FALL TEXAS TRIP: Day 13

This might have been Day 13 of our fall Texas trip, but it was actually Day ONE of our grandparenting adventure here in Austin. Sabrina and Andrew packed their bags first thing in the morning ... thankfully (!) they were here first thing in the morning when Jackson got bit by a scorpion (ouch!) and were able to soothe and doctor him up before he was dropped off at the bus stop. Don't worry. Scorpions here in Austin are not deadly. They are actually quite little too ... maybe 1/2" in length (I've seen TWO of them!).

They drove down the driveway a little after 9:00, heading to Galveston and then to the Gulf of Mexico and ... I'm not even sure where! Hopefully, they will be free from hurricanes out there in the beautiful blue sea, right?

Olivia had been up for school since 5:00 a.m. and was driven to school by Andrew. She has early band practice every Monday morning. Jackson was safely in school ... so that just left Karis ... and US! We decided to begin our morning painting pretty pictures.

... in between doing grandpa and grandma's laundry ... Karis was a very willing helper ...

We each painted two pictures and had such a nice time talking together ...

After we painted, we decided to make mommy and daddy some nice sticker cards. When we were finished, we put them upstairs on Sabrina's dressser to welcome her home.

Karis was very proud of her card for mommy ...

And then she helped grandpa switch out the laundry from the washer to the dryer ... she was giving us instructions as to how to use the machines ... not a shy bone in her body! She is extremely outgoing and confident.

We ate a yummy lunch. Karis had a small piece of our grandparent cookie cake for dessert. She really really liked the GREEN frosting. And then we got her cleaned up, brushed our teeth, grabbed a story book and after we read it, we tucked Karis in for just a tiny nap. She said she wasn't one single bit tired, but it would be OK if we wanted her to just rest for a little tiny bit. This was at 12:30. We had to wake her up at 3:00 so that we could all walk down to the bus stop to pick Jackson up from school!

Jackson came tearing off the bus at about 90 mph, glad to see us, ready to have some fun with his old grandfolks! It felt like it was about 110 degrees walking home, but it was only a very very humid 94. Karis said it felt like it was 88/4 degrees to her ... REALLY hot!

We checked Jackson's school work, watched over him as he did his homework, ate a nice dinner together, and then played for awhile. Olivia wasn't due home until very late. Grandpa Jones was scheduled to pick her up over at the high school at about 8:30 tonight. She had MORE band practice after school!

We enjoyed an exciting game of CandyLand (I was amazed to find that it's still a VERY endless game ... unless the cards are shuffled just right ... the game can potentially go on ... FOREVER).

We played for awhile upstairs in the playroom. Karis made a grand meal for me with all of her cool kitchen stuff ...

Grandpa Jones and Jackson played ... trains (duh!). And then it was time for baths, storytime and bedtime. The two little ones were tucked into bed at 8:15. I sat outside their separate rooms for about a half hour reading my book ... just to see if they were actually going to stay in bed! They did. I heard Karis for awhile, talking to herself quietly, but then ... sound asleep.

Grandpa and Olivia came home by about 9:00. Olivia has been working on her homework. She asked how our first day went and we gave her the low-down. No tears, no fights, no fits ... from either Jackson OR Karis! NONE! She declared the day "an absolute miracle." I'm not sure about that. I do know, though, that it was a good first day. I realize each day will become a little more difficult as the children realize we're "safe" and they can just be themselves. That's what we want, honest! But kids will be kids. We are praying for strength and wisdom and the ability to just pour our love into their lives for this week. We are also praying Andrew and Sabrina have the time of their lives. :)