Giggle Girl Visits

GiggleGirl came for a visit. It has been about 5 years since I have last seen her. I was soo excited. GG will always have a special place in my heart; I have known her all her life. In a way, she is like a niece. Her and DJ are just 2 months apart, she being older. As such, the kids played a lot as youngsters. GG and her mom even lived with us for a while. That was great! Tag-team parenting. I would wash the kids in the bathtub and GG’s mom would make dinner. Then after dinner, I would clean up the kitchen and she would prep the kids for bed. It was great. Needless to say, they are the closest thing to a brother and sister each other have.

I picked her up from the airport. No matter what, I was going to be surprised. I just couldn’t wait to squeeze her cheeks, but I know that you can’t do that to 12-year-olds. <wink> She was the same, but different. She was taller, bigger and had a deeper voice. The things that were the same; her smile, infectious giggling laugh and twinkle in her eyes. She is girl-like and lady-like at the same time. My heart is full.

The day she arrived we had a full house. Simonfunk and Claire arrived a few days earlier after 9 months in New Zealand, Sunny arrived a few days earlier as well, from a few months in South America, Haqr ,Pixels of Light and their little one were over for dinner. It was very festive and delicious.

Shortly after she arrived, GG said, “I feel like an outsider!”
I said, “What? You can’t be an outsider. Look here” and then I took her into the bathroom and showed her this picture.

Wilma, Pebbles, Bam Bam, Betty... Halloween in Lahaina,Maui 1994

“You can’t be an outsider, ‘cause you're already here.” She eased a bit.

GG has recently taken an interest in drawing Anime-Manga style, as has DJ. They quickly got to drawing, sitting on the couch. First one pokes the other. Then the other shoulders the other and sooner or later, playful punches in the arm. It was like they were 3 again. <Smile> GG claims it’s payback :)

The following day was a HTG Hike. GG and DJ ran up a little ahead, scampering after a lizard. It was like they were 3 again. <heart full of joy> GG has a natural talent for animals. Attracting them, understanding them, helping them. Once when she was living with us, a butterfly flew into the sunroom. She saw it, lifted her finger up and the butterfly landed on it! One of her dreams is to open an animal rehabilitation center. So it was no surprise that when she came home from the hike, she showed me her closed palm. "Look what I found”, she said as she opened her palm… there was a claw. A large claw. A mountain lion claw.
Me: (incredulously) Where did you find that?
GG: It was just on the middle of the path.

Incredible, and yet not surprising.

The next day we took it easy and watched ‘The Incredible’s’ on our huge screen. It was like being at the theaters, but better.
The next day another old friend of DJ and GG’s, SB came over. We used to have tea parties when the kids were younger and though this was not as elaborate, it was still fun. We made 6 fleece blankets to donate to this cause.

Pool noodles, weapons of mass destruction...

Swimming and make your own pizza’s for dinner. DDR afterwards, now what could be more perfect for pre-teens?

The next day we went to Disneyland. The last time GG was there she was 5 and had only been on the rides in Fantasyland. So Pirates of the Caribean and Haunted House, Star Tours, ThunderMountain and Matterhorn... these were all new for her. And fun for me. We had junk food all day. We started with chocolate, then French fries, fried chicken, pasta, Cotton Candy x2 and more sweets.

At the end of the day, we just wanted to go home and have some fresh, raw vegetables!

Next day… Bowling! And Ice Cream! SB joined us again, as well as LG and Pickles.

I was driver, chaperone and occasional referee. A new role.

The following day, was the Clothing Exchange. A bunch of women get together with their closet rejects, and hold them up for grabs. If more than one person wants the item, their names are put in a hat and drawn. There were a number of items that GG wanted and thus her name was put in the hat alot. Strangely enough, her name was picked often! More than chance! :) She attests it to having written her name twice on the tag.

The next day started slowly as we went to bed late. The day was spent relaxing, art supply shopping, and packing all those new clothes.

I have alot of pictures of GG and DJ around the house from when they were little. Having her here this week allowed soo many happy memories and stories to to be reminisced. Here are two pictures I tried to recreate. I would love to 'recreate' these pictures every 5 years.

Age 7

Age 12

And then… time for GG to return to her regularly scheduled life.

Sit up straight.... Ah...much better, So ladylike...

Going....

Going....

Gone!

