Kids...

Recently, my husband and I had the pleasure of being invited to share some vacation time with Maddie and her family at a nearby beach.  They rented a condo, and planned to be gone for three days and nights. 

Ed and I have invited Maddie's family to join us on vacation, from time to time, so they returned the favor!  We all get along great, and usually have a lot of fun together.  Sometimes we've invited our other children and their families, too.

Ed and I decided to give the family a head start on their vacation, then join them the following day.  I felt like they needed some "family time", and two nights away from home is pretty much my limit.  I tend to miss my bed--among other things!

I guess it's a good thing we decided to join them when we did, because my daughter said that Madison got up the next morning, all sad and ready to go home!  She said that she missed cousin Cade, and she missed her toys!  It was the first time she and her family had been off alone together to spend the night!

Brandy explained to her that MiMi and E were coming to join them later that same day, to which Maddie quickly replied, "Good, then I'll have someone to play with!"  Of course, we all knew that she was referring to her old faithful "friend", "E".

While sitting on the beach later that same day, Madison saw an older fellow walking by, and said "Look at that old man!"  I told her not to say that, because the man couldn't help it because he was old.  Later I asked her if she thought "E" was old.  To which she quickly replied, "Don't talk about my friend!"  Whatever!

My daughter and I have often wondered just how Madison views her grandfather.  We think that she views him as another child, since they are always playing together!  I think she views me as an "old fart" because I'm not "into" playing much, and am usually the one who tries to keep the two them out of trouble!  It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it!

On the way home from vacation, all of us stopped at Wal-mart.  While we were checking out, I looked-- and there were Maddie and E, trying to step on each other's shoes--right in the middle of Wal-mart!  I stiffled my inner self, and didn't tell the two of them to stop.  I should have! 

Our next stop was Burger King.  Guess what happened there?!  The two of them started up their game of stepping on each other's feet--on the sidewalk in front of Burger King!  Guess who ended up with a skinned knee because of it?  Maddie did!  I knew I should've gotten on to those two "kids"!

It Looks Like A...

You may or may not remember that little grandson, Caden, is going to become a big brother in late December...and you may or may not remember that little Caden has said "the new baby can't come and live with them."

Well, last week, Christina was given an early "sneak peek" into the womb, via a sonogram, to see if the sex of the baby could be determined.  It was still a bit early, just over 16 weeks, and of course the baby wasn't really in the mood to "let it all hang out", but they said "it looks like a boy." instead of a positive, "it's a boy"!

I guess the idea of having a baby brother appeals to little Caden, because now he says "a baby brother can come and live with them."  I wonder if he will still feel the same way when he finds out the baby will be staying in his old room...

Baby brothers are nice, as are little grandsons...Can't wait until the next sonogram so we can hear someone say for sure..."It's a boy"!

She Worries About Her Looks...Oh My!

Our girl, Madison, is growing up.  A couple of recent incidents have given us a sneak peek into what we may be facing in the future.

The first incident happened during Madison's first session of Vacation Bible School.  At the end of the week, Madison brought home the crafts that she'd made during the week.  When she pulled out a framed photograph of herself, she began to cry.  She cried because she didn't like the way her photograph looked! 

I didn't witness this incident, but I was shocked when Madison's mom told me about it.  Since when does a four-year-old worry about taking a "bad picture"? 

The second incident happened at our house-- over a Wii game.  Madison refused to bowl because she didn't like the way her little person looked on our Wii!  She said "the eyes don't look right!"  Despite the fact that we changed "the eyes", she still didn't like the way she looked!  You've got to be kidding me!!  All of this drama over "looks" at age four? 

MiMi says..."Oh my!  These next twelve years may prove to be interesting."  Did you notice the photo of Madison at the top of this post?  Madison took it of herself...