When Daddy's Away...

It's not often that Daddy has to go away for work, but when he does we miss him a lot. Last week, Joe spent three nights in Arkansas. On the first night, the girls and I (and Ollie) held down the fort by ourselves.  I'm not sure how I made it through that day with those little sad puppy dog eyes following me around the house. We all miss Joe, but Oliver acts like Joe will never come home. It takes him a full twenty four hours to even start eating again when Joe leaves.

"What did you do with him, Mom?"

In case you think I'm exaggerating...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5V0I5Hh9sQ

While Daddy was away, we held any schedule loosely and went with the flow, which meant an extra long bedtime with lots of stories! Ella insists on reading us at least one story (in addition to the others we read) every night before bed. She is also really loving the "If You Give a Mouse" series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnZaah0dQ04

Who doesn't love the smell of a hot rotisserie chicken from the grocery store?  When I bring one home for dinner, I can't keep little fingers from picking at it before it's time to eat. Oliver follows the bag around even if he can't see it.  I think it might be his favorite doggy treat. So, that is why I laughed out loud when I walked into the kitchen after dinner to find him strategically laying in the most awkward spot just so he was directly underneath the leftovers.

Thankfully we weren't alone for long! Grammy came to stay with us for two nights. Having an extra set of hands around was really helpful, but we especially enjoyed her company! (Thanks Grammy!!) The girls love when Grammy reads them books from her Kindle.

Oliver missed Joe, but by day two he was pretty happy to take advantage of the perks that came with Joe being gone. Ollie was more than willing to keep Joe's spot warm while he was away.

While Abby was at dance camp, Ella and I had a Barnes and Nobles date with Grammy.

After lunch and a little rest, we headed to a nearby splash pad. We all welcomed the refreshing cool down.

Nothing says summer like these faces.

And just like that, it was time to pick Daddy up from the airport. We spent the rest of the afternoon together, taking turns talking his ear off and filling him in on all that he missed. We couldn't have been happier to have him home with us again.

He's home! He's home! (Look at that tail wagging.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN2JabneJoM

The next day, Aunt Cyncy came for the weekend. We had planned her visit a few months before we knew Joe was going to be away, but thankfully he was able to make it back in time. Our weekend was packed with fun activities, starting with our traditional trip to Joe's Crab Shack for some crab and special desserts.

One of the main reasons for Aunt Cyncy's visit was for her to "cash in" her Christmas gift from us, which was a promised trip to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's home and presidential museum. It was a beautiful day to take a trip to the Hudson Valley and enjoy the national park. We toured his home and museum and finished up our time with a yummy lunch in Uncle Sam's Canteen.

It was fun to see the girls try to understand the significance of what we were doing. While so many of the facts were above their heads, they were both pretty fascinated by the history they could understand. They asked lots of questions and processed lots of information like:

• What is a president?
• Elevators used to be operated with a hand operated pulley system and old wheelchairs were wooden. (Abby's favorite part of the trip.) 
• Ella: Mommy, are we going to die? M: ...at some point...yes. Why? E: Because I want people to come see our house when we die and not be able to touch things. Can I put one of those ropes in front of my room? I want them to see my house, but I don't want them to touch my stuff because it's mine.
• They both saw the bed where FDR's mother gave birth to him. That sparked some interesting conversation about why they didn't go to the hospital to get the baby out. 
• Ella observed every part of the house and museum with the question, "is this the (car, room, desk, bed) of the boy who died? 
• Abby was affirmed in her desire to never leave home when she grows up and gets married because FDR, Eleanor and their many children continued living with his mother as their family grew. 
• What is a war? Why would people want to throw bombs? 
• Wait, this used to be what telephones looked like? 

Proof that it really is never to early to spark curiosity and a desire to learn. Though the girls were on the younger side, they really enjoyed the day too! Our trip was a reminder to us that often the best gifts are the ones that give us lasting memories together. :)

The next morning, Abby lost tooth #2! 

On Sunday afternoon, it was Ella's turn for her birthday gift from Aunt Cyncy, making her very own Build-a-Bear. Ella has been waiting so patiently since her sister's birthday in January and her built up excitement made the experience that much more fun. She chose a colorful bear and named her "Hearts".

Abby brought Glitter along to meet her new friend, Hearts. The Build-a-Bear worker even gave Abby a new box and some hairbows for Glitter. It was a sweet time.

After a good rest, Aunt Cyncy made one of Abby's dreams come true with her first ride in a red convertible. Abby always tells us that when she is old enough to have her own car, she would like a convertible and a minivan. Her smile says it all.

Thanks for coming, Aunt Cyncy! :) 

Now the countdown is on...only six weeks to go...