Well, hello there. I haven’t blogged in a while and I’ve missed you. How are you?
My friend, Shanda, and her 8 year-old daughter, Gracie, flew in from Oklahoma last Sunday and stayed until yesterday. We had so much fun! Our adventure started out with a spontaneous drive into DC from the airport to show Gracie the historical landmarks she is learning about in school. “Yeah, sure!” I said to Shanda when she asked me if I knew how to get there. I’ve lived right outside of DC for 33 years, of course I know my way around.
Uh-huh.
I was feeling oh-so confident as we drove over the Roosevelt Bridge and spotted the Big Pencil, as Gracie called it, and the Lincoln Memorial. But that’s all we ended up seeing on our big tour of the city. I missed an exit somewhere and then recovered with a bunch of right turns. After a series of frantic cell phone calls to my mother for directions, we gave up. Yeah, uh, it was time to go anyway. Nothing else to see here, Gracie.
We laughed for 5 days straight (I gave us plenty of material to laugh about while I was driving and making u-turns all week). Shanda has been one of my closest and dearest friends and she has that power over me to make me burst out into laughter or into tears. Often at the same time. It’s crazy how our lives have paralleled even though we have lived in different parts of the country since we were in high school. We are both adoptive moms who are in love with our kids. And we both have a child who is a “More”, as we say (a reference to the book, Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka).
In other words, Max and Gracie have a lot in common and they kept us extremely busy and entertained. And when their spirited personalities took front and center stage and caused a commotion, it was nice to have a fellow More Mom who completely understood the process we go through to calm down or redirect them.
I took notes from Shanda the whole time. She is an awesome mom and she has definitely read that book.
Here are some pictures of our “Mores” – they were so funny!
Two kids who have no fear whatsoever
Visiting Boyds Bear Country in Gettysburg, PA
We did a Photo Scavenger Hunt to keep things exciting – which totally worked!
A giant bear! Take a picture! Take a picture! We found the giant bear!
It wasn’t long until the excitement wore off a bit
Here’s a peek into the way Max thinks: he said to me “Mommy, take a picture of this! I replied, “what? the Santa?” and he answered, “no! the chair with little brown squares”.
We added “chair with little brown squares” to our scavenger hunt list and checked it off.
One day we went to our favorite one-hour energy burning hang-out, Open Gym
Gracie loved it, too!
Gracie also loved Mini and she was such a big helper to me.
Shanda and Mini bonded, too, and it was so sweet
Speaking of Mini, Shanda and Gracie got to see the transformation of her sitting up with the help of her Boppy
to sitting up all by herself!
Thanks for a great visit, Shanda! I already miss you!
Sitting up?! Way to go, Mini!
I would have missed seeing the brown squares for the Santa Claus myself.
And that looks like a very cool playground.
Fun!! It’s always so great to catch up with old friends and know that no matter how much time has passed since you were together, you pick right back up on the same exact spot.
I visited a college friend a few years after college who had moved just outside of D.C. I was staying a few days and had sent her pages and pages of things I wanted to do and she reminded me there was no way we’d squeeze it all in, though she’d do her best. What an amazing place and it’s just so “MUCH”!! We did do a ton of it though and I want to go back someday, but I can’t imagine going without my own personal tour guide like she was. That place is crazy!!
We had a Boyd’s Bear Country in Pigeon Forge, TN where we visit often each year. It was a favorite stop on our trips for me, man I loved that place!!!! Sadly, it closed year before last after just a handful of years remaining open. I was devastated. (Though I did really rack up the deals on that last trip when things were on clearance!)
Fun fun fun post!!
Oh and although, not yet a parent though waiting, I think that book might be a wise choice for me with teaching preschool. I always have one or two “more” children in my classroom and this year looks like a huge handful. It might prove a good read for me.
What fun! Was hoping your absence was an indication of some great time you were having! You were missed though!
I was wondering where you had gone.
Glad you had a fun week with your friend! And yay for Mini sitting up all by herself!!!
Look at Mini!
What a great week with a friend too.
I love those moms who “get” my kid!
I oh so need to read that book!!!! Glad you had so much fun with a friend! I have been scarce too….just returned from Guatemala!
Oh, how fun! I bet your “mis” adventure was more fun than those silly monuments, anyway.
I can’t believe how big (and beautiful) the baby is. Time goes by so quickly.
Wow Anna, I am so happy for you. No really, I am so happy you and Shanda had such a good time. I am not jealous at all. Nope, not at all. I am so glad you all got to hang out and laugh while I was working and hoping to read about it from Texas. No, I’m not having flash backs to when I was in elementary school and the two of you were in junior high and got to do cool things like crank call Robbie B. and wear really cool matching outfits with pegged jeans and mismatched socks. Nope, not still jealous. Not at all. I wanted to go to Acteen Camp, but no, I was not one of you cool junior highers! Just kidding (sort of) I’m glad Shanda got to meet Mini, and that you all made it out of D.C. alive.
Saturday I told one of my best friends about Mini. We came on your blog and she absolutly LOVED her. Anyway, she told me that Mini was a blessing, and you know what? That made me think about you guys. How much I love and miss you!!!!!!!!! Tell everyone I said hi, espcially Mini! And be sure to tell them that I love them!
I’m still trying not to cry everytime I think about you and your precious family! We had such a wonderful time and I keep telling Jason how much I wish we lived closer. You are an awesome wife and mother and everything I want to be when I grow up!
I was wondering if Max would be available to come to Gracie’s school and give a speech on how to deal with bullies.haha! I also think you need to blog about Max’s philosophy on how to make a girl fall in love with you. Be sure to add the picture of him in his tie!
Love you my dear friend!
Shanda