Girl’s Weekend With A Guest Appearance…

Just a few weeks back my son-in-law Jon texted me to see if they could come up for a visit during a November weekend when his hospital schedule allowed. As the weekend grew near my daughter Emily asked if the two could have a weekend away in Stowe and the girls stay with us. They have been working very hard so I was happy to oblige. The girls to ourselves…

Grocery shopping to buy what I knew the girls would love. A bounty of fruit, avocados and a myriad of granddaughter centric items. I was ready and couldn’t wait…

Friday they arrived and it was impossible to tell who was the most excited. Ellie Belle eagerly ran from the car  telling me her second tooth was loose. The excitement of such a moment danced in her deep brown eyes sparkling with anticipation. Her innocence struck me. It truly is about the simple things in life. After settling in Em and Jon went off to Stowe and we planned our weekend together. Girls weekend plus one Grampy…

A loose tooth that after some diligence and determination became a very loose tooth. We decided we best prepare for the event and discussed whether Vermont was in the tooth fairy’s jurisdiction or not. I assured my eldest granddaughter that it was so we should compose a note to the tooth fairy. I confirmed with my daughter how the tooth fairy had responded to the first tooth lost. I wanted to make sure the fairy was reliably consistent. The note was prepared and the tooth was soon dangling from a cringy thread. I was somewhat squeamish, she was fine and it was time to call in the calvary, Grampy. My cell phone was set to video and I recorded the removal live for the parents and nostalgia I guess. To be there for the moment and in the moment made my heart swell as I wanted to grasp  onto the innocence and hold it closely for as long as I could… 

I was sworn not to tell her parents as she wanted to surprise them but we started to stumble about whether to ask the tooth fairy to come to Vermont or wait till her parents saw the tooth and schedule her for  MA. A face time with my daughter and son in law resolved the decision and VT it was…

A drawing of what the tooth fairy might look like was next on our agenda as we often draw together but we had a theme to address. Colorful blues and greens including a blue heart in the upper right hand corner were expressed on construction paper. We placed it in the forefront of our refrigerator along with the girl’s other creative efforts…

A day of ‘stay play.” “The gift of an aging grandmother to her rapidly growing granddaughters. Focusing on creative play and a quieter day. We built magic castles with magna tiles. Young Josephine had created a flawless design enabling our imaginations to transform simple squares into the land of adventurous princesses and friends. Hallways that led to exciting places. The more I encouraged her imagination the wider her eyes grew creating more expansive thoughts and ideas. Her small body responded with every fiber electrified as her brain zoomed to more creative places. We laughed when our “pretend” voices even surprised us…

Dinner and bath-time rounded out our Saturday. Bedtime was nigh. The girls and I occupied the second floor bedrooms of our modest home on the hill. Reading books, organizing stuffies and remembering to strategically place the note and tooth on Ellie Belle’s nightstand. Eager to fall asleep so the mysterious visitor could complete the process, the lights were soon off…

The sweetness of early morning as they awoke. I went in to greet them and to see  if our mission had been accomplished? First I scooped Josephine up in my arms as Ellie climbed out from under the down quilt. With sleep still in her movements I asked if the fairy had arrived? With a jolt of remembrance she reached over to the nightstand to find the financial exchange for the tiny white tooth. Squeals of delight!

As we headed downstairs traveling as a pack carefully navigating each step. They were patient with my early morning stiffness. A lower back that has played hard for many years. On the same step all the way down while we chatted about nothing yet everything…

We arrived in the living room and they hopped up on our soft couch. An early morning chill waning as the gas stove glowed and warmed the room. I grabbed my beautiful new blanket gifted to us by a dear friend. The girls tucked in with love. Cozy together. I didn’t need to take a photograph as the image is as vivid in my thoughts as the moment it happened…