Friday, Saturday... It's already Sunday?
It was difficult to leave Omaha, even knowing the little girls were waiting at home. JA and I had to make a few more "bridges" and LE got lots of neck nuzzles.
CA dragged me away just after 9:30am and we started the long (7+ hours) drive home. Well, with Sirius satellite radio and a good book it's not as long as it used to be. CA doesn't mind driving, but after about 4 hours I take the wheel. I always find driving on I-80 a good time to catch up with friends via cellphone... à la Maria Shriver.
My excuse is that CA is riding shotgun and will keep us safe!
Two little girls jump into our arms when we walk into the kitchen at home. There is even more activity here than in Omaha! DM picks up Chinese food from King Wok in CL and we FEAST! KF adores her PaPa--he gets lots of hugs and love. LG has a long list of ideas, including Candy Land, and "Did you bring presents?"
Good question. Uh-no. That one slipped by me. Then I remember Cinderlily was delivered just before we left for Omaha, so I pull that out and we sit in the corner chair, cuddled up, and read. LG points to a flower on each page to indicate which one she is and which one is me... Throughout the evening, she tells me at least twice, "I really love you, grandma." Sigh...
Saturday I kidnap MK and leave the two guys in charge of the two little girls. CA will make his signature spaghetti sauce, and we will bring home the Panera baguettes and salad makings. We take our time through Home Goods, rush through Toys R Us (shuddering the whole time, over-stimulated), and breeze through Trader Joe's before deciding to eat at Sonic Drive In. My first time. MK has never experienced the car hops on roller skates, so we opt to eat in the car with the serving tray hanging from the window. I love the Limeade! Even the diet version is yummy.
We finish off our afternoon with a trip to Costco where we buy lots of fruit and vegetables, tons of cheese, olive oil, and misc. groceries. Why is it that Toys R Us is overwhelming and over-stimulating, but Costco is just fun?
We do a take on the salad that E and L made for us on Halloween--mixed greens, fresh pears, walnuts, and goat cheese, dressed with a honey mustard-balsamic vinaigrette. Yum! The little girls help prepare the baguettes and the walnuts for the oven, while DM sets the table, and CA finishes up the Bolognese sauce.
AH-H-H... A great meal, enjoyed by all. LG and I read through the American Girl catalog where she again decides on each page which doll is her and which doll is me. KF sticks her little elfin head in every so often to point to something on a page and babble a bit of nonsensical English or Slovak or her own special language.
Sunday morning before CA and I are even out of our room, MK video conferences with her parents in Slovakia and the little girls dress up in about six different outfits to show off on the video monitor. Bobi, their Slovak grandmother, has made pot de crème au chocolat (Slovak version) and KF runs downstairs to DM and asks for a spoon. She races back to the computer not realizing she can't just dip into the hot chocolate pudding that is in her grandma's Bratislava kitchen.
Saturday I kidnap MK and leave the two guys in charge of the two little girls. CA will make his signature spaghetti sauce, and we will bring home the Panera baguettes and salad makings. We take our time through Home Goods, rush through Toys R Us (shuddering the whole time, over-stimulated), and breeze through Trader Joe's before deciding to eat at Sonic Drive In. My first time. MK has never experienced the car hops on roller skates, so we opt to eat in the car with the serving tray hanging from the window. I love the Limeade! Even the diet version is yummy.
We finish off our afternoon with a trip to Costco where we buy lots of fruit and vegetables, tons of cheese, olive oil, and misc. groceries. Why is it that Toys R Us is overwhelming and over-stimulating, but Costco is just fun?
We do a take on the salad that E and L made for us on Halloween--mixed greens, fresh pears, walnuts, and goat cheese, dressed with a honey mustard-balsamic vinaigrette. Yum! The little girls help prepare the baguettes and the walnuts for the oven, while DM sets the table, and CA finishes up the Bolognese sauce.
AH-H-H... A great meal, enjoyed by all. LG and I read through the American Girl catalog where she again decides on each page which doll is her and which doll is me. KF sticks her little elfin head in every so often to point to something on a page and babble a bit of nonsensical English or Slovak or her own special language.
CA and I tune in to Menlo Park Presbyterian Church for a message, while DM+MK take the little girls to church and Sunday School. Everyone is on their own for lunch as we have Chinese leftovers and spaghetti and lots of pears and Clementines, and some spinach-artichoke dip with grilled pita. Unbelievable chaos ensues--just another normal day!
Our gorgeous Indian Summer weather is disappearing. It is overcast on both Saturday and Sunday, while the temperatures are still mild. Some people have put up their Christmas lights and we know that ice and cold are not far away. While I'm excited about Thanksgiving and Christmas and all the wonder and joy we will share with our little girls and squishy little guy, it's hard to be ready to say goodbye to beauty of Autumn.
By dinner time LG has decided she owns the Clementines and while she offers to share one with me, once it is peeled she insists that we break it into sections and make a communal pile to nibble from. Before long the Clementine sections are covered with her napkin, and when I make comment, she secretes them next to her on her chair. I give up--these particular sections of Clementine have too many fingerprints on them for my enjoyment.
CA and I leave just after 6:00pm for Small Group and have a wonderful time catching up with friends. JS hosts and leads our study on being thankful. She suggests that we each think of an event that first seemed hard or disastrous, and now in hindsight we can share our thankfulness. What a wonderful way to be reminded of God's faithfulness and sufficiency, and that His ways are best for us.
By dinner time LG has decided she owns the Clementines and while she offers to share one with me, once it is peeled she insists that we break it into sections and make a communal pile to nibble from. Before long the Clementine sections are covered with her napkin, and when I make comment, she secretes them next to her on her chair. I give up--these particular sections of Clementine have too many fingerprints on them for my enjoyment.
CA and I leave just after 6:00pm for Small Group and have a wonderful time catching up with friends. JS hosts and leads our study on being thankful. She suggests that we each think of an event that first seemed hard or disastrous, and now in hindsight we can share our thankfulness. What a wonderful way to be reminded of God's faithfulness and sufficiency, and that His ways are best for us.
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