day 21: a tiring first day back home

Two days in a row of bed pictures.  I get really sad when I realize I have gone the entire day without taking a picture.  I will give myself some credit, though, we had a busy day.  We cleaned the fridge spotless, went on a huge grocery run, cleaned the house, and then had the Bollin girls over for the evening.  Marley was exhausted by the time she got to bed, which always makes me feel like I've done something right!

Vivi didn't want to talk about sleep.  She wanted to sit on my lap, clutching the toothpaste until I went to bed with her.

day 20: coming home

It was a long day.  We headed out of Nacogdoches around 5:45 in the morning and I had planned to stop for the night in Tulsa.  But we kept going, one town at a time.  We stopped at parks and rest stops and health food stores and Panera, until we were finally home.  Marley was completely broken-hearted to leave Texas.  She cried several times on the trip, but she was also my helper.  She was my assistant when Vivi needed something and my entertainment when I needed a friend.  She was happier once we got home and she could get out her favorite books and snuggle into her princess sleeping bag.  She rested on the couch reading books while I unpacked the car.  And once I got her into bed, she was asleep within 3 minutes.

Vivi was a good sport for most of the time.  She was about how you could expect any 14 month old to be on a 14 hours car trip.  On the last hour of our trip, I decided to get out the laptop and keep the girls happy in the dark car with a movie.  Vivi has never watched a movie.  But I thought if there was any time to be the first time, this was it.  So, we stopped at a rest stop and I got it out.  It was dead.  So, we went inside and I charged it.  20 minutes later, we emerged with a laptop that had just enough battery life to get us home.  I got everyone in the car, started the movie and started driving.  About a mile later, Vivi was screaming, so I exited, stopped the truck, climbed in the back and nursed her in her carseat until she had gone to sleep.  And then we were able to get home, thankfully.  I brought her right inside and she was asleep for the night in the same clothes she had worn all day.  But the three of us slept hard until morning.

day 19: last day in texas

Today we soaked up as much time with family as we could before leaving to go back to Missouri.  We got to spend a little more time with Mimi 2, Grandma and Persaious came to visit, Aunt Lele came by, and we enjoyed seeing everyone we could.  Marley, Persaious, and Vivi enjoyed dressing up together.  Then Marley got to have some much needed alone time with her Mimi on a trip to planetarium and an ice cream stop.  She had such a great time in Texas and it breaks my heart to see her so sad to leave.

Vivi, on the other hand, doesn't really know what's happening.  She also got to spend some quality time with everyone, but she lives each moment as it comes.  So, she was a little happier all day than Marley was because she had no idea we were leaving.  I know everyone in Texas will be missing her happy smile and bright personality.  Her spirit makes everyone around her glow, too.

day 18: papa's birthday party

Today was Papa's birthday party.  His birthday isn't until tomorrow, but we had his party one day early to make packing to go back to Missouri a little easier.  I spent all day in the kitchen making homemade chicken pot pit, peanut butter chocolate chip cupcakes, and german chocolate pecan pie.  I had a special little helper with me, who assisted me in licking the beaters.  Thankfully, Mimi 2 came to visit us and she was there to help with all the cooking and child-corralling!

Papa had a special helper to assist him in blowing out his candles.  Lucky for him, we didn't get him 60 individual candles.  We just stuck with the numbers.

day 17: duck pond picnic

We had a picnic with Mimi today at the duck pond.  Vivi got to see some sweet ducks and not-so-sweet geese and she fascinated by them.  She did eat a large amount of the bread I handed her to give to the ducks.  But she also figured out that we wanted to feed them, and threw about every third piece to them.

Near the duck pond is the perfect sized hill for a four year old to roll down.  I loved sitting in the grass, watching the pure joy on her face as she rolled down over and over.  And over.  I love seeing her that happy.

day 16: welcoming frogs and cousins

Vivi loves this little welcome sign in front of my mom and Joel's house.  There are three little frogs in cowboy hats welcoming us to the house.  The first few times she saw it, she pointed to it, got close to it to check it out, and didn't want to leave it.

Today, we were headed out the door to meet Donna at Chick-fil-a and Vivi was walking behind me.  I got all the way through the front yard before I realized she wasn't following me anymore and I turned around to find her hugging the frogs.  She even kissed them.  After she had looked at them for a while, gave them some love, and then decided to put them back.  I motioned for her to come with me, she looked back at the frogs, grabbed them and ran to the truck!

Marley loves Persaious.  When they are together, Persaious just adores Marley and Marley protects her like a big sister.  It stinks that kids are so much sweeter to cousins or friends they don't all the time than they are to their own siblings!