Naked Time - June 16-24 - Finally Caught Up!!!

This week was bittersweet, as we packed up the house in anticipation of moving and said "see you soon" to our friends in Charlotte.

It was great to have Mom here for the week to keep us company and help with all the packing. Alden had swim lessons on Monday, and was whiny and fussy most of the day. I think she might be coming down with a little cold. She didn't even want to play on the playground at "Chick-shay" at lunch. We went to the park that night after dinner and walked around the pond and played on the playground. No turtles, although Alden did remember to be very quiet when we were looking for them.

Grammy probably didn't realize what she started, but every day after nap, Alden wanted to get out the bubbles and bowls of water and make a huge mess on the patio. She even got to eat a popsicle all by herself!

She has started turning lights on and off by herself, finally being tall enough to reach the light switches. We think that she has gotten taller just since her check-up.

We seem to be going through a naked phase right now. Alden is ALWAYS trying to take off her clothes, diaper and all. Sometimes it is under the pretense of wanting to try the potty, but most of the time it is just to be naked. I am ready to wrap her in duct tape.

Tuesday, Alden redeemed herself from her whininess the day before, and was great at swimming. She got to jump in the hula hoops, and pick up the sinky toys off the stairs, which is her FAVORITE thing to do. She will bend over and stick her whole head underwater to pick them up. She even let Grammy put a floatie on her and wore it for, oh, 45 seconds in the pool. She also let us put a life jacket on her...that went well until she got in the pool and it went up around her neck. Oh, Alden.

We drug all the baby stuff down from the attic. I had forgotten about how much gear a 8 lb creature needs. Thank goodness we have 3 cars driving back to Raleigh this weekend.

Wednesday, we played hooky from swimming, and had our last playgroup with our friends here. The girls went way overboard with an incredible lunch and an impromptu going away shower for Hudson. We had a great time being together, and letting the kids enjoy the pool and sand table at Megan's house. Alden especially liked the cupcakes! Mom and Hudson did, too. It was fun to get some new little boy clothes, and still weird to be opening blue things! It was sad to tell everyone goodbye, and to think we wouldn't be together the next week. The good thing is that Charlotte is NOT a long drive from Raleigh and now we have lots of reasons to go and visit.

Wednesday night, we met Nana for dinner at a little restaurant near her house called Foskoskis. It was delicious, and we enjoyed sitting on their back patio in the warm weather. Fortunately, we were the only ones out there for most of the meal, so Alden got to run around and play. She and Nana had a good time playing at her house afterwards, and Nana even let her jump on the bed...

Thursday, we had our final swim lesson, and Alden got her graduation certificate from Miss Jenny. It was weird to think that we wouldn't be going back to the pool again.

I had my last doctor's appointment in Charlotte on Friday afternoon. They did an ultrasound to check my fluid levels, and everything looks great. They said Hudson looks like he is about 6 lbs 2 oz right now, which makes me a little nervous. Alden was only 6 lbs when she was born and that seemed difficult. I hope he doesn't pack on the pounds these last few weeks!

Amber and Matt drove down on Friday night. Alden was SO excited to see them in the morning, and lo and behold, can now open doors. How about that. We had a baby shower at Nana's house with the family, which was really special. Aunt Vickie and Nana had writtten a sweet poem "Heralding Hudson", and we had wonderful food and time together. Hudson received some DARLING little outfits, and Matt even stopped by a little later to grab some food and visit.

Mom and Amber loaded up their cars full of stuff from our house, and took Alden back with them, too. It ended up being a huge blessing for Matt and I to have a night out by ourselves, and to get things done on Sunday. We felt like we had done a lot, but Sunday took longer than expected as we finished packing, and got the house clean. We are leaving our furniture out, and things on the walls, but wanted to get everything else in boxes. I am excited to leave the house sparkling and clean, and not to have any dog hair and toddler fingerprints getting it dirty again.

So, that brings us to Raleigh. We had our first doctor's appointment here bright and early Monday morning. Matt was able to come with me, and we liked the doctor we saw a lot. I got pre-registered at the hospital, and we are good to go for Hudson's arrival.

We visited the library in Apex for story time this morning, which was fun. We got to sing a few Raffi songs, which made Alden's day. I think we watch the Raffi video at least once a day, and have to listen to the CD in the car everytime we go anywhere. There is one song when Raffi asks the kids to close their eyes, and she always says "Raffi, night, night." She also likes the "Biscuits in the Oven" one, and sings, "Left, right", when they cross the street in that song.

