thursday, 2-6-14, or goin' to our betsy's

This is a cute picture of Betsy and Pam I stole from facebook.    Earlier this week I called Betsy and asked if she could watch the kids while I went to a real estate appointment.  She said, "Sure."

I told the kids and p.j. latched onto that fact with a vengeance.   The next day when Heidi brought her, she asked, "WHY is she obsessing about Betsy?  Is this our cousin Betsy or some other Betsy?"

No, that one.

I told Heidi the plan for Thursday, but p.j. was mixed up.  When they pulled up in the driveway Tuesday morning, she growled, "Unh.  This is not Betsy's house."

Finally today was the day, and they react to the idea of a trip out to my sister's like a normal person would to a trip to Disney.   They've been talking about it,  excited.  There has been some jumping in the air and giddy laughter.  When they heard Pam was even home from work today they cheered.

Betsy texted me, offered to come to our house, save me a ton of driving.  (My appointment was in the equally far opposite direction from their house.)  It was thoughtful of her, but I told her the kids would WAY rather come up there.

So they did and played their little hearts out, ran all over the house, having the time of their lives, ate chicken nuggets and cupcakes, freezies and chips, dragged out toys. 

You two awesome people made these kids day.

At the end of the day we went to swimming lessons.   We've been sneaking out of the house the last few weeks.  If the cat gets out of the bag, p.j. will scream to go swimming too and become way overly emotional, so we've been sneaking out behind her back.  Someone distracts her and the others quietly bolt.

Well, today that wasn't going to work, so we had to take her along.  I didn't tell her ahead where we were going and get her wailing as she searched among her snow pants and boots for her bathing suit.

No way in hell.

 But when we got there, she was transfixed.   A swimming school?  A teacher?

There were some sad tears and she hung on me and wiped them on Lydia's towel,  but no screaming or hysteria. 

On the way home, one of the kids asked her, "Did you like watching our swimming lesson?"

She said, "Yeah.  But I want to be bigger and hab a teacher TOO."

After the lesson was over, this cracked me up: While the kid were getting dressed afterward, I urged her to put on her boots, jacket, and hat.   She gathered them all up and marched over to a changing room where she took a very long time, and I could see her bare feet at one point, and her sitting on the floor at another struggling with her boots.

I waited.

Then finally the door popped open and out she came, boots, jacket, and even the hat on! 

And then we came home and Grandpa was cooking ravioli and garlic bread and her mom was here, and it was all a most lovely Thursday.

Betsy and Pam?   Thank you, thank you, thank you, for making people so doggone happy.

love you all, Val