Dear Reader:

It is Sunday afternoon…and I have just returned home from Mt. Pleasant. It has been a crazy weekend…but also a very memorable one…tiring but worth every ounce of strength to pull it off. Eva Cate and Rutledge were invited for a Boo Boo Sleepover Friday night.

I loved it when both families came to Summerville to drop off the children…it has been a long time since the family has been together under my roof…the house suddenly was bustling and bursting with excitement…screams, yells, and laughter. It was long overdue!

*(Though, obviously, both Lachlan and Jake were not happy about being left out….I told them we would plan some type of get-together for both of them…but Boo Boo would have to start saving all her energy to do so…right now!  🙂

*(One check-off the moms are holding over their heads is… when they don’t need to wear pull-ups at night- they will be “big  enough” to stay at Boo Boo’s. Good hold-out girls!

Eva Cate is still having some homesickness issues so that is why I thought if she and Rutledge came together…it would help that situation and it did….we made it through the night… with no issue!

Before the families left…Jake made a wish for him to get to come spend the night at Boo Boo’s… throwing a penny in the fountain…and the Dingles (minus Eloise-at pre-school) got their picture made in front of the prayer tree with Poogie’s picture and their drawings in tact.

Eva Cate had one little lip quiver as Mandy and Jake left Friday afternoon…but then she and Rutledge were ready to take on the town. And that is what we did…first visiting the Public Works Community Art Center…they both had heard of Francis Marion- The “Swamp Fox.” Then we went to People, Places, and Quilts to see all the amazing works from quilts…including turtles.

From there we crossed Richardson and went to the Train Store…Rutledge loves that place and the owner is always so nice…turning on his trains with the steam coming out…a glance back in history. From there the children found the largest Sweet Tea Container in America!

It was on to Hutchinson Park where the children played and I called Groucho’s to order our supper….we walked over to get it and then walked all the way back to our car…Boo Boo was hot and very tired…the kids were running circles around me…of course! 🙂

After supper it was climbing trees time…I saw Eva Cate and snapped a photo…when I asked where her cousin was…Rutledge yelled down from the top of the tree while I froze in horror and disbelief….”Get down! ” I do believe he is part monkey.

Friday night Eva Cate had Rutledge dancing with her and working out dance movements to the songs they sang…very dramatic. I gotta give it to Rutledge…he really hung in there.

For our bedtime story I read  a few chapters from the precious little book Eva Cate and I have been reading this summer “Wish Upon a Sleepover“…it is all about a sleepover that goes terribly wrong initially…with the wrong children getting an invitation instead of the ones the main character had planned to ask. It is all about kindness, accepting others for their differences, and not judging people before getting to know them.

It opened up some honest discussion on the children’s experiences with classmates and friends, good and bad, and about showing respect to both parents and peers.

It ended up with all three of us in the same bed…I felt like I was in a scene from The Three Stooges…no one slept well…and there were lots and lots of trips to the bathroom…let’s just say the night was a blur.

I surprised the children with new t-shirts Saturday morning that I had ordered for them on-line…they loved them and we were off and running again!

The children help ice the cinnamon rolls and we decided to spend the day at the parks….the first one between Simmons Ave and Parkwood….feeding the turtles off the bridge…and letting them play in the park…since they were the only ones there.

Then onto Laurel Street Park….

By the time we ate lunch a slow drizzle had started…we began the process of packing up which made them sad so I  decided to end our sleep-over with a whirl around Tastee-Freeze so that the children could enjoy their milk shakes on the trip back to Mt. Pleasant.

Eloise was asleep and Walsh was holding down the fort when we pulled into Rutledge’s house…Rutledge had found several memories from Appalachian State with photos of his dad…and his graduating cap. He could hardly wait to give it to him.

Mandy has a birthday coming up…very soon…so I told her since I would be dropping off Eva Cate anyway…I would be glad to stay and keep the children while they got a break and some supper out…so I spent the night there Saturday night and returned home yesterday.

I admit that I look forward to some “down” time this week…but aren’t we so glad to still have “up” times in our lives…where we are surrounded with love?

So until tomorrow….

These days as a grandmother…I  have to “pace” myself but I never want to ever stop “growing” and learning new things through the eyes of my grandchildren.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

‘High / Low” blooms…on “Little Big Red”! Three blooms hanging near the floor while three more blooming petals bloom skyward! 🙂