Tuesday, July 3, 2018

What We Did Today


Well, the dress I made for Ms. Magnolia June is obviously too big but she doesn't seem to care.
Her visit went very well. She didn't fuss at all except for once when she fell and once when Maurice scratched her (I warned the child) and once when, after cuddling and singing and book-reading for about an hour last night I finally gave up and put her in her bed and walked away.
Luckily for Maggie her grandfather came in and took her out of bed and held her awhile and then put her back in her bed and stayed in the room with her until until she fell asleep.
That child does love to cuddle. And does it in a very comfortable manner, somehow. She woke up at four and I just brought her back to our bed because four o'clock in the morning is not a time when I'm prepared to do sleep training.
Okay. I'm never prepared to do sleep training, never was and never will be.
But she cuddled up to me and made me put my arm under her curly head and we slept pretty well.

She's just such a gorgeous child. And she's a busy child. She was so well-behaved and if she wanted to do something that I did not want her to do (eat chocolate) she would ask why about five times and I'd carefully explain why (because she had a piece in her mouth as she was asking why) and then she'd go on to the next thing.


Here she is eating first breakfast. Blueberries and peaches. 
She really didn't eat but a few bites. And then she asked for yogurt. And she ate one bite of that. And then she wanted bacon and eggs and I cooked one piece of bacon and scrambled two of little Violet's eggs and we split that and she ate it all up and wanted more eggs. 
So I scrambled her a Dottie egg and she ate every bite of that too. 


She loves her babies. She plays with them a lot, carefully putting them into bed with pillows and covers and kissing each of them good-night. She's a good little mama. 
So there was baby-playing and there was chicken and goat-feeding but it was already so hot and so buggy and miserable outside that we cut all of that pretty short although we did go pick the squash in the garden.


Isn't that a beautiful picture? She insisted on carrying all three of those summer squashes. She kept dropping one and I kept offering to help but no, she would not let me and made it all the way up to the kitchen with them and put them gently in the refrigerator when I opened it up for her. 

We had a bath last night and I say "we" because she wanted me to get in with her and I did which was quite a merry experience. We laughed and laughed. But today she wanted another bath and I could not think of one reason in the world not to let her get in that big tub. 


I didn't get in this time but still, there was quite a bit of fun to be had. She washed my arm with a lot of bubbles and this made her so happy. I pretended to be indignant but she knew I was just being silly. And then she had a shower because...bubbles...and then she wanted to get back in the tub and I said, "Sure!" 
This time with no bubbles, just fish and mermaid activities. 

We did laundry and she helped me fill up the washer and I showed her which buttons to push and she did. She wanted to do the big alphabet floor puzzle and so we did that. 
Three times. Well, three and a half. 


Magnolia is a very industrious child. She played with blocks and the magnet toys and rubber bands, too. And also, the old Fisher Price lap desk that Hank got at the flea market for Owen because he'd had one when he was a little boy and he loved it. 


Maggie sings all day long as she goes about her activities. Mostly the alphabet song and the finger family song and she has an amazing ability to carry a tune for a child her age and sometimes she makes up her own lyrics. I think she may have a bit of a gift there. 

I realize, looking at these pictures that she seems so serious in all of them. And she was, actually, because she was working at one thing or another in almost all of them. As it's been said many times, play is a child's work and I believe that. I didn't really get involved with a lot of it unless she asked me to and it was so interesting, watching how she flowed organically from one activity to another. But we did have lots of silly laughing time too.
So it all went well and I got some way overdue Mer and Maggie time. Gibson was staying with his darling Lenore and so Lily and Jason got to make the long drive to camp and back concentrating on the eldest son. 


You think Lily was glad to get her big boy back? 
When they got here to pick up Maggie, she didn't know who to hug first, her brother or her mama or her daddy. She didn't ask for her mama once while she was here but when she finally got to see her again, she was delighted. 
And Owen reports that he had the VERY BEST TIME and he did everything from archery to fishing to swimming to...well, everything. Doesn't he look happy in that picture? 
I asked him if he'd been glad to see his mom and dad though, and he said yes. But I don't think he spent any time crying in his pillow. 

