Baby Smiles

How wonderful to be greeted with this smile!

There is no way to tell you all that we did and saw last week. Here are just the highlights. When I was there in July to help with the move, I mostly unpacked boxes, hung pictures and helped set up a house. This time I got to see where they live--as in their town. While there is plenty of shiny new shopping (with the stores that mail you all the catalogues) only five minutes from Mommy's house, the actual town is like many here at home. It is an older area trying to reinvent itself. They have done well. There were quirky shops and galleries and interesting restaurants. We still have places to check out next time.

Lunch at Heirloom, where everything is fresh and local.

But most of our time was spent just visiting and playing. Baby Sister was so excited to see Daddy-O. She was glad to see me, too, but she and Daddy-O are true buddies. She can do so many things now that she wasn't doing in July. She talks so much more and in sentences now. And she sings all the time. She goes to Kindermusik each week. I loved listening to her version of "Skidamarink a dink a dink, I love you." She sings it, "Stinky winky do, I love you." I just love it. I don't know the "Wishee wishee weeeeee!" song but I heard that line many times last week.

I realized one thing we're missing by not seeing her often is watching her language develop. Right now, all cake is called "pancake." She watched Mommy make a cake. In a pan. And Mommy put cake on a plate. From a pan. Hence, PANCAKE. Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

Big Sister likes her new school. (But doesn't like having her photo made now and I'll respect that.) I was worried that starting middle school in a new state where she knew no one would be so hard. But while we were there, she was elected vice-president of her team of classes. She's on the quiz bowl team and sings in the youth choir at church. I didn't need to worry. At all.

Here is a quick look at some of our family time. I'll share the sight-seeing next.

Baby Sister loves my iPad. She knows how to use it nearly as well as I do.

She loves hats. Even the Krispy Kreme hat we brought her.

Wait until she finds out they sell doughnuts, too.

There was lots of time for reading books. 

And playing games.

Like the silly one where she would put the wrong color on a post 

and cut her eyes around at Daddy-O and wait for him 

to say, "Nooooooo....." She thought that was so funny!

More to come.....