So, this week was her chance to come for her Days. We met on Thursday and went 'junking.' In other words, we were browsing in antique and consignment shops for treasures. We each have things which stand out to us - even when we are looking for something in particular. I'm always on the lookout for blue and white, for example. When junking with Lillie, one is made aware of every horse statue, horse painting, dish with a horse on it, or boots and riding hat. I guess it is all a matter of perspective and priorities.
When we got home that night, we had pizza for dinner, stayed up late watching a movie, and ate popcorn. There are just some things that you do when you go to grandparents' house. Staying up late and munching popcorn are some of those things.
Friday morning we made chocolate chip muffins for breakfast and Lillie slid and played in the rocks or tried to tease the kittens out to let her catch them. (I think at least one of the muffins went toward this effort.) Then, she had to give her little plastic horses a bath - rock play gets a little dusty. She also had to have a little snack.
Snack Time
Doesn't this look like a relaxing way to unwind and enjoy a snack? I just wish my body would pretzel around like this pose! It also looks like something other than the horses needed a little washing doesn't it?Later in the day we delivered a birthday present, bought some bug spray, and attended visitation at the funeral home. Late that afternoon we trekked back to Nan's (my sister-in-law, JoAnn) to go swimming. This was certainly the best part of the day.
When I stepped down the first step into the water, I had to pause and catch my breath because the water was so cold. However, it didn't seem to bother Lillie a bit. She dabbled on the steps till she worked up her courage. Then, she slipped into a floaty ring and paddled all round the pool, giggling and squealing with delight the entire time.
Cruising the pool
Another fun thing to do from time to time was to splash water at Mitty (JoAnn's dog) because she would snap at the droplets trying to catch them. I wasn't tenacious enough in my photography to catch this fun game in the act but if you look closely at the photo below you can see evidence of an eager audience in wait.
Splashing Game
Another person who got a little splash was Jim (my brother-in-law). He was working on the pump system of the pool, though, and wiping sweat. So, he didn't mind it a bit.
Plotting her splash...
We got quite a chuckle out of Lillie's commentary at times. She informed us that at home she can put her face in the water because she has goggles. She cannot swim underwater, though, because she needs a 'snarfle.' At one point she was paddling toward the steps and said she needed to get back to the surface. Our biggest laugh came when she jumped off the steps and forgot that she had taken the floaty ring off. She went underwater and came up sputtering and gasping and blinking and grasping for the wall. As soon as she regained her composure, she informed JoAnn and me that she "drowned!" Then she added, "just a little bit, though," before she stepped into the floaty ring and splashed back into the water.
Smiles and fun!
After about an hour of swimming, her teeth were chattering. She claimed she wasn't a bit cold in spite of the fact that she was covered in goose bumps. At any rate, I had her get out and wrap up in her towel, promising that we would try to come back for a dip the next day.
We bathed and went to McDonald's for some chicken nuggets - she ate over half of a 20-piece dinner! I guess swimming worked up a big appetite. I know it also made us tired. So, we simply read a book and sacked out.
Saturday dawned and we enjoyed more muffins out on the deck. Then, Lillie slipped into the house and put her swimsuit on so she would be ready. After a couple of hours, I gave in and off we went to the Ozburn Shores again. This trip promised even more fun and excitement because Nan was already in the pool!
Lillie and Nan making sure the waves are sparkly.
After JoAnn finished vacuuming, they spent a little time making waves, racing across the pool, picking up diving rings with their toes, and simply socializing and relaxing. Our niece, Julie, joined in the fun a bit. Of course, she didn't seem to want to join swiftly enough to suit Lillie. Julie eased down the steps one-by-one, catching her breath from the cold-shock little by little. Lillie remembered a ball she had in the truck which would float, so she fetched it and they played a little game she made up called splash ball. Julie informed her that it was really more like droplet ball due to the small size of the ball. (I think it was originally Barbie's beach ball.) Julie taught her some cool tricks to splash water with a pump sprayer thingy and a noodle. Mostly for Lillie, though, just having time to kick around and splash was quite enough.
Splishing and Splashing
When we got back to the house, Lillie had just enough time to tease the kittens and tell them goodbye before we loaded up her suitcase and left to meet her mother. I think she had a full visit and appreciated the peacefulness of not answering to her parents or having her little sister interfering. However, she informed me that she might need to come along with Lydia when it is her turn - just so she could take care of her in the swimming pool and make her not be afraid. Isn't that thoughtful of her?
Today it is awfully quiet around here. No jabberbox to show me the world and inform me of how it all works. No peppering of questions. No creative ideas for decorating or multi-purposing things like napkin rings as game pieces. No excited announcements about kittens allowing petting. The sounds and actions after a breakfast cooked by the master chef (Mike) include only some old western movie on the TV, soft snores emitted from the recliner, and the soft drips of rain.
We did enjoy Lillie's Days. I think she did, too!
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