When their car pulled out of the driveway and I was all alone again, I will admit that it felt good. There is a reason that sixty-four year old women don't have babies, even if those babies are so very well-behaved. And of course I didn't do anything crazy like attempting a trip to the grocery store with my granddaughter. We just hung out in the AC and played with stuff. 

Jessie and Vergil and August and Levon are home and I better get to see them tomorrow because they've been gone too long. When Jessie texted me on Sunday that they were coming home on Monday I said, "Good. Because I'm done being nice about it."
That's so mean. 
Families have to share. It's in the contract. And the handbook. 

Lord, don't I have a blessing-full of grandbabies?

Yes. Yes I do. 

And I think we will all sleep well tonight. 

Love...Ms. Moon




21 comments:

  1. What a delightful tale of a day with your granddaughter. I have four precious grandsons but no granddaughter. The picture of Maggie with the squash is breathtaking. What a child. And what a grandmother. Thanks for sharing. Becky

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    1. Oh, how I hope you get a granddaughter one day! It's a whole different ball game. I'm not sure why, but it is.

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  2. Oh I love this. All of it. Owen looks so happy.

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    1. Owen WAS happy. He really was. He had a fabulous time.

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  3. This is a wonderful post. I was happy for Maggie and Owen and for you.

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  4. You kept up very well with Maggie. I think that in her heart she did not want to leave her Granny. I can not imagine having babies around , especially at this age. You do have stamina. Of course it would be silly to say , having looked at that baby girl- that any of it was a chore!

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    1. Oh, that little girl was very happy to go home with her mama. She loves Lily so much. I was proud just to know that she didn't cry for her when she was gone.
      It is harder now to take care of the littles than it used to be. But I manage.

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  5. That photo of Maggie with the squash ~ be still my heart! She is absolutely precious...and the one of Owen with his mom & dad after a fantastic camp experience ~ priceless. Faces all around testament to one very special extended family..shining sparkling Moonbeams!

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    1. I love that picture of Magnolia. It was just a lucky shot. I really wanted to get that feeling of determination she had and I think I did. She's just so darn beautiful that it's hard to take a bad picture of her.
      And wasn't Owen happy? And weren't his parents happy to have him back?

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  6. What a thing it was to see the potatoes bobbing about in the little pot; to peep at the squash getting soft so fast in the tiny steamer; to whisk open the oven door every five minutes to see how the pies got on, and at last when the coals were red and glowing, to put two real steaks on a finger-long gridiron and proudly turn them with a fork.

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    1. Yes, yes, yes. So much Daisy here. You've made me a little weepy. I love you so much.

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  7. I really can't believe the cuteness factor of Magnolia June. It's all so much -- you and your grandbabies -- but not too much. You are all so lucky to have one another.

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  8. she is a beauty. and that hair! I'm glad I was much younger when my grandkids were little.

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    1. Phew. It would be easier if I were ten years younger. But it is what it is and I'm lucky that I'm still young enough to mostly keep up.

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  9. what a perfect day you had and how beautiful is that Magnolia June! The face of a thousand expressions....... and I love the dress (especially the *rick rack*).....she will grow into it in no time at all- it's SO much cuteness
    Susan M

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    1. Rick Rack is the cure for many a sewing ill. It's just so cheerful.

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  10. Maggie is the cutest child and she looks adorable in that dress. Your description of busy flow reminds me of my daughter at her age. Such concentration and engagement with ordinary things pressed into imaginary play. It was lovely and peaceful to watch. Now my son, his busyness was another matter entirely. Peaceful was NOT the word.

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  11. I think the dress turned out really well! If it's too big, that's a good thing, because she'll grow into it -- right? I love the squash picture.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.