Well, apparently I am horrible at this blog stuff. So many things happen that I want to write about but I never seem to get over here to do it! So, I am just going to write about random things that have happened in the past month. Most recently, Marmie was just here. Maddy and I went to pick her up at the airport and when Maddy saw Marmie, she went running over to her. It was so sweet. At full speed toward Marmie, who was waiting with open arms, Maddy flew - until - she saw the escalator and, fascinated she came to a complete stop and forgot Marmie was there. It was sad and funny. But Marmie took Maddy up and down and the two had a blast together while I gathered luggage.

A couple of Thursdays ago, as we were leaving school, Maddy turned to her teachers and said, "See you Tuesday." Her teachers stopped what they were doing and asked if I had told her to say that. I hadn't and we were all surprised that she knew when she would be coming back! Smart little girl: )

Marmie was knitting a mitten while she was here. It was her first one and she had planned to give it away as it was an odd size. Maddy asked for a pair, so Marmie, of course, began knitting her a pair immediately. Before bed, Marmie let her try on the one she had finished. Then the three of us went up to Maddy's room. Mom hung around for prayers and some books, then said good nite to Maddy. Maddy asked her where she was going? "Downstairs." Maddy asked what she was going to do. "Knit a mitten." Maddy asked, "for my other hand?" Pretty cute and smart!!

One morning, Marmie, Maddy and I were snuggling in our bed and Maddy asked where her puppy was. “Where is Ditto?” I told her Ditto was sleeping. She asked if she had her ‘ovey. I told her yes. Then she asked where her kitties were, “Where is Freddie, where is Guy? Do they have their ‘oveys?” I assured her that yes they did have their ‘oveys and they were sleeping and were happy. I did have to turn away, tears streaming. She is so sweet. I wish she had gotten to meet Guy and have more time with Freddie and Ditto. I still miss them and it hurts still to talk about them, but I am glad she wants to remember them.

Maddy had a rough Thursday before Halloween. We all went to her party at school at 1 so she missed her nap, then we went to the polycom party. She fell asleep on the way home so I carried her in and let her stay snuggled on Marmie. We woke her for dinner and she began whining. We tried to settle her, but it was the word she heard that stopped her. She repeated it, “Pizza?” And all tears and frustration were gone!!

Later that night, I had her in my bed (her daddy down the hall), she was propped up to help her breathe (she had an upper respiratory infection and her nose was a faucet. She would sleep, then sit up and start crying and fussing. I could tell she didn’t feel well. One time she sat up and whined, “Wanna go downstairs for cake, NOW!!” I knew she was going to be ok then!

Friday we drove Marmie to the airport and Maddy kept asking if she could go. We told her yes, then she kept asking if she could get on a plane. We told her we would in December. After dropping mom off, Maddy asked to see planes. I toldher we would look for them on the way out. Well, we couldn’t find any. So she said, “Panes (planes) where are you?” Then she asked for the big planes. She was serious about asking them and I had a hard time not laughing.

We try to say grace at every meal. (From the Thomas’ – we hold hands and sing, “ Oh the Lord’s been good to me, and so I thank the Lord for giving me the things I need: the sun and the rain and the appleseed. Oh the Lord’s been good to me. EH!!”) We also try to say prayers every night. One of us says, “Dear God” and MAddy repeats what we say: “Thank you for…” and we list a few things. Well, Maddy learned a grace at school and started singing it and we didn’t know what she was singing, so I got the words from her teacher. (Sung to the tune of Are You Sleeping, Brother John?) “Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus, for our food, for our food. And our many blessings, and our many blessings. A-ah-men, A-ah-men.”) So when we started our nightly prayer and I said, “Thank you, God…” she joined in, “Thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus, for our ‘ovey, for our ‘ovey.” Then she looked around the room and started thanking him for everything. “Thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus, for our room…our books, our crib…etc.” I finally had to stop her. She now sings her grace after our grace and at random times, just thanking Jesus for random things. Priceless!

Maddy has been asking us to tell her stories. She usually tells us what she wants the story to be about…punkins, Katherine, Andrew…So I tell her that every year we go to the pumpkin patch and Andrew holds her hand and walks around and she and KK get to ride in a wagon and we take photos. She is obsessed with Andrew and Katherine. Maddy asked me to have ‘ovey tell her a story. So I told her that ‘ovey had a best friend. Maddy said, “Her best friend’s name is Katherine!”

One day she said her other daddy plays with her. I asked her who? She said my other daddy. I asked if they had fun, she said yes. She said that sometimes her mommy plays with her, sometimes her Aunt Susie plays with her and sometimes her Aunt Susie makes her laugh!!! (She saw Stephen in the mirror so she calls him her “other daddy.”

Ugh oh, we have to start modifying our language already. Stephen told Maddy to clean her plate if she wanted to share his birthday pie. So she did. She scooped it all off the plate and put it to the side. Then he told her she needed to put it in her mouth. So she did. And then she spit it back out again. My girl is on the ball!!

The other day Maddy asked for something at breakfast. I asked her to repeat it several times. It sounded like “wormeran.” Since she dances around singing, “Dancing the worman polka, yip, yip, yip” from the Backyardigans, I thought it was something to do with that. Then I realized she was saying watermelon.