Ten Days Away From Home

After our big cruise, we had some down time at home for a couple of weeks and then it was time to go back to Atlanta.  We had promised to babysit Amelia the weekend of May 18-21 so that Amy and Darryl could attend a wedding in California.  So we drove up on the 17th.

Thursday we went to Amelia's school to join her for lunch.  We stopped at a gas station to get some soft drinks and chips.  I noticed that they had a grill in the back making various sandwiches and Mexican fare and was able to get Amelia a quesadilla with just cheese and blue Gatorade. When we arrived at the school we learned that due to testing that week, students were staying in the classrooms for their lunch period; however, the secretary communicated with Amelia's teacher and she was allowed to join us in the courtyard for lunch.  She was pleasantly surprised by the quesadilla and ate the whole thing.  When we returned home I fixed roast with potatoes and carrots for our dinner.  Amy and Darryl had time to eat before they left for the airport.  That night I slept upstairs in the bedroom next to Amelia's and Billy (the dog/baby brother) slept with me and we did fine  I wouldn't allow Amelia to join us since she had school the next day.

Gas station quesadilla

Lunch in the courtyard

Amelia had pancakes and bacon before school the next morning.  That night Amelia proclaimed that it was "Radio Night" which involved some dancing, barking and flashing lights on the back porch  Paw-Paw did not participate in this crazy activity.  This night Amelia joined Billy and me on the trundle bed and things did not go as peacefully.  Amelia was constantly talking and moving Billy around.  She did not like it when he chose to sleep at my feet rather than hers.

Radio Night

Saturday after pancakes and bacon, we headed to Jaemore Farms where we got our usual peach pie with peach ice cream and two bags of boiled peanuts.  Amelia loves boiled peanuts.  When we returned home, I encouraged Amelia to finish some school work that was hanging over her head.  I was surprised when she started selecting vocabulary words from the book she was reading.  All I could think was that it would take forever for her to write the definition and include the sentence from the book.  Imagine my surprise when she used the computer, cutting and pasting from the dictionary and typing in the sentence from the book.  Then she hit send and the project went to her teacher via e-mail.  I didn't learn about cutting and pasting on the computer until I went to work at the prison.  We watched Star Wars, ate popcorn and enjoyed a more peaceful night.

Peach Ice Cream for Paw-Paw, Buckeyes for Amelia

Star Wars

Amelia spent a great deal of time on Sunday writing a book.  She said it was about a girl who was executed for a crime she didn't commit.  She wrote several chapters and found illustrations online to include in the book.  We played several games of chess.  She won, of course.  I thought I would have improved some but maybe next time.  Amy and Darryl made it home in time for dinner.

Monday was a day of rest for Bubba and me.  Tuesday we attended Amelia's awards program at school.  We're so proud of Amelia. In addition to making all A's and winning awards for writing and music, she sang "How Far I'll Go" from the movie Moana. (She takes after her grandmother.)

All A's

Singing in the Talent Show

We could have gone home on Wednesday, but rather than meeting Amy halfway to get Amelia when school was out on Friday it only made sense to stay and bring her home with us. The rest of the week was uneventful. I made a burlap wreath, blogged and read. Bubba read and watched Fox news. It was a hectic time for Amy as she finished up in her classroom. Amelia enjoyed every day right up until the end and came home the last day lamenting the fact that she was going to miss her friends.

Saturday we drove home in Memorial Day traffic which was what we expected especially as we got closer to Florida. We usually don't travel on holidays but it was worth it this time to bring Amelia back with us. Ten nights away from home..... that's a long time! 😐