Granddaughter Lydia is 2 today and we have just finished having her fabulous party! Older sister Julia was quite the party planner – she chose an Elmo theme complete with party hats, plates and napkins. Ralph had petit fors made with a “2″ on top and we feasted on cake and ice cream before Lydia opened her gifts. She’s is a child who prefers to spend time on each gift as opposed to her sister who rips through them all in record time – so naturally Julia had to assist with that entire process.
Aunt Tammy and Uncle Steve send a darling outfit which included “big girl” jeans (no elastic waistband!) and she looks so cute in it. However, the favorite gift is one that Blair chose – we’re not sure if he really wanted it for Lydia or for himself – it’s a remote-controlled car! It took Lydia about 30 seconds to figure out the whole control system and she has now been working it for over half an hour while Julia builds towers with the new Legos.
We’re having a fun time in Des Moines with the majority of activities centered around the pre-school set. When we arrived yesterday the sunshine and 35-degree weather made for perfect “play in the snow” conditions so we got out the sled and pulled the girls around the neighborhood. Then Blair and Burl dug out a tunnel in the snow bank that the street plowers left in front of the house. Julia was reluctant to crawl through it until I promised to crawl through if she did – you must be very careful what you promise a 4 year old! The tunnel was perfect for Julia to crawl through on her hands and knees but Burl and I were reduced to slithering through on our tummies. Naturally he had the camera poised for a shot when I emerged from the icy crevice!
Time to return to the toy-strewn living room while Ralph works on our gourmet dinner for this evening. I still haven’t figured out how I raised a daughter who is such a great cook but I think it’s somehow related to her grandmother’s culinary talents and not mine!
