...and other tales of babysitting my grandchildren!

They're here! My two precious grandkiddos are visiting Grammie....and, it is lovely, heartwarming, delicious and absolutely exhausting JOY! (I can see all of the other grandma's out there shaking their heads with total understanding!)

The foursome flew in late Wednesday night...yesterday was spent playing in a park up the street, digging in Grammie's sand box, and splashing in the little backyard pool while Mommy and Daddy were still in town to enjoy it all.

In between all of this was a visit to the children's shoe store where Grammie promised Owen and Audrey a new pair of shoes. Owen went first...and, after trying on about 4 pairs, one was selected and he was content to run around the store with his brand new shoes.

Then, it was Audrey's turn. One month shy of turning two, this little diva got to make the decision about which shoes she liked the best. Her smart mommy said that if Audrey doesn't like something, she won't wear it...so, I totally understood. We women have a mind of our own, don't we?

Now, Audrey's favorite color is pink, with purple coming in a close second. So, we basically tried on every pink shoe in the store. Shoe boxes were piling up all around us and luckily we had a very patient shoe saleswoman. Too big, too small, too wide, too narrow...or, Audrey just plain didn't like them...we tried them all.

We finally settled upon an adorable pair of white shoes with pink polka dots that had a special feature--they squeaked when she walked in them. I don't mean a "new shoe squeak"...I'm talking about a loud, rubber duckie squeak! She was delighted. I thought that this will be helpful in keeping tabs on where she is...

Huh? What was I thinking? Even when she is napping, I can still hear the rhythmic "squeak, squeak" in my head! Oh, oh, oh....

The Book Store Adventure

So, Mommy and Daddy headed to the beach this morning for a wedding...and, Grammie has the two munchkins on her own!

I am learning that going out takes a lot of work. Getting them in and out of their car seats can be a ten minute task. As we pulled into the local Barnes and Noble parking lot I accidentally turned my purse upside down in the parking lot and everything from lip gloss to money to individual eye drops to gum were spread out everywhere. My roll of mints began to roll under the car next to ours. The kids thought it was great fun. Grammie didn't. : )

I picked the bookstore because they have a cute little children's area. The main attraction was the train set sitting on a low table inviting the kids to come and play. The both enjoyed this immensely....and then we went to pick out some books to purchase. (!!)

Audrey took off in one direction, her shoes squeaking with each step...and, Owen began to look for some super hero books. I found Audrey sitting on the floor playing with a huge basket of stuffed animals and dolls. There was Dora, the Explorer, Minnie Mouse, and an assortment of other book characters that delighted her. She is so verbal for her age and was able to name each one.

In the meantime, Owen found several (and, I mean several!) books that he liked..and then was off to play on the train tracks again.

Now, getting them to the cashier so that I could pay for the books was a whole 'nother story. Suddenly, Owen, the "big brother instigator" was gleefully running up and down the book aisles with squeaky little sister following right behind.

Grammie began to chase them down, which brought huge giggles and screams of silliness from the two of them as they continued to run away from me.

The people in the store were getting a kick out of all of this....especially when Audrey ran by squeaking! It was quite a sight.

So, you ask, how am I having time to post today?

Well, they are both sound asleep, having been fed lunch and read stories...and, Grammie is heading to her room to do the same! Naptime for all! : )