Day 16: Trains, Paint & Tunnels Galore!

NOTE: Day 15 is coming (eventually) it wasn't a great day for me and I'm struggling a bit with which story will go there- Stay tuned -- it will likley either be about B's class party or the absolute JOY that is M. Both stories will be told soon.

Today, I had very low expectations. I discovered about 11pm the day before that I did not have a 9am meeting, but an 8am meeting..... Time zones. Any way after much discussion about whether to gamble taking the VIP call with kids here we came up with a plan for M to be watched. Mid-call we got a voicemail from my Mom saying she was on her way to surprise us and would be here to watch them for my 9am call (irony + blessing). The story of today all came after she arrived complete with treats to a house  in need of some mid-week cheer.

As noted previously, B LOVES gingerbread. He has books about gingerbread baby and commonly requests gingerbread cookies. He has been making gingerbread crafts at school and we have several Gingerbread related Christmas ornaments. Today, Grandma B came with a kit to assemble and decorate his very own Gingerbread Train! What more could a boy dream of? We put it together and B even used a piping bag for the very first time! It is a bit crooked here and there, but is beautifully ours as decorated by B, Grandma B and I with M's close supervision. A great holiday craft with enough candy pieces for a little snacking.  M got a little tired during craft time and  took a quick rest as we finished up and had our snacks.

When we were finished she was all ready to join us for a whirlwind trip to Unpluggits. My Mom had never been and we keep saying she should come so we went even though we were a tiny bit short on time. She loved it and B ADORED having her there. He got lots of attention and they created all sorts of new games together. M made a complete mess in the sandbox and with her artistic masterpiece, but also, as you can see, loves it. We ran, played, tossed balls and crafted. B climbed up the slide while Grandma B hoisted up his bag of balls to be tossed down the chute. We had snacks and smiles and left in time for me to head back to work (with a quick Sonic picnic with Grandma first, of course).

The afternoon was quiet with M at the babysitters, me working, and Grandma and B napping. Grandma got to stay a bit long to eat with M and give her a bath. Then, she played just a bit more Mario Kart with B (nothing is cuter than listening to B and Grandma play Mario Kart). Then, she was off to a friend's child's Advent Program. A very busy day for us and for Grandma, but she absolutely turned an ordinary Thursday into an amazing day full of memories. Thank you mom!