Baltimore, after the fact...

I was meaning to take my laptop to Baltimore so I could sent out posts but forgot it in the rush to get away on Sunday. Just as well, with two 7 year old girls and a 4 year old, when would I have found time to write?

We drove in heavy rain through New York City and light rain until half-way to Delaware. Driving in rain makes me more tense than driving in snow.

The girls were still up when we arrived a little after 9. Presents were opened and their excitement was contagious. It will be remembered as The American Girl Christmas. At Thanksgiving they had seen and played with two American Girl dolls from Mimi's childhood and it was obvious Morgan and Emma and Tegan were hooked! So Bern and I and Bern's brother gave them dolls and outfits and beds and a table and chairs and even closets for their dolls' clothes. The next day, while Josh and Cathy were at work, Bern and I (mostly Bern) helped the girls create 'the American Girl apartment' in the huge open room on the top floor of the town house. It was really great and the girls would spend a lot of the next days up there playing. Josh even told Bern that the gift of a separate play space was the 'best give you could give me'.

Exhausting as they are--and they ARE exhausting--they were great and we had a wonderful time with them through Wednesday.

And the greatest thing about grandchildren of all the many, marvelous and amazing great things about grandchildren is this: Wednesday afternoon after three days of being with them and after hugs and kisses a plenty, Bern and I got in our car and drove home to our quiet little house in Connecticut....