--Big Sissy, not me). The plan is to leave as early as possible tomorrow while everyone is still pleasant and stop at a McDonalds playland after Little Sissy naps in the car. We'll see how that turns out. I'm excited b/c I get to see a girl I used to work with at Covenant (who has a 9-month old I've never seen) and a cousin I haven't seen in about 9 years. Both live in KC. Today was a good day. We met my friend Amy and her girls at the park and had lunch at their house. This park has a water area, which I didn't know about. I was totally unprepared, but I let the girls play in the water in their clothes anyway. Amy's girls are exactly the same size as my 2 girls, so we were able to get a change of clothes at her house. I don't know why, but it made me feel so at home, like I was with family. And her house always looks "lived in," just like mine. I feel very comfortable with them. What would I do without friends? What a blessing. I probably won't post again until Monday since we'll be gone. Here we go...

Day 3

Hi. We had a quiet day at home today. I don't think we left the house at all. A friend stopped by at 11 and I still had my pajamas on. Oops. Tonight my cousin came over for dinner. That was tons of fun. She's so good with the kids. We had a good dinner and then made chai smoothies and watched a movie after the girls went to bed. It's 1:14 a.m. now and I'm thinking I should go to sleep. The movie was Mozart and the Whale...very interesting. It's about 2 people with Asperger's Syndrome (a form of autism) who fall in love and try to work through their challenges. Love is complex enough without extra challenges! I always love movies that give me insight into someone else's world. I used to tutor a boy with Asperger's Syndrome, and his mother was very patient in teaching me how to help him. For example, I used to whistle while he worked until she told me that that sounds like fingernails on chalk to him. He used to get really distracted by the high-pitched whistle of the fluorescent lighting, too, which I never even noticed. And if we switched to a different table, he was in a foul mood for the rest of the session. I don't understand much of how the brain works, but the rest of us definitely take sensory input for granted. OK. I'm going to bed now. One more day at home and then we travel. I'm excited to see Hubby. So is Big Sissy. She is starting to talk about Daddy a lot. Today she pretended she was having a birthday party, and Daddy was meeting her there. It's a little sad, but it is motivating me to get excited about the trip.

Day 2

Look at us...doing just fine. I made an actual meal, which felt weird with Hubby gone. But I figured I can't keep feeding the children pre-packaged frozen meals. Boy, being a mommy comes with such moral responsibility! H called after we ate, and Big Sissy told him we were eating yummy ice cream treats because we ate all of our spaghetti. He was feeling all sad and left out until I told him that our "ice cream treats" were actually plastic balls nestled inside of those shapes that fit into the shape sorter. She has such a great imagination. I love that about her. This was also the first actual conversation I've ever heard her having on the phone. That seemed kind of monumental. I don't know why he felt sad we were having ice cream anyway. He was eating at Chipotle. Yummy...

I took the girls to Toys 'R Us today because I'm trying to get ready for Little Sissy's 1st birthday party all by myself (poor me). I got her a fun "learn to walk" toy, and then I couldn't resist the Disney Princess bat & ball set for Big Sissy. I'm on a mission now to teach that girl how to hit a ball (as though I know how). We played catch in the kitchen with our "ice cream" after we finished our treats. They're small balls, but we've got some work to do...

Day 1

I'm in Day 1 of Hubby being gone for 2 weeks. He left last night for a UPS training in KC. I thought I would be freaking out, but it's actually been OK. We ate a very thrown-together meal for supper, and I didn't feel guilty. Of course I miss him, but we're doing fine so far. The girls and I are going to try to travel to KC Friday to see him. I'm more nervous about the trip than the being home. Thank goodness for the DVD player and McDonald's playlands along the way. I'll post next week about how that went. My plan is to just stay crazy busy for the next 2 weeks. Any ideas?