Josie now says, "Yesh." Ask her a question, and you'll get either an emphatic "NO!" or a sweet little "Yesh," accented by a nod of her head, crazy hair waving in the breeze. I was holding her during evening assembly the other night (we're at our Bible School convention thing this week) and I looked down at her and realized... My baby is growing up! Since Sadie is older, I always think of Josie as a little baby, I guess. It suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks (nevermind the tears that welled up in my eyes suddenly and without warning) that she is NOT a baby. She is rapidly becoming a little girl. Sigh. She's talking all the time, and I'm beginning to actually be able to understand her, too. Today she said, "Hey! Look, Mom! A ball! Got it at the zoo!" (which she didn't, but still... that's a pretty good sentence).
They have been having a great time this week, for the most part. I mean, sure, there have been moments of whining and crying and "accidents of the pant-nature," but they've run around, gone to class, sung, danced, played, done crafts, eaten ice cream, and made lots of new friends. Deanna braided Sadie's hair - Jamaican style - with tons of little beads on the ends and Sadie loves it. She's had it in since Sunday and loves to shake her head and point out her "beautiful beadies" to everyone. Josie likes to pull on them, but Sadie does not appreciate that, as you can imagine. I think Josie's favorite part of the whole week has been Deanna's "helicopter rides" in the lawn outside the cafeteria. Deanna picks her up, whirls her around and around and around in a circle, then puts her down in the grass. Josie sticks both her arms out for balance, staggers around, laughing, then inevitably collapses backwards into the grass in a dizzy, giggling heap. Fun! Her new favorite song is, "He's got the whole woi-old - His hands... whole wide woi-old... hand! Little little baby... HANDS!" She also liked playing with Daddy in the nursery - he took care of her there almost every day, after taking both kids to their Musical Praise class - and climbing in the tent and the tunnel (the child LOVES tunnels... I think she may end up as a spelunker).
Yesterday, I heard a giant ka-thunk and then a scream - oh wait, that was my OWN scream when I realized that Sadie had fallen from the top bunk bed into the floor!!! What is it about bunk beds that silently whisper to children... "Climb to the top! I am a wonderful mountain! There is nothing but joy at my summit! Climb, uncoordinated ones! Climb!" Sadie, at last, gave in and did it (unsupervised) and then decided to get down in the quickest - and most painful - way. It scared the heck out of me, but she landed on her butt and Aunt Becky (nurse's room next door, thank goodness) said that her tailbone wasn't broken. Jesse says that now at least we can be sure that she got HIS bone structure and not MINE. Thank goodness. She's had fun balancing on all the cement walkways and benches around the campus and playing hide and seek with her cousins. For 45 minutes the other day, they ALL hid in the closet, closed the doors, and snickered away while I counted to 10 and tried to find them OVER and OVER again. Apparently, this was hilarious to anyone 4 and under.
I'm sure I'll have more to report later, but now I must get to "Field Day" and practice my song for tomorrow... I think Sadie's going to get on stage in front of everyone and say the 23rd Psalm, but we'll see.
