"It's really, really big. It's gargantuan"
"It's nice to say please when you want something"
"Pester is when you annoy and bother someone over and over"
"It is helpful to be kind and give to others"
The italicized words are just a few of the vocabulary words the girls have learned by playing the game, Endless Alphabet. They use letters to build words, words to build sentences and then watch a short animation that explains the meaning of the word. While most of what they repeat is memorization, it sure is exciting when we hear them use one of the words in everyday conversation.
We arrived at our destination where Ava was treated to a donut and hot chocolate. It's a good thing I wasn't in a hurry because that girl takes FOREVER to choose a confection. At our second stop, Ava was offered a balloon. She happily chose blue and then said, "purple one for Mia". How heartwarming it was to witness this moment of thoughtfulness.
In the afternoon, it was Mia's turn for some one-on-one time. We picked up a few things from Target and then stopped for her treat of choice, ice cream. She chose vanilla and topped it with m&m's, strawberries and a few chocolate chips. We chatted as she did her best to ensure an m&m with every bite. As I was bundling her up to return to the car, I said, " it's too cold outside". She looked at me and said, "it's three cold outside". In her world, three always comes after two (or too, in this case).
Oh, how I love these little moments. It takes a little longer and always ends up costing just a bit more to take the girls along with me, but it sure is worth the effort.
Our weekend was completed by a trip to the theater to see a live performance of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other Eric Carle Favorites. Our girls LOVED it. They were quite well behaved which inspired me to take advantage of yesterday's free admission to the Science Center. I knew half of Cleveland would probably have the same idea, so I made sure we left early enough to arrive right when it opened. The line to get in to the attached parking garage was quite long, so I decided to brave the weather and park on the street. I did my best to quickly push Mia and Ava with one hand while holding a bundled baby in the other. A lovely couple offered to push the stroller for me, which I happily accepted. There is nothing better than kindness. Once again, I was asked if it was my job to babysit, to which I replied, "no, they're all mine". Looks of shock and awe, I tell ya.
We made it into the building, I took a deep breathe and prepared myself for whatever chaos three against one was going to bring. Thankfully, the girls were cooperative and we made it to the preschool area before it got too crowded. Mia, Ava, and Eliana were all smiles and I only experienced one minor moment of panic when the two older girls took off in opposite directions. By the time we were ready to leave this area, I was surprised to find a line at least 100 people long to get in. It was getting difficult to maneuver through the crowds, so I decided we'd eat lunch and then head home. As we walked to the car, I noticed the line to get in the garage was twice as long as it had been earlier. At that point, I kind of felt bad that I contributed to the crowd. Although I enjoy a deal as much as the next person, maybe it would have been more considerate to stay home. I'm sure for some families this was their only opportunity to experience the Science Center. Next time, we'll stay home so there's just a little more room for them.
The last three days with our girls were happiness.
P.S. Eliana slept through the night last night for the first time in what feels like forever.
Making memories! I've noticed that our daughter-in-law, Holly, made sure to take her children out, even when very small. I do think that training really helps them to learn how to behave when in public. Good for you taking Mia and Ava individually. I remember even with 3 singletons, there was a period of time that it was difficult to get them one on one.
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