I have found library things for every day Monday - Thursday, and am looking forward to getting our Y membership transferred and sorted. It is hard to be home with Alden during the day, and we both need to have something to do to get out. We set up her sand box on the deck tonight, which occupied her for almost an hour. Thank goodness. She has been an awful napper the past two days, which has me about to pull my hair out.

This morning, Matt left for work, and about 20 minutes later, I heard her in the hall saying "Daddy?" She has figured out how to open her door here, too, and was just wandering around. Luckily, she hadn't thrown anything in the toilet, or caused herself bodily harm yet.

It is good to be here at my parents, and we are looking forward to getting settled into a church and a house here, once our Charlotte house sells. I am grateful to have the help from Mom and Dad, and Amber. We are going to be really spoiled when we move out...

And the verdict is...Raleigh - June 9 - 15

Monday was a day for waiting...we spent the day expecting a call from the Budd Group, which didn't come. Matt finally got in touch with the guy there, whose daughter had been in the hospital with a broken leg, and he basically said the timing wasn't working out, and that they don't have anything for him right now. WOW. What an answer to prayer. God is SO good. We did not want to make a decision between Raleigh and Charlotte, but He made it very clear what we should do. AMAZING!

Matt called Miles in Raleigh and accepted the job there. They are really excited to have him, and it seems like a place he will learn a lot. Hard to believe that he will start work Thursday and that we will be leaving Charlotte! It all happened so fast!

A few things from the weekend that I had forgotten...

- At Connor's house on Saturday, she was hitting her friend Anna's book and I told her no and we went to have a time-out in the dining room. She came back and said she was sorry, but then hit the book again a few minutes later, says "Timeout?", and runs to sit in the chair in the dining room, mumbles to herself about saying sorry and being nice, and comes back and says "sorry". I think she things timeout is a game. Hmm.

- At church on Sunday the ladies in the nursery asked if she had older siblings. We were a little curious as to why...they said that she was really wild and rough. That they figured she had big brothers to wrestle with. Doesn't sound like a compliment...

Alden started 2 weeks of swim lessons this week, which is part of what is keeping she and I here while Matt starts work. We tried to hit the "outside pool" each day afterwards. On Monday, Alden was jumping off the side to me, and then we got out and walked around. She was ready to get back in and just walked over to the edge and jumped in the 3 foot section all by herself. Luckily, I was two steps behind her, and jumped in and got her on her way up. She thought it was hilarious, and I am sure the other moms watching thought I was very irresponsible. She is nuts.

Tuesday and Wednesday we kept up with the swimming, although 4 days in a row is overkill for a 2 year old. Matt did her lesson on Wednesday, since I had to go to the dentist. Alden was not into her lesson and was adamant about not wearing the floatation vest or using the noodle. That is fine, she may even be better off without learning with floatation, but everyone else was doing it. Come on! I met them at the big pool afterwards, and we were able to swim for a little while, and Alden showed Matt how she does the slide.

Matt left to got to Raleigh on Wednesday to have his first day of work on Thursday. My mom drove up to stay with Alden and I, worrying that I would be passed out on the floor with a pot boiling over and a screaming child a la Steel Magnolias. I was very grateful for the company and Alden enjoyed showing off at swimming for Grammy.

I had a doctor's appointment on Thursday...my second to last one with this practice. It was sad to think about leaving these folks; they have all been so nice. But, Amber and my mom have recommended a good practice in Raleigh. Amber even got to deliver twins with the doctor I am seeing up there on Monday! Hudson is still looking good and they rechecked my iron, which was a little on the low side. We are supposed to see them one more time before we leave.

Friday, Mom, Alden and I got to meet Nana for lunch at her house and visited for a while. Then, Mom left and Matt drove back that night.

We had a good weekend together as a family, except for Alden's whininess all day on Saturday about having to poop. She wouldn't got down the slide at the pool, which she was doing 20 times in a row earlier in the week, and when I asked her why, she said there were "bad boys". I told her that there were no bad boys on the slide, that they were only at Chick-Fil-A that one time, and that she didn't need to worry about it. Still, much whining and drama, and a short trip to the pool.

