Buddy Tales
Last night, we had company for dinner. Barb's dad was in town, and he and Barb's sister and brother-in-law came over to eat with us before church. We were all sitting around the table, eating and talking, when suddenly we heard a strange noise. We all turned and were amazed to see Buddy eating a pack of gum as fast as he could. He had managed to get the gum out of Grace's purse. Karyn jumped up and took him outside, while Grace went over to clean up the mess. Strangely enough, the purse was closed, but Buddy had eaten about 8 pieces of gum and most of the paper. His breath was minty fresh!
The Return of NilsNils and crew just returned from their own vacation to Florida. I was very happy to have them come back because I really did miss Nils like crazy! When I was on the cruise ship, I had children keeping me busy, but a week in Rockford with no Nils is......just not normal.
Things quickly returned to normal, however. Monday night was extremely adventurous. Since the weather was nice, Nils and I spent some time outside. He wanted to drive around in his John Deere four wheeler. He's still getting used to this new machine. He loves to mash the accelerator down to the floor- and he loves to honk the horn. He has absolutely no interest in steering the thing! After he drove straight into the Lexus, I thought maybe I could help out. So I squeezed myself into the "passenger" seat. That in itself was amusing. Talk about no leg room! I held onto the wheel, while he hit the gas, and we started down the driveway. I tried to hand over hand help him steer, but all he cared about was the fact that we were moving- the direction did not matter. We were on the sidewalk going fairly straight thanks to me.......people were walking their dogs and looking at us curiously. There was a lot of laughter. If I let go of the wheel we quickly ended up in someone's yard- I screamed for him to stay on the road- and he laughed his head off! I've decided that Nils cannot have a driver's license for a very long time!
After our driving adventure, I thought it would be great to take the dog for a walk. I will not attempt that again any time soon....... The dog is huge and would not listen to me at all. Nils was obviously not in the mood for a walk....he just kept laying down on the ground and rolling in the dirt. We made it about a block and then were stuck. Molly wanted to keep going, Nils wanted to lay in the driveway, and I wanted to go home. I couldn't hold onto both of them. I couldn't leave either one behind. I had to stand there trying to talk Nils into following me and holding the leash very tightly with both of my hands. We stayed there for a long time. I kept hoping that a neighbor would see my distress and come out and help. Finally I saw daddy's car coming down the street. I was greatly relieved.....he waved and kept driving. I wanted to cry. Nils was laughing on the ground; Molly was trying to pull me down the street. I must have looked ridiculous. Anyway, daddy parked the car at home and then came back to assist me with the two unruly creatures.
So my life is now back to normal, definitely not boring, and Nils will probably not be going back on vacation for quite awhile! That's o.k. though. After our crazy time outside, as I was helping him with dinner, he climbed from his chair into my lap, hugged me and said, "I missed you." All is forgiven!
My Caribbean Experience
What can I say? I left the freezing temperatures of a very snowy Rockford, and ended up on the beach of a private island in the Bahamas. It was great! 
Needless to say, it was my first cruise......I am extremely grateful to my cousins for needing me! I had a wonderful time with the girls, who were pretty well-behaved for "Mel-Mel". The week was so full.......I don't think I could describe everything. The ship itself was beautiful, and I didn't get seasick, which was a blessing. The crew was so friendly. They left us towel creations on our beds- and chocolates! The food was excellent- we could eat all day long if we wanted to. Dinner was my favorite. Steak, salmon, lobster- I even ate snails! (and I liked them!) Our waiter, Marlin, was wonderful.
The islands were fabulous! We went to Freeport first and visited the straw market. Next was Nassau, which was beautiful. We went to the Atlantis Hotel and had the whole tourist experience. Then on to Half Moon Cay, where we sat on the beach and watched the water for a long time!
Overall it was a wonderful experience. I think it was so enjoyable because of the fact that it was a Christian cruise. Everyone was so friendly and the whole atmosphere was fun and safe. It was busy, yet refreshing, and I loved spending time with my cousins!
Why I Love My Job
Here's an overview of my evening at work:
First Nils and I went outside for a bit just for some fresh air. At least it wasn't absolutely freezing today. I tried to get him to ride his bike, but instead he wanted to sit in my car and pretend he was driving somewhere. He played with the wheel, tried to get the CD player to work and locked and unlocked the doors. I wish I'd have had my camera because he thought he was so cool - and he looked pretty cool in his very stripy hat driving away "to McDonalds".
Dinnertime: I sat with Annika, trying to get her to talk less and eat more. Marta sat at the end of table and sang her little heart out, as she knocked a bowl of jello onto the floor. Nils was having trouble sitting still so mommy was next to him, helping him with his hot dog. He was doing a bit of whining and trying to get away from the table. Out of the blue he exclaimed- "I need to call the right people!" I don't know who the "right people" are, but he must know somebody who would have let him get up and go play!
Marta discovered that 7up is a wonderful thing. She sat at the table drinking from the can with a straw and really enjoying herself. She decided to go downstairs. I didn't really notice what was going on with her because I was still helping Annika. I soon heard Marta crying. I went to the stairway - she was sitting halfway down the stairs, with the can of pop next to her and a big puddle at her feet. I cleaned her and the stairs up- when you are almost 2, it must be very difficult to maneuver down the stairs with a pop can.
Bedtime: I put all 3 to bed tonight because mommy and daddy had a dinner to go to. Nils went first and went to sleep pretty fast- after we read the "Fergus" book. It is his new favorite book. Fergus is a crazy dog- the best part is when he goes potty on the sidewalk while taking a walk- Nils laughs and laughs every time we get to that page.
Marta was next. I read her a story and sang her a song, then whispered: "It's time to go to bed, okay?"
"Okay," she whispered back. She always whispers when you whisper to her- way cute!
Now Annika. She "read" me a story, and we said our prayers. Then she said, " I love you. I don't want you to ever leave."
"Well, I can't stay her forever. I have to go to my house."
"Don't worry, " she said seriously. "Barb can come here, too."
I laughed. "Oh, Barb and Karyn and Annie and Buddy can all come here with me, and we'll all live in this house?"
"Yeah." She thought it was a great plan.
"Annika, that would be crazy!"
"No," she responded. "It wouldn't be crazy. It would be 'larious'."
I laughed and laughed.
