About hour 17 of our day of travel and the girls finally surrender to sleep for about 15 minutes. Madeleine has the purple blankie and Emily is closest to the camera.
While sleeping Emily put her hand on Madeleine's.The girls did a great job on another transcontinental flight. Generally, the girls don't sleep on the plane (can't get comfortable enough), but they don't howl, kick or otherwise cause mayhem either - we count our blessings. This trip we were delayed in Vegas (by only an hour, but it was a long hour with two bored toddlers) so we didn't land in Norfolk until 1:05 AM (got to the house about 2:45 AM - long day)...the girls finally dozed off about 12:25AM (our original arrival time) and then woke up disoriented and hysterical for the final descent. It is taking a couple of days to get back in the swing of things (took a full week in Spokane), but things are looking up.
This fall we started working on teaching the girls their phone number, their last name, city where they live, etc. They have their last name down (whether an adult not familiar with "toddlerese" could understand them is another story), know Daddy's job is a professor ("beffefer" - may help in a college town), know they live in Williamsburg ("Wiyiambur") and are working on the phone number. Since our travels, when I ask which city they live in I'm told"Wiyiambur and Pokan"...so good luck to all of us should we ever become separated.
Tuesday the girls had a triumphant return to school (God bless their teachers, who deserve combat pay). They are still off with time zones and had to be awakened for school. I tried to pick them up early, but they wanted to stay on the playground - which was fine - so we got home just 15 minutes early. The girls were eating lunch and I had turned my back on them to get something out of a cupboard. Miss Madeleine burst into tears and upon investigation I learned she had managed to bite her own finger while eating her post-lunch cookie...a new level of exhausted. So, the injured party was carried upstairs, put to bed and she and her sister took a 4 hour nap! Mom did the Happy Dance.
Santa brought the girls beds for their babies. When we got back to Williamsburg we found that Santa also had swings, high chairs and strollers for the babies. He left us a note, on his official North Pole stationary, explaining that he knew we had to fly on an airplane and only the baby bed could be easily unassembled and taken on the plane, so he left the rest in Williamsburg. The baby furniture is a hit and I have learned, while frantically trying to get us out the door to the library's story time, that at least a five minute warning must be given before we are to leave the house. Babies, stuffed snowmen, Sesame Street dolls and pull-along dogs all must be put in the proper piece of equipment and given proper supplies (plastic food, blankets, diapers, etc.). Finally, everyone is reassured "I only be gone little bit. I always come back." and then the announcement that "Er'ca" (Erica is a loyal, and brave, babysitter) will be coming.
Emily with her new doll stroller from Santa.
Madeleine making sure Oscar the Grouch is secure in the stroller.
Emily's ensemble suggestion for a trip to the library's story time...she is looking to the side wary of her approaching sister...snatching of each other's treasures has been known to happen in our house.
Madeleine also has solid fashion instincts. This was taken during a nap she boycotted in early November (hence the pajamas).
Madeleine (pink pants) and Emily (black pants) playing some sort of game that involves taking an instrument of colonial punishment and pretending to answer a door, look through a peephole, etc. For the video version - click here - there are a lot of "ding dongs" and "hellos".
Today, we returned to Colonial Williamsburg to find it undergoing the same thing that happened last winter...repairs for summer. Last year the Wythe House got a new roof, this year it seems the Geddy House is getting some attention. We had a good time watching the crew climb the scaffolding, unload wood panels and toss around metal poles of some sort (my lack of construction background may be evident). If there is not rain tomorrow...we will return to gather more data.
