We had to say "goodbye for now" to Mimi today. She is flying back to Ohio as I write. She arrived Wednesday night and stayed four days. Special outings were on the agenda each day and we kept busy - she was gracious enough to keep up, help corral kids, and even give Sweet Man and me an evening out.
(He gets extra days off after a certain number on and these coincided with Mimi's visit.)
That first night, we all indulged in a dinner out, but with two kids who had been in the car most of the afternoon, we should have gone with a different plan. Oh well.
Thursday was Bean's 3rd birthday. It started with finding her birthday balloons as she woke up, then out to the table to find her birthday crown flanked by a banner on the wall. Mimi had presents at the ready - sweet bracelet and necklace with cupcake charms. Nothing like jewelry before breakfast. The celebration subsided as we continued a "normal" day - although this was the first day with Daddy where we didn't plan to hustle off to church. We packed up a lunch and walked to the playground. Bean had to wear her crown and her "new" pink cowgirl boots (Goodwill score!)
After the playground, the girls headed to the mall for Bean's big gift - Build a Bear - I had no idea what we were getting into. She really wanted a Hannah Montana bear she had spotted in the window a week ago, even though her exposure to the teen phenom has been limited. She wanted "girl with the 2 'kitars' (guitars) and the 2 'der-esses' (dresses.)" As we walked down the wall to
choose the doll "skin," Bean would point and tell us which she wanted and when we picked up the unstuffed animal, she didn't approve. She didn't quite understand that the stuffing was the next step. We whittled down the armsful of accessories she gathered and decided on a Hello Kitty with a tasteful sundress, matching shoes, and one Hannah Montana "kitar." After a dinner of quesadillas and cilantro rice (and wine for Mimi and me,) we celebrated with more presents (a pink digital camera and Cinderella Polly Pocket thingy.) With cake and ice cream, we capped off a good birthday that left Bean very self-absorbed and Bug a bit forlorn that he has to wait 3 more weeks for his day.
Friday, we went to the Children's Museum of Houston. Our Works membership was good for all of us - another score! It was a very pleasant visit - we saw everything we wanted and left before exhaustion took hold - there was only a bit of crumpling and crying, mostly about who had the pink digital camera. It was sunny, but chilly, especially in the outdoor water area. Home for naps.
Saturday was a trip back to Brazos Bend State Park - this time with Mimi and Sweet Man. We hiked a mile around a lake - saw a few gators, egrets, and turtles, then ate a picnic lunch next to the playground. It was chilly with the wind. Home for naps. Later, we ventured out for dinner at Nick's Italian Restaurant in Richmond - yum! And no catastrophes!
Today we took Mimi to River Pointe Church http://riverpointe.org/
- the church we've attended the last three weeks. We all really like it and may try to drive back to attend even after we move to the other side of Houston (next Saturday.) Then a tour of our favorite parks in Sugar Land (72 degrees!!!,) lunch at Panera, naps ( ; ) and off to the airport. It did cross my mind to sneak Bean's Hannah Montana "kitar" into Mimi's suitcase - ugh!
Great four day weekend (with adult companions) - and tomorrow life is back to normal, except we'll be packing to move into an extended stay hotel in Pasadena, TX (closer to Galveston.)
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