Sweet sleepover...

While Braden, Melissa, and Bela visited South Carolina this weekend, Emma got to spend the weekend with us. I found myself laughing and crying all at the same time knowing my time with her was quickly coming to an end. Watching her investigate every cupboard and drawer, playing gitchoo (tag) with Grandpa and watching her little legs trying to round the corners as fast as she could (she can pretty much outrun her Grandpa now), listening to her imaginary telephone conversations, and playing "No more monkeys jumping on the bed" as she jumped with joy were memories I will treasure forever. We soon found out her favorite food was "caroni" (mac n' cheese no matter what time of day, this is what she requests), you don't give her cookies before naptime (sugar equals even more energy), and if you play a song and she likes it, you're going it hear it again and again and again. MICH (I'm a C H R I S T I A N) and WHOLE (Whole World in my hands) were her favorites and she even requested SHOOBY DOOBY (Pennies from Heaven). I think we heard those at least a thousand times until we all knew the words and could sing them with her. Her discoveries for this weekend: that she and her monkey appear on one computer desktop while Bela appears on the other (she was bowled over by that!), that Grandma and Grandpa won't let you fall asleep on the kid's toys at the Westland Shopping Center play area, and that all of Grandma's handles on her cupboards can spin until they're all loose. Oh, how I will miss her mischievious giggles, her constant bursts of energy, and her ability to wow us with her knowledge (me home! as we rounded the corner from Palmer to Linville - now how did she know that?). We will miss holding little Bela, having her fall asleep in our arms, watching her face light up with a smile when we talk to her, watching her breathe as she sleeps. It makes us sad that we will miss seeing Bela discover her hands and feet, find her voice, and be excited to visit Grandma and Grandpa since she knows she will be spoiled here. Guess there will be lots of trips to South Carolina and lots of requests for the kids to be sent back here for extended stays.