We took a trip to visit Dwayne’s family after Christmas. It’s about an 8-hour drive to Pinckneyville, Illinois, if you drive straight though. When we go, it takes more like 9 or 10 hours. We always stop at about the halfway point and eat inside a McDonald’s so the girls can run around in the playland and work off their excess energy. We have DVD players in the car so they can watch movies. That really helps pass the time on a long trip. But, they don’t want to watch movies all the time. We got stuck in a traffic jam in Nashville and their movie went off. I asked if they wanted another, and they both said, “No.” Bridget said she “wanted to talk.” So, we looked at the people in the cars around us and made up stories about who they were and where they were going. The girls are so good-natured about traveling that they can even make a traffic jam enjoyable.
The girls love going to visit their Babushka and Dyedushka. They have such a great time playing with their cousins. There are 9 kids in addition to Bridget and Tessa. Seven of them are boys! Their only other girl cousins in Illinois are Desiree and Ashley, who are both teenagers. They love seeing them and think they are both so pretty and grown-up. They really love playing with their boy cousins. Their Auntie Dee’s older boys, Marshall, Wesley and Robert, are so sweet about playing with the girls. They make a big deal out of them and watch out for them. They will even play house with them! Amazing!! The girls love them all. They love to play with Uncle Jimmy’s kids, too. Anthony is the same age as Bridget, so they have lots of fun. L.A., Vincent and little Dominic are younger, and the girls see them as cute little “babies” (which is funny because Vincent and L.A. are physically as “big” as Tessa, though they are younger). When they girls get all boy-ed out, their Uncle Travis’ girlfriend Sarah and her daughter Abby are there for them. The girls love them some Abby. She is a couple years older than Bridget and teaches them new things and “mommies” them. They always love that.
We all got Christmas presents while we were there. Dwayne got some Richard Pryor DVDs (“Moving,” “Greased Lightning,” and “Hear No Evil, See No Evil”) and a cool light that you wear on your head, (for when you’re working on cars or something). I got a very pretty Emerald ring. I was very surprised and pleased to get it. My godson Marshall got me a light-up Christmas pin. It’s very cool and the batteries are replaceable, so I can wear it in years to come. Bridget got a new Leap Pad that’s all about learning to read. Tessa got a train set and some musical instruments (xylophone, tambourine and maracas). They both got Cabbage Patch newborn babies from Sarah. They love the babies so much; they are just the right size for carrying! Bridget loved the whole “adoption” theme and wanted to fill out her adoption form for her doll right away.
On New Year’s Eve, when the clock struck midnight, we went outside and rang bells and blew car horns. We didn’t stay out too long because it was really cold. It had been unseasonably warm, but rained and then got cold on Sunday. You know it’s cold when my kids are ready to go back inside after 5 minutes!
The trip home was uneventful. We got home around 10:30. The girls were excited to be home and both stayed up way too late. It was about 1 a.m. before Bridget finally nodded off. I didn’t mind that they stayed up late; it gave me a chance to sleep in a little bit the next day . . .
The photo shown is of Marshall and Tessa. Aren't they cute?
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