Cloud Nine

Friday was a really nice day. Josh and his family were here again in the afternoon to swim, and then Reece stayed with us when they went home. I'm so glad he is over his cold! Having him here with us made life seem normal again.

We spent a lot of time playing with a pre-school workbook I picked up some time ago. This is the first time he has shown any interest in it. He loved looking at all the pictures in it. He did a bit of coloring, identified shapes, did some rhyming activities, and we talked about tallest, shortest, long and longer, top and bottom, in and out and other opposites.

But the thing he enjoyed most was finding all of the car pictures in the book and having me cut them out so that he could play with them. I have to cut them just so or he tells me "That's not right! Cut them right, Gramma!" We have a whole sandwich baggie filled with things we have drawn or found in ads and books that we have cut out. He loves to dump them out and look at them, and sometimes makes up stories and conversations with them. I love his imagination!

During the evening I took my little cap off (you just get tired of having something on your head all the time), and he was surprised by my mostly bald head. I still have some hair, but it is shaved short. He saw it when his daddy first shaved it, and liked it, but hasn't seen me since without a hat or cap. He didn't say anything for a couple of minutes, just looked at me with a serious face. Then he reached up, pulled my head down and kissed it! The child just makes me melt! Then he looked my face over carefully, touching my ears, my cheeks, my chin, nose and mouth. As he touched each part of my face, he said, "Gramma, I wike youah eahs, I wike youah nose, I wike youah cheeks---wheah are youah cheeks?" I touched them and he said, "Yes, I wike youah cheeks." Then he touched my mouth, which was smiling real big, and said, "And I wike youah happy face!" (I need that little Cloud 9 emoticon).

His great-gran was so happy to see him this morning when we went over there. She has been missing him, too, since she usually only sees him when he is with me. He stole her away and showed her all his little cut-outs and a car he took along. They took Teddy for a walk, along with Papa, and he had very pink cheeks when they got back. It's hot here!

He wanted McDonald's for lunch, so we stopped on the way back to his house and had lunch there. He got a Puss in Boots cat from the Shrek movie with his Happy Meal, but he really wanted the Donkey. There was one in a display case, and he wanted me to get it out of there for him. I told him that he may get the donkey next time.

He was content to be home when we dropped him off. And we will see him again tomorrow for the birthday celebration.

My sister Sandi called while we were at Josh's to say that she is coming to visit. So it is going to be an especially nice Memorial Day weekend! I'm looking forward to seeing her.

Ron and I stopped to get birthday gifts on the way home. We already got some things for Camryn last week, but had not shopped for anything for Aubrey. We got some toys and clothes for her, and we found a couple of things for Reece for his birthday in June. Toys R Us loves me. So does The Children's Place. :o)

Better get busy and get something done around here. My house is a bit messy for company tomorrow, and I think I'm making a birthday cake.