We had the Fairchilds, the Johnsons, and the Tolles over for dinner on Saturday night as a bit of a going away/celebrate Matt having a job party. It was so fun to be together, and made us sad to think of leaving such great friends. Alden got her bubbles out, and practiced using her bubble gun.

Sunday, we relaxed a lot, went to church and back to the mall. We have been to Southpark more times in the past week or two than in the past couple years we have lived here. Matt is on the lookout for real grown-up work clothes, and we were able to find him a new shirt and a couple ties. Alden got him a special book for Father's Day, and we were able to spend some good time together before he headed back to Raleigh, and mom got back to keep on eye on Alden and I. I had made guacamole for dinner on Saturday and Alden finished it on Sunday. She kept saying, "Ma, more guacamole!"...except she can't really pronounce guacamole very well. She also does this for "Ma, more cookies!"

The Unexpected - June 2-8

We stayed in Raleigh after Alden's birthday weekend for Matt to interview with a property management company in Cary. Kind of a whim, especially since we were thinking that the deal in Charlotte was a pretty sure thing. Matt enjoyed his conversation with the president (don't be too wowed, there are only 10-15 people in the company), and said it was "interesting." Basically, the guy was honest with Matt and told him that he didn't really offer any useful skills at all, and asked Matt to submit a writing sample. We drove back to Charlotte not really knowing what to think, but Matt went ahead and emailed Miles some of his papers from seminary.

Then, Tuesday, they called and wanted Matt back for a second interview on Wednesday. We went back and forth about it and eventually decided that he might as well go. They called that night and unanimously offered him the job. They were impressed with his papers, and maturity and think that this could be a great career for him.

What a curve ball!! We were still waiting to hear from the Budd group at this point, and trying to figure out what we should do. Initially, we had thought moving to Raleigh was what we wanted, but the past few weeks, had surrendered that idea, and felt good about staying in Charlotte. Maybe that is the point we had to come to. Anyways, we were hoping to know something from the Budd Group by Friday...and then they pushed that back to Monday. We spent a lot of time over the weekend praying, and trying to discern what is best for our family.

In the midst of all the job stuff that week, we were very thankful to have the library start again at Rea Rd. Alden is now in the 2s class, which was substantially more rowdy than the Young and the Restless. They sang some of the same songs, and still got stamps at the end, but no bubbles. I think she was a little disappointed.

Alden and I celebrated her friend Connor's ("Ka-ka's") birthday on Wednesday with our playgroup. The girls had a great time playing in Connor's little pool in the backyard, and were willing to take a break only for cupcakes. Alden rioted when she finished her cupcake and realized the pool was put away. I think she could live in the water.

Friday was Alden's 2 year check-up. She is doing well, and still holding fast in the petite 25-50% for height and weight. Dr. Taylor was really surprised at how well Alden did, and how cooperative she was. I think Alden was excited to be doing the same things at the doctor as in her Elmo Goes to the Doctor book. The doctor was asking about how much Alden was saying and we were telling her how she seems to be talking more, and we aren't super-concerned about her tongue/frenulum thing...then Alden, who was looking at a book, busts out with the word "elk." Dr. Taylor was pretty surprised that she knew that, but I tried to tell her not to be too impressed...we only know elk because she has an elk magnet at home, plus it ends in a "kk" sound, which is Alden's specialty.

Since we made it out of the doctor without any shots, we decided to head to the mall to look for some grown-up work clothes for Matt, assuming that either job would necessitate more than polos and khakis. We ate in the food court, and one of the ladies we were sitting beside commented on how nice Alden was, and how refreshing to see a well-behaved child. What a day for pulling the fleece over people's eyes, because she sure had the doctor and this lady fooled. They definitely caught her on a good day...or good window of a few hours.

Despite the decisions hanging over our heads, we had a wonderful weekend. We took Alden to the pool on Saturday morning, and she did the slide! That night, we had a get together with our friends John and Katie, and their family to celebrate Connor's birthday, part 2. It was a bittersweet time, to look around and realize what great friends we have here and to think that we could be leaving. John and Katie can definitely do a 2 year old party right, and had pizza, tons of snacks, a yum cake, and plenty of adult beverages. After all, isn't it really a celebration for the parents for surviving 2 years??

Sunday, we headed to church, and went to our friend Bradd's mom's house to enjoy their pool. Alden had a blast, of course, and we got to see Bradd and Corinne's little girl, Dylann for the first time since the hospital. It is hard to believe she is 2 months old!

