5 days with the grandparents

We recently returned from a wonderful vacation to Lake Tahoe with our friends Mark and Ali. Elise spent 5 days with her grandparents! She is a lucky girl. Gram and Grandpa kept her for the first half of our vacation and then traded with Mimi and Pop.

You know you're in for trouble when the first thing Mimi says upon picking you up at the airport is "don't forget that your pastor said that my job is to spoil my granddaughter" (true story from the Mother's Day/baby dedication service at TBC). You reply with a nervous laugh and wonder what is in store for you when you get back home and try to regain your routine. When we got back home, Elise was a little... shall we say... "different". Here is a funny story to illustrate my point.

We now have a small child who asks for your hand in a way that clearly indicates her request has never been denied. She takes your hand and walks you to wherever she wants you to go. If there are two adults available, she'll gladly ask for both of your hands and travel as a group across the room so that you both can watch up close as she plays with her toys. If you decline the request, she simply repeats her command, not having experienced rejection from anyone over the last five days.

Her first real annoyance came when she reunited with Boss, and he clearly didn't have any desire to appease her. Happily perched atop the couch in his usual spot just out of Elise's reach, he was content to doze quietly. Elise decided he should come watch her play with her house across the room, and began ordering him, "Boss, down here!" Repeating her order several times, the tone and pointing became somewhat frantic before Mike intervened. Mike picked Boss up and put him on the floor to see what she had in mind next. She then said, "Boss, move house!" to instruct him to move over to the house. He was just as happy lying on the floor as he was on the couch and was content to stay put. Boss was clearly amused at Elise's notion that she could move him without his consent. She wrapped her arms around his waist and attempted to drag him across the floor, but Boss never budged. Mike asked Elise what she wanted, and she sadly exclaimed, "Boss, move house!" Mike walked over to the house and signaled Boss to join him, and Boss happily trotted over to the house and stretched out on the floor. Elise was overjoyed and resumed playing with her house...by herself, but now with an audience.

Thankfully, it only took 5 days for her to return to her normal pre-grandparent-vacation self. Thank you to Gram, Grandpa, Mimi, and Pop for making our childless vacation a reality!

Here are some pictures of our unspoiled angel taken by the future Mrs. Michelle Boyd! Elise says "Tank you, Eyell!" Stay tuned for some pictures from our Lake Tahoe and Sea World trips!