Some have asked if we get to have Sissy every weekend. Nope. Every OTHER weekend we get to play with her.
Some have asked what do you do with her? Spoil her rotten? Yep. Every chance I get.
A typical weekend with my bestest bestie.
Her Mommy drops her off Friday afternoon (athough this weekend, she came Thursday night and I took Friday off work). She comes with her bag with some special toys and a pair of jammies to go home in. I have everything else she could need at my house. From the beginning we've kept our place stocked and just adjusted as she grew. The baby items are now downstairs in storage until the next grandbabies come. In like, 10 years!!!!
We play with toys until Poppa gets home. Or run errands. Friday, we had to go downtown to get my ride packet and while she doesn't normally nap, she sure zonked out in the Sharks Ultra Cool Minivan
And then it's dinner. She is NOT a picky eater, but she has her favorites. Pancakes is one of them.
She has definitely moved from the "terrible two's" to the "I WILL DO IT MYSELF!" threes.
If Luka and/or Tuffy is home - she has eyes for no one but them. They are the FUN ones. The ones that chase her, tickle her, bounce her high and rough house with her.
After dinner, we usually play some more, maybe take a bath, read some books, and then watch a movie.
When it's time for bed, she and I snuggle in my great big bed, cuddle under the covers, turn out the light and talk. We talk about the day, her family, and our plans for the next day.
She is smart and has a great memory. First thing she will say when she wakes up, is usually a reference to whatever we were last talking about the night before. Or, she will simply say "I had a good sweep".
Most Saturday mornings, I am at the gym or have a race or ride, so Poppa gets her all to himself for awhile.
A standard rule is breakfast in bed. From the time she was little, she has always had a bowl of cereal in my bed watching a movie or Sprout.
They also will play animals, farm, tent, outside, and check out shark, snake and dinosaur videos on the computer. She never has been one to play barbies. She'd rather watch a shark feeding frenzy, or see a snake swallow an egg whole. You know, gross stuff like that.
Saturday afternoon, Poppa found a garter snake in the backyard. Sissy was in HEAVEN! If we had let her hold him, I think she would have jumped at the chance!
Saturday afternoon's we head out to do the grocery shopping. She knows that we go to Wal-mart first. Usually a new book will end up in our cart, she chooses the fruit snacks and helps to push the cart. She knows that once we get done at the Wallyworld, we head to Macey's grocery store for our traditional ice-cream cone and if Tuffy's working to find him and say hi. We are like clockwork. She knows the routine to the T!
We also usually throw in a dinner out. Texas Roadhouse is one of our fav's because of the specials before 6:00pm. Sissy loves eating the peanuts, and buttering the rolls. Not a big one for actually eating a whole roll, but she likes to sample them all
Saturday nights are usually stay up a little later nights. But the routine is still the same. Snuggle in bed, talking in the dark.
Sunday's are a lazier bit of a morning. Splenda is out the door a few minutes before 9:00am for his meetings, but Sis and I will lounge about, hiding in the tent, reading books, watching Sprout and playing farm until it's time to hit the showers.
Sis doesn't like showers so much. Let me re-phrase that. She doesn't like having her hair washed and getting soaped down. Once that part is over, she happily plays while I do my make up and start my hair.
Once we are all gussied up, we go to church. She loves church. She understands that we sit in the bench area quietly. She loves the sacrament. Something about taking your own piece of bread and that teeny cup of water that is so appealing to little kids. We usually have a bag packed for her with fruit snacks, crayons, a few toys and books. Each week, it gets easier and easier for her to last the hour and 20 minutes until class time.
The next two hours, she goes to her "cwass" and we go to ours. Her class consists of children 18 months to 3 years. She turned 3 in March, so she'll wait until next January to go into big girl Primary. For now, it's playing, snacking, singing time, coloring, puzzles and learning social interaction. They also have a small lesson that teach the children the most basic gospel principles.
After church, it's dinner, and then depending on the plans we either kick it at home just playing, or we go visit family and she plays with cousins or if her daddy has the day off, he comes and takes her to play for awhile.
Sunday nights are early to bed nights. Mimi does have to get up at o-dark-thirty for the gym so we snuggle and talk.
Her Mommy comes Monday mornings early to pick her up and take her home until the next time that we get our turn to play.
Usually, our house looks like Hurrican Sissy rolled through. It takes me a while to put it all back together again, and admittedly, I am pretty beat by Sunday nights. But I wouldn't trade these weekends for anything! She is a funny, charming, smart, happy and absolutley delight to have around. She is cuddly, loving and affectionate to every one of us.
I can't imagine my life without this jewel of a human being! She truly brightens our every minute.
Sissy - you are the bestest BFF a Meemaw could ever have! I love you!