May Recap - Alden's Latest

Just a few of Alden's latest May things...

- Ever since Matt lost his job, Alden will pick up a bag, or box, and walk out of the room saying, "bye, I'm goin' to work". Then she will run back in and say "I'm back!". I don't know about her timing, but at least someone is working around here...still haven't seen her paycheck though...



- She sings a lot; we don't know what about, but one of her favorites, is "Dee a Y, dee a Y." Sometimes she thrown in a growl at the end. We thought maybe she was singing "Deep and Wide" and have been teaching her the motions for that.



- She has moved out of the Baby Room at the Y, and I am sure the ladies are very thankful. Now she is in the Big Girl Room (2s) and every time we go to pick her up, she runs out and exclaims "Big Girl Room!" She even made Matt a cute I Love my Dad picture one day.

- We got a movie from the library about going to the potty...and in the 2 weeks we had it, I bet we watched it at least twice a day. There is a really obnoxious song, "Bye, bye pee, bye, bye poo" that has been going through our heads all day. Alden loves it.

- She also really likes a video about animal babies that came from the church yard sale. She calls it "Ah-Bees".

- In the car lately, she has started saying "ma, ma, ma" or "da,da,da" until we turn around, make eye contact, and see what she needs to tell us. This is difficult when you are the only one in the car and trying to drive at the same time. It isn't enough just to say, "Yes, Alden". She expects you to LOOK at her.

- Coming back from Raleigh after her birthday, she talked about her mosquito bites for 10 minutes straight. No kidding. Luckily, they have started to fade.

- She is really interested in my belly, and calls Hudson "Bee." She will say "Hi, Bee!" and try to lift up my shirt, and them put it back down, and say "Bye".

- If we are on our way to a friend's house, the Y, church, etc, she will say "Nice". We have had a lot of conversations about being nice to other children. Like, you don't kick your friends, and you don't poke babies' eyeballs.

Birthday Week - May 25-June 1

Lily got her summer haircut on Tuesday. Alden kept saying “haircut, haircut” and thinking it was really funny. I think Lily feels a little embarrassed. She always seems down the first few days after her trim, although I can tell she is more comfortable being outside on walks in the heat.

Wednesday morning, we celebrated Alden’s birthday party at the park with our playgroup friends. We had Hungry Howie’s Pizza and a lard cake, and God mercifully held the rain off until we were pulling out of the park. Alden thought she was super-cool, and loved having everyone sing “Happy Birthday”. I think she realized that it was a special day for her. She can tell you that she is “two” if you ask how old she is, but can’t quite get two fingers up to show you. One highlight of the day was piling wet mulch at the bottom of the slide, and then getting it all over the car.

We had another doctor’s appointment that afternoon. Hudson has shifted so his head is straight down now. Hopefully, he will stay there until delivery. I measured 32 cm, and the doctor said that they will start doing ultrasounds at 36 weeks to check my fluid levels. It is hard to believe that we are getting close!

Matt had his interview with The Budd Group on Wednesday before the doctor. It went well, and hopefully, he will hear something this next week. They just got a few new big accounts, and need to hire 3-4 people by the 15th. It would mean staying in Charlotte for at least a few years, but could eventually mean we could move to Raleigh. As much as we would love to have my parents closer, we wouldn’t be disappointed about staying in Charlotte, and believe that God will put us where we need to be.

We drove up to Raleigh on Friday, the 30th for a baby shower and to celebrate Alden’s Birthday. Amber and my mom gave a wonderful shower for me, and made Hudson’s arrival seem a lot more real. Nana drove up from Charlotte, and spent the night with us. Alden slept about an hour in the midst of the excitement, and really enjoyed playing with Mendi’s son Nathan, who is 6 months old. She was very interested in all of Hudson’s new gear and toys, especially the Baby Einstein playmat. Sunday, we went to church together, and to our Sunday lunch spot, Smithfield’s BBQ. We had cake for Alden and opened her presents before Nana had to head back to Charlotte. Matt's mom even got to join us via the answering machine to sing "Happy Birthday". Alden loved the little bee on her flower cake, and learned pretty quick how to use the party blower thing. She got a new crab sandbox, which she had fun crawling on. I think she has soaked up the birthday attention like a sponge…and she loves icing. That afternoon, we all went to Pullen Park to ride the train and the merry-go-round.

