Two Visitors

My mom came last week, and there was much rejoicing in all the land. Grandma Sandy makes everything around her better. I can't tell you how many baby/bridal showers she has thrown, how many funeral lunches she has planned, how many confused and sad young women she has taken to lunch or how many seminary lessons she has taught that her students still remember. She makes every single person around here feel important, and she's always looking out for someone to help. She's just that kind of lady, and we're lucky to have her.

She arrived on Wednesday night, and the girls knocked themselves out making welcome signs and cards for her.

She slept in the basement, where June had placed several drawings for her. And a sign on the freezer with an arrow pointing to the bed, you know, just in case she couldn't locate the bed.

Thursday, we took Gwen to swim lessons and her little music class at the rec center.

While Gwen worked extra hard to please Grandma Sandy (GS) during her swim class, she was NOT having music that day. No, sir. A class she normally loves, but I think she was tired and just wanted to hang with GS instead. So her teacher recruited me to help Gwen get into the spirit. Clearly, her teacher knows nothing about our relationship because there was a direct correlation between my increasing participation and Gwen's increased insistence that she have nothing to do with any of it.

Miss Cindy said I was really good at jumping to the beat.

Afterward, I was finally FINALLY able to get my hair done. It had been way toooo long, and I was getting embarrassed. 

In the above photo, you can see the other visitor of the week. The biggest, most painful cystic zit on my forehead. I hate to even post this picture because it really makes a molehill out of a mountain. You can't even see how big it is. It is extremely large and almost omnipresent. It's so bad that when Dan came home that evening, he said, "OH NO! HOW DID YOU HIT YOUR HEAD!?!?!" 

Finished product. This is my "selfie face" unfortunately. I don't know what look I'm going for here, but it's not my favorite. But I do love the hair. I had gone darker the last few times, but didn't feel myself. I'm a blonde! There's no denying it.

The next day, Big D and I were able to go to the LDS Philadelphia Temple to do an endowment session. Our temple is Manhattan, but it was closed for cleaning. I was actually glad because I enjoyed the extra time chatting in the car.

We tried to take a pic before we left, but we couldn't get the kids out of the photo.

Here I am looking adoringly at my husband.

Here he is looking even more adoringly at me.

We are so in LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE.

Yes, that's Dan's "in LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE" face. The love is so powerful he has to shut his eyes.

True to Heather fashion, by the time we arrived back home from Philly, I was about to die from car sickness. I am the WORST traveler. I have gotten carsick riding in a car to the grocery store before.

So I went to lie down in bed, and about 20 minutes later Dan informed me that my mom and I were going to a movie. He said that he had told my mom to go ahead any buy the tickets even though I wasn't feeling well because the only other option was for a show was after 7, and we all know I can't make it through a movie starting after 7.

So just to recap--I get carsick going 2 miles from my house and I can't stay up past 7. Invite me to all of your parties. I'm a real blast.

I haven't been in a movie theater for a year. It was fun to be out with the cool people, especially all of the tweeners. I lived at the movies when I was a tween, and I couldn't help but giggle watching and listening to the tweeners in our theater.

We saw "The Greatest Showman." It was fine. I liked some parts. I didn't like others. I know I'm the only person in the whole world who feels that way, and I'm okay with that. But I loved seeing a movie with my mom, and I really really love that Dan made me take a blanket. He knows me so well. I took off my shoes and sat back in this awesome recliner (since when do theaters do THAT? I told you it's been a long time) and snuggled under my blanket and made jokes with my mom. A wonderful evening, indeed.

Saturday, we decorated our V-day boxes. We're totally early, but we make V-Day a pretty big deal around here, and I knew the girls would love doing it when GS was in town.

Turns out oversized t-shirts and baggy pants are not a flattering look for me. Sigh. My go-to!

And here I am starting to wave around sharp objects while I talk. Must have been making emphatic points in my argument.

Then we took June to swim lessons . . .

 where Gwen found an old chocolate Santa's head in my mom's purse, and I was an attentive parent who cheered June on. Or just looked at my phone.

Then my mom and I went to the Edison Museum. My mom has always wanted to go, and I'm so glad we went!

Thomas Edison invented so much stuff that I don't understand anything about. And there were young kids asking our tour guide questions that just baffled me. I felt like I was accidentally placed in a tour group for people speaking a different language. I didn't understand any of it, but I can appreciate what he did.

That night, GS took us all out to Chuck E. Cheese. Man, that place is crazytown! Have you been there lately? There were 923847923742897328947 kids at this one. Our kids had a blast. And I had a coupon! Everyone wins.

Gwen is such a Mowgli in this picture, and I love it. Crazy hair, she don't care!

Dan counting all of the kids. He lost count after 60 trillion.

Sunday, we went to church. Dan went early for ward council, and Mom and I tried to take pics with the kids.

Of course, as soon as GS stood up to switch me places and take my picture with the kids, Gwen staged a walk out in protest of GS not being in the picture. She would NOT take a pic with me. My heart is broken. Or whatever lives inside of me where that heart thingy should be.

Even Harris didn't want to be with me. I can't blame them. GS is the best.

Every second we were home, GS was reading 238947 stories to the kids or playing another round of Chutes and Ladders where my girls make up the rules as they go or playing hide and seek where my girls would always call out and tell GS exactly where they were hiding before she even had a chance to look. And when it was GS's turn to hide, June would do an expert job of looking for her. Like picking up a pencil off a desk to see if GS was hiding underneath it. We aren't very good at hide and seek.

And GS couldn't believe how much Gwen loves grapefruit. I love eating a grapefruit every morning, and you'd think I'd have finally found something safe that I didn't have to share. But Gwen LOVES them and fights me for mine every day. Even if she's had her own.

We love you, Grandma Sandy! We love you like Gwen loves grapefruit. Except that we won't resort to violence in order to have you here. But we would pretty much do anything else.