I was so lucky to have a little break last weekend. We had Monday and Tuesday off for a mid-winter break and I took Friday off from school, my last of 5 mandatory days I have to take off without pay (cost savings and all that), and caught a plane to Baltimore. Even though my final destination was Virginia it saves quite a bit of money to fly to Baltimore. There were a few bumps in the road. After rushing like crazy to make it to the airport and get to the gate on time, there was a lengthy delay to fix the heating system on the plane. The plane ride itself was uneventful, which is always good. From the Baltimore airport you have to take the shuttle bus to the train station. I've done this in the past and it didn't seem that complicated but somehow I, and one other passenger, missed the train station stop and took a lengthy loop back to the airport and the next time managed to make it off at the right stop. Another uneventful ride on the train and then Andy met me at Union Station in downtown DC. After a short subway trip he dropped me off at a coffee shop a block or so from Amber's office where I waited for a while until it was time for her to leave work. When she met me we walked a couple blocks to Quinn's daycare so I got to see where she spends her time these days. She was surprised to see me and had such a cute little smile when she realized it was really me!
The rest of the weekend went by quickly, with a little shopping, a little dining out and a bit of staying home and playing all mixed in.
Here's Quinn in her little reading corner. She was sitting in here drinking her water and looking out the window.
She played with this little "house" quite a bit over the weekend and has such a good imagination, even giving the different people different voices! Every day she would grab my hand and say, "come on, Mimi, let's play"! So cute!
I stayed home with Quinn on Monday while Mommy and Daddy went to work. It was a bit chilly outside so we didn't go far but the sun was out so we decided to take a "nature walk". Quinn loves exploring but also likes to pick up rocks and leaves along the way. Our big find for the day was a pine cone she brought home to show Mommy.
I had to leave for Michigan on Tuesday and it was another bout of cars, trains, buses and planes but I finally made it home about 8:30 that night. It was a long day of traveling.
We are finally having a winter here in Michigan. I thought for sure we would have a snow day Friday as they were predicting 4-7 inches beginning during the night. Usually a storm like that makes it impossible for the buses to pick up kids who live on dirt roads. I think the storm ended up going a bit north of us so the powers that be decided we could make it in to school. As it turned out I spent a less than restful night with stomach problems and didn't feel much like going to school when I finally did get up so I called in sick. So instead of enjoying an anticipated snow day I layed around resting up on my sick day. It's been quite chilly here but today at least the sun is out making it seem not quite so bad.
This poor duck was out at my feeder yesterday. He was with his wife/girlfriend and I think they are confused because we've had such mild temperatures and they aren't prepared for winter showing up now.
I can't imagine what the poor things are finding to eat and up until today the pond was pretty much frozen over. I try to throw some extra bird seed on the ground for them so they won't starve!
My pups are happy because Scott has taken them up to the high school field for some frisbee in the snow! They seemed to have a bit of a bug when I returned home. It seems that happens often when I'm gone. They had all sorts of tummy and bathroom problems for a couple days. A can of pumpkin and they seem pretty much back to normal.
Well, as normal as they can be anyway.
This is the only sign of spring I have seen around here. Every time I walk into the kitchen I smell it's wonderful fragrance. I hope it lasts another week, at least!
Amber's new job is challenging. She's the newcomer and is working hard to get all the other's to cooperate. The website is looking really good though and I'm so glad I looked at it before so I could compare and see how her hard work is paying off. Here's the link: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/
Scott is still looking for a job. His work at Moosejaw has pretty much dried up. Supposedly he still works there but they never put him on the schedule. He's traveling to Chicago at the end of the week for an interview with a staffing agency. It's been 6 months now since his graduation. He's also going out this week to just look for any job as he's got to find something.
We haven't heard much from Ty lately. He doesn't have a final date yet as to when his contract is officially up. It should be the end of April/beginning of May. Right, son?? Got that end date yet? You will need to make your airline reservations a little bit out so you don't have to pay and arm and a leg!! Just sayin'!! xoxo
This is for you Tyler. It's just a glimpse into Quinn's personality. She's something else, I tell ya! Oh, and did I mention she's a GENIUS!! No, really!! She's so incredibly smart. She's just barely 2 years old and knows all her letter sounds!! I have 5 and 6 year olds who don't know their letter sounds!
Have a good week!