Goats???-The Week Before Memorial Day

Monday, Matt went up to Boone with my Aunt Vickie. He also got to spend some time with Ashley and her boyfriend, Andrew. It was a great time for him to get away from the computer and the job search stuff. He got to tour Boone and the campus and do some hiking.

Nana came by for lunch on Wednesday, which was a great change of pace for us. Alden and I went with her to pick out a bookcase for Alden’s room (another project for Matt, since I am not supposed to be using spray paint). As we were driving down 51 to the store, Alden pointed out the library, which we haven’t been to in over month, our church, and a Chick-Fil-A that we have NEVER stopped at. She is definitely Matt’s daughter with her love for Chick-Fil-A. We stopped by the DQ on our way home, and got dip cones! That sure made mom happy!

We started our long Memorial Day weekend by going to the Y, and taking Alden swimming. I tried a prenatal yoga class, which I had been hesitant to try thinking that it would be kind of lame. It was actually really challenging. The lady who teaches it is great, and the class is super-relaxed…moms are able to bring their new babies, too. Alden LOVES swimming and had a great time playing on the steps and jumping the in pool. She is really getting the reaching and pulling, but sinks like a rock if we take our hand away from her.

Saturday morning was rainy and yuck. Luckily, the sun came out in the afternoon and we went to the outside (ou-ide) pool at the Y. The water was cold, but Alden had a great time. There is a beach entry part at the main pool, and then a whole kid pool that is about 1 ½ feet deep with lots of spray things. Matt got an email about interviewing with a company called The Budd Group. That was really encouraging, after a couple days of feeling depressed about the job situation. On Saturday nights, the town of Matthews shows movies or have music in the downtown park. We didn’t stay for the movie part, but went early for the petting zoo. Alden had a BLAST petting and brushing the ponies, sheep, donkey, and especially the goat. She has been really into goats lately and points them out in all her books ("goat"), always laughing afterwards. She even tried to brush the chickens that were in the cage. There was a little sand box area that she played in and did a lot of dancing. We will definitely go back when they do it again, although I don’t think we could ever make it through a whole movie.

Sunday, we went to church and brought a picnic lunch to the outdoor pool at the Y. Alden got a boo-boo on her leg from the side of the pool when she was showing off for someone, and wasn’t looking where she was going when she jumped in.

We had dinner at Darci and John’s with some of their friends. Alden and Anna did laps and laps around their downstairs, and Alden only had to have 1 time-out. That is pretty good for us.

Memorial Day, we went early to the park, while it was still cool outside. That afternoon, we headed up to Davidson to walk around. That’s something we had wanted to do for a while, and just haven’t. We got ice cream at the Ben and Jerry’s and walked through the little downtown and campus. Alden ran about a mile, and picked a lot of clover flowers. She even got to see a backhoe up close.

Big Girl Bed!!!

Last night in the crib!!!! First night in the big girl bed!!!!!!

Alden’s first night in the big-girl bed went well! We set up the playhouse that Elizabeth and Paul had given us where the crib used to be, and I don’t think she noticed that the crib was gone. She thought she was pretty cool getting to sleep in the twin bed.

Our friends Lori and Andrew Thomas came down on Thursday night with their daughter, Libby, who is 3 ½ months old. Andrew just finished his last exam and graduated from UVA Law the following weekend. It was so good to see them. We had a great time taking the girls to the park to hike, and to the mall. Alden loved having “Baby Li-ee” at our house, and we were so glad to get some time with Lori and Andrew before they head back to Ohio for Andrew to start work. Unfortunately, Saturday night, we hit a rough patch with Alden’s sleeping. For the next few nights, she would wake up in the middle of the night and want to read books. We had to let her cry for a while, and after that, she seemed to get the point that books go night-night, too.

On Mother’s Day, we got together at Nana’s house with my dad’s family. We were a little late, since Alden was especially grouchy, and really needed to take a good nap. She had a great time playing with Scottie, and went right to the closet to get the books out, and wanted to take them outside, since she remembered Kitty Scott reading to her last time we were there. She and my dad got some great time together reading outside. My mom, unfortunately, missed the celebration, and stayed home sick in Raleigh. They had already had a busy weekend celebrating Ashley’s graduation from Appalachian State!