Goodbye Sweetheart... till next time!


April 2, 2005	Giggle Girl Visits GiggleGirl came for a visit. It has been about 5 years since I have last seen her. I was soo excited. GG will always have a special place in my heart; I have known her all her life. In a way, she is like a niece. Her and DJ are just 2 months apart, she being older. As such, the kids played a lot as youngsters. GG and her mom even lived with us for a while. That was great! Tag-team parenting. I would wash the kids in the bathtub and GG’s mom would make dinner. Then after dinner, I would clean up the kitchen and she would prep the kids for bed. It was great. Needless to say, they are the closest thing to a brother and sister each other have. I picked her up from the airport. No matter what, I was going to be surprised. I just couldn’t wait to squeeze her cheeks, but I know that you can’t do that to 12-year-olds. <wink> She was the same, but different. She was taller, bigger and had a deeper voice. The things that were the same; her smile, infectious giggling laugh and twinkle in her eyes. She is girl-like and lady-like at the same time. My heart is full. The day she arrived we had a full house. Simonfunk and Claire arrived a few days earlier after 9 months in New Zealand, Sunny arrived a few days earlier as well, from a few months in South America, Haqr ,Pixels of Light and their little one were over for dinner. It was very festive and delicious. Shortly after she arrived, GG said, “I feel like an outsider!” I said, “What? You can’t be an outsider. Look here” and then I took her into the bathroom and showed her this picture. Wilma, Pebbles, Bam Bam, Betty... Halloween in Lahaina,Maui 1994 “You can’t be an outsider, ‘cause you're already here.” She eased a bit. GG has recently taken an interest in drawing Anime-Manga style, as has DJ. They quickly got to drawing, sitting on the couch. First one pokes the other. Then the other shoulders the other and sooner or later, playful punches in the arm. It was like they were 3 again. <Smile> GG claims it’s payback :) The following day was a HTG Hike. GG and DJ ran up a little ahead, scampering after a lizard. It was like they were 3 again. <heart full of joy> GG has a natural talent for animals. Attracting them, understanding them, helping them. Once when she was living with us, a butterfly flew into the sunroom. She saw it, lifted her finger up and the butterfly landed on it! One of her dreams is to open an animal rehabilitation center. So it was no surprise that when she came home from the hike, she showed me her closed palm. "Look what I found”, she said as she opened her palm… there was a claw. A large claw. A mountain lion claw. Me: (incredulously) Where did you find that? GG: It was just on the middle of the path. Incredible, and yet not surprising. The next day we took it easy and watched ‘The Incredible’s’ on our huge screen. It was like being at the theaters, but better. The next day another old friend of DJ and GG’s, SB came over. We used to have tea parties when the kids were younger and though this was not as elaborate, it was still fun. We made 6 fleece blankets to donate to this cause. Pool noodles, weapons of mass destruction... Swimming and make your own pizza’s for dinner. DDR afterwards, now what could be more perfect for pre-teens? The next day we went to Disneyland. The last time GG was there she was 5 and had only been on the rides in Fantasyland. So Pirates of the Caribean and Haunted House, Star Tours, ThunderMountain and Matterhorn... these were all new for her. And fun for me. We had junk food all day. We started with chocolate, then French fries, fried chicken, pasta, Cotton Candy x2 and more sweets. At the end of the day, we just wanted to go home and have some fresh, raw vegetables! Next day… Bowling! And Ice Cream! SB joined us again, as well as LG and Pickles. I was driver, chaperone and occasional referee. A new role. The following day, was the Clothing Exchange. A bunch of women get together with their closet rejects, and hold them up for grabs. If more than one person wants the item, their names are put in a hat and drawn. There were a number of items that GG wanted and thus her name was put in the hat alot. Strangely enough, her name was picked often! More than chance! :) She attests it to having written her name twice on the tag. The next day started slowly as we went to bed late. The day was spent relaxing, art supply shopping, and packing all those new clothes. I have alot of pictures of GG and DJ around the house from when they were little. Having her here this week allowed soo many happy memories and stories to to be reminisced. Here are two pictures I tried to recreate. I would love to 'recreate' these pictures every 5 years. Age 7 Age 12 And then… time for GG to return to her regularly scheduled life. Sit up straight.... Ah...much better, So ladylike... Going.... Going.... Gone! Goodbye Sweetheart... till next time!
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