Annual Road Trip

Yesterday my friend Stephanie and I drove to our favorite scrapbook store about 3 hours away.  We go there every year, and this time we brought our daughters with us.  Her daughter is 6 but got along with Karina really well.  The drive down was uneventful, we had a nice lunch at Steak n Shake and then hit the scrapbook store.  It was harder to shop with the girls, but still was fun.  Karina insisted on carrying her own basket around, even though it was huge and she kept whacking things.  She was so excited to get a sticker of a schoolbus (she loves them) and a sheet of cupcake stickers.  After the store, it was 2:15, so we decided to head to the mall where there was a Build a Bear that Stephanie had promised Riley could do.  I was hoping Karina would nap in the stroller there, but she didn't.  We went to Build a Bear and Karina wasn't interested at all, not unusual for her.  Then we wandered the mall, had a cookie, and were wondering what to do next.  Then Riley saw the Disney store so we went in there.  As soon as we walked in, Karina saw the display for Cars2 and went right to it.  She started playing with the big plush Cars characters and when I asked if she wanted to take one home, she immediately grabbed Tow Mater and started hugging him and cuddling him!  My girl who hates stuffed animals finally has a plush (besides Lambkin, who is still Number 1) that she likes!  I was very excited.  She carried him through the mall as though he were a pillow with a tiara on it--you can just imagine, holding him in both hands and making all these shy, coy little faces!  It was so cute.  On the way home, they both fell asleep, and when we stopped to eat about an hour from Stephanie's house, Karina was NOT happy.  She wouldn't eat, wouldn't get out of my lap, kept crying over every little nothing.  Poor thing, I felt bad for her.  Once we got in the car, though, she was fine again.  I think she was just cranky that we weren't going home.  She didn't want us sitting there not going somewhere.  As we were driving to Steph's house, Karina was looking out the window and talking, and kept saying "tea".  I tried to figure out what she meant.  Mommy drinks tea?  No.  The trees?  No.  Cheese?  No.  Are you saying "tea"?  Yes.  Then I asked her to tell me more about the word she was saying.  She kept saying, "T, T, T" the sound of T and then she moved her hands across her face and said, "Move".  Finally Stephanie figured it out.  She saw the telephone poles going by, and they look like capital Ts!  So of course, T is moving past her, it made sense!  She was so happy once we finally got home.  She went to bed around 10pm, very late for her, and then this morning Bill got up with her...at 6:15!  She is napping early today!!

We had a lot of fun, but next year we're leaving the girls at home for sure!