It was kind of sad to start the week alone after the excitement of our trip, and our friends being in town. Back to the old grind. I had another doctor’s appointment that Wednesday, the 14th. I have really liked the doctors in our practice, and hope that we will still be in Charlotte for Hudson’s delivery. His heart rate was 143 bpm, and I measured around 30 cm. The doctor told us that Hudson was lying diagonally across my belly with his head down. This explains that jabs in the ribs that I have been experiencing. Dr. Fishburn asked Alden if she had a baby in her tummy, and she was really cute and said, “Mo.” Then, he asked if her daddy did and she said “Mo” again. She is always really interested in what the nurse and doctor do to Mommy.

Alden and I hosted playgroup at our house on Thursday. It is always hard to be the kid hosting, and Alden ended up with a lot of time-outs. It was fun to have our friends together since we hadn’t seen them in a while.

That weekend, we went to Waxhaw for the Spring Fest. They had a bunch of booths set up, and we got to see some turtles, ponies and lots of dogs. We ate cotton candy, and “Chik-shay” for lunch. Alden wasn’t as interested in playing that day…I think she remembered the big kids that were screaming and loud the last time. That night, we went to Bill and Ashley’s for dinner. Alden and Ella had a fun time playing together. Sunday, we went to church (“cheech”) and took Alden and Lily to Idlewild park for a hike. We got a little lost, so our quick trip ended up taking 1 ½ hours. Alden stayed entertained playing with little pieces of "bak" from the trees. We had an impromptu dinner with our friends Marco and Shannon, and Matt got to watch the Cavs game.

Feliz Cumpleanos en Mexico

Please, bear with me while I update May in a few different installments since I have not posted AT ALL. Wow.

We started the month by dropping off Alden in Raleigh with my parents. We drove up on Monday, and enjoyed spending a few days with them and Amber. We went to the Pelican Ice place in Apex, which is my new favorite thing…shaved ice with corn syrupy flavoring…yum, and took Alden to the park. She really enjoyed going on the merry-go-round with Matt. We celebrated my birthday a couple days early and went out to dinner at the Loop. Alden got a kick out of the card I got from Amber that sang the chicken dance and ate a lot of parmesan cheese. She loved pulling the candles out of the cake and liking the icing off, too.

Matt and I came back to Charlotte on Wednesday, and began our few days of freedom. I had a doctor’s appointment that afternoon and got drink the sugary glucose-test stuff. I measured 28 cm, which is right on track. Hudson seems to be growing well and I was given the doctor’s blessing to travel to Mexico. Matt and I went to Y and got dip cones at Dairy Queen, which is another of my latest cravings. Besides packing for our trip, our big project was to take Alden’s crib down in preparation for the BIG GIRL BED!

I got to celebrate my birthday by flying to Mexico! Matt and I left early in the morning to fly to Cancun, and were actually on the same flight as his cousin Steve and his wife Jeanne. We stayed at the Occidental Grand Xcaret in Riviera Maya, which was amazing. There were parrots in the lobby, beautiful pools, and lots of fruity drinks! We started the weekend’s festivities with guy and girl parties to celebrate Rachel and Michael on Thursday night. Friday, we spent a relaxing day by the lagoon and the tidal pool before getting prepped for the wedding. The ceremony was lovely, on a bluff overlooking the ocean, and it was special to have so many family and friends together to celebrate the newlyweds. Saturday, we got suckered into a time-share schpeal, but we did actually win a raffle for a week long trip back to the resort. We went to the Xcaret park in the afternoon, walked around the aquarium, saw the animals, and snorkeled in the limestone caverns, which was definitely the highlight…especially for a very hot, sweaty pregnant girl. Saturday night, we got together with Matt’s family for dinner at the Steakhouse restaurant, which was by far the best meal we had all weekend…mostly because of the chocolate mousse. It was sad to leave on Sunday…we felt like we could have used another day or two to lay around and relax. I would say that we did miss Alden some; she would have enjoyed the animals and the pool, but boy, were we thankful that we didn’t have to chase her around and be inside for naptimes and bedtimes.

Even our night back home by ourselves was great. Matt and I went to dinner at Angela’s, an Italian place we like, and relished having our last meal without having to cut up someone else’s food. It was great to see Alden when we went to pick her up. She had a great time with Auntie Amber and Grammy playing outside, swinging, going to the parks, and eating at “Chik-shay”.