Happy spring (I think). Actually, as I am sitting here writing this, it’s about 40 degrees outside, overcast and very, very windy. Yuck. Have I mentioned how sick I am of this weather? Yesterday was amazing. Sunny and about 65 degrees. Bipolar weather conditions-just what we need. OK, enough whining!
The focus of this entry will be our trip down to Mountain Home to see Grandma and UB for Easter, and also Mark’s 52nd birthday gathering.
We took off for Arkansas early in the morning the Friday before Easter hoping that we’d avoid the winter storm that had already gotten a headstart on us. Carrie and Kyle had already begun their treck down to Golf Shores, Alabama where they would meet up with several other families from Whitewater to enjoy spring break together. We drove through the snow until we reached the Chicago area where we had some relatively decent traveling weather for a while. Shortly after crossing over the border into Missouri, though, things got a little more complicated. Many of you are aware of the flooding that occured down south due to all the precipitation that fell in March. Well, we basically ran right into that. The route we normally take through Missouri and into Arkansas was completely flooded, so we had to take a more circuitous route on a two lane highway. Us and every other traveler that day, it seemed. What would typically take us ten hours took us FOURTEEN! Although Žofia slept very little, she was a real trooper and managed to stay in a good mood for almost the entire trip. I think she really enjoyed her lunch at the Cracker Barrel, but I could be wrong. I’m basing that opinion on the fact that she wolfed down a huge plate of chicken and dumplins-using both hands-in about five minutes flat. It was the highlight of the trip down there.
Once we finally got to Grandma’s house it was around 9:15 pm. Z was asleep by 9:30! The next day grandma helped Z get her Easter eggs decorated and Žofia spent the rest of the day chasing Holly (brother David’s dog who Grandma and UB are taking care of) around the house while we chased her. Holly is not a social dog and does not like children very much. Žofia is a very social child who loves dogs. You’ll have no problem visualizing the the scenario which repeated itself over and over again throughout our week long stay. Finally, by the end of the week, Holly began to tolerate Žo-kind of.
The highlights of the week included Žofia’s successful completion of her first official Easter egg hunt, Mark waking his mom, Žofia, and me up the day after Easter by whipping us with a homemade korbač and spraying us with a super soaker water gun (see previous blog entry for a detailed explanation), visiting Lurch at the animal refuge, our dinner out at the Mexican restaurant while Gerda babysat, Elks hamburger night, the near 80 degree day at the park, and finally our visit with all of Gram’s friends at the hospital. Now for the pictures:
Today is Mark’s 52nd birthday, though he has the body of a twenty year old (NOT FAIR!)- still going for long runs and lifting more weight than ever before-and a mind still sharp as a tack. We helped him celebrate yesterday by having dinner here and just kicking back and talking. Žofia kept everyone entertained with her usual theatrical tricks. Mark spent much of the afternoon with Žofka at Trippe Lake while I prepped for the gathering. It was a perfect ending to a lovely day.
I’ll leave you today with a pictoral answer to this question:
What happens when a toddler recognizes herself as a conscious being? Check out the look of wonderment on her face. Priceless!
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