Naomi's & Claire's Birthdays

"Good things come to those who wait."  And Naomi had to wait a very long time to have her birthday overnight with us.  Her birthday in June was right in the middle of all the drama with Andy's sickness and myriads of doctor appointments, so we were unable to have her come over then. 

But now Andy is somewhat evened out, his depression seems to be under control, as well as the low grade infection he was dealing with.  This past week, we had no doctor appointments, so it seemed like a good time to host our little 8 year old.

I was able to leave work on Monday around 1:00 to go up and get her.  She was all packed and waiting outside the house when I drove in the driveway.  I think she was a little eager!

When we got home, she wanted Andy to teach her how to play solitaire on the computer.  He is still very good at that, winning every game.  He likes to check his statistics and is able to sit and ponder and patiently figure out each move in order to win the game.  So he patiently taught Naomi how to win solitaire.  And she got pretty good at it, too.

Her favorite dinner is chicken noodle soup.  She likes the way I make it (sorry, Mommy!), so I made that while she and Andy were playing games.  The grandkids also like my homemade rolls, and I like to keep them in the freezer for just such an occasion.

After supper, I taught her how to play Phase 10 - a favorite of Dawn and Amy's.  Naomi watches them play every time we're together along with Grace, as well.  So maybe next time, Naomi can join them.  She needs a little more practice in playing offensively, but she is getting the main idea, anyway.
 

Of course, at Grammy and PopPop's house, what is an overnight with us but watching a movie and having ice cream!  We watched The Cat from Outer Space, a Disney comedy and had a bowl of ice cream - um,yum.  After the movie, Naomi and I went upstairs to the attic room.  But before calling it a night, we had to read Uncle Remus stories till we both got tired.  I love hearing the giggles as Brer Rabbit outfoxes Brer Fox.

The next day the breakfast of choice was blueberry pancakes, then more Phase 10, Computer Solitaire and another movie.  This time we watched 101 Dalmatians.  I hadn't remembered the details of that movie, but it was so fun to see the good guys win and the bad guys, including Cruella DeVil, be outsmarted and outwitted by all the animals ganging up against them. 

We went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch, then back to our house for a few more games before heading out to take Naomi home again.  Having Naomi this week was good timing because Claire's birthday was Thursday so we could take her birthday present up with us.  We were able to visit with the family, then enjoy a delicious dinner that Christy had made and sing happy birthday to Claire. 

We're glad our grandkids like to come to our house because we like having them.  There's something about children that lightens the heart and gladdens the soul and helps keep a person young.