take that, you shortened-spring break

The kids had a totally free afternoon today–no musical rehearsal, no youth group, no after school practice.  So Kim thought we’d take advantage of the freedom by making a run down to visit her Gram.  Kim’s parents have been in Florida for a while, and Gram’s holding down the fort.  She promised chicken for anyone who would visit, so we shoved everybody into the van, loaded all our wet/washed laundry (still no working dryer at the Sublett house) and hit the road.

The first stop was at the Post Office in Lemont.  I love Lemont.  It’s a quaint little village next to the metropolis of State College, and the ladies who work there know our story, because that’s where Kim has mailed all the adoption stuff over the past 5 years.  Kim had to drop some Mary Kay into the mail (ladies need their beauty-goods), while I sat in the van with the kids.  Annabelle asked who lived in the little yellow house, and I wasn’t making much headway trying to explain the US Postal Service, so I took her in to see what was shaking at the PO.  She picked things up pretty quickly, and helped Kim get her orders mailed.

Then it was off to Gram’s.  We got a couple of loads tucked into dryers, then sat down to eat some good Gram grub.  Annabelle was pleased to find chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy.  She tried an olive (nope) and a bite of a cinnamon apple (nope), but settled on the gravy.  While Gram dished out the ice cream, we pulled out the Skipbo cards and played a couple of hands of War.

There was about 30 minutes of daylight left, and the temperature was nice enough, so the kids headed out to run around for a little while.  They dragged out the bikes, played on the playground, and burned off a little energy.  Friendship Village is a great place for kids to play, even when there’s not much going on in the campground.  Annabelle tried riding Lilly’s bike yesterday, but she’s not quite ready for the 2-wheeler yet.  I’ll have fun teaching her to ride as the weather gets nicer.  In the meantime, she’s pretty content on the scooter.

Levi took a walk by himself, and came back super-sloppy.  Apparently, he thought it was a good idea to find the swampiest, marshiest ground and tried to walk through it.  He lost a shoe to the muck, and had to wade back in to reclaim it!  What a goob…I hope Pappy Ken doesn’t mind that Levi borrowed his jacket!

One of the highlights of visiting Gram is the stuff that she always sends us home with.  She’s got a lifetime of odds and ends laying around the house, and she always packs a little bag full of trinkets and toys for us.  But this time, Lilly hit the jackpot.

Lil’s got a role in the middle school production of Meet Me in St. Louis, and she needs a formal dress for one scene.  Gram just happened to have such an item.  We think it was Kim’s sister’s prom dress.  It’s a little big for Lil, but it’s beautiful, and came complete with matching shoes in just her size!

It took forever to get all the laundry dry.  We got home super late, but it was a good trip.  Seeing Gram is always fun, and the kids had a blast.  I don’t know how they’ll feel in the morning, but that’s how it goes sometimes, isn’t it?!