Friday With The Girls-Part 2

(Continued from previous post)

We sat down to eat dinner, our first meal together. Happy ate with zeal, trying some of everything. She especially enjoyed the homemade macaroni and cheese, and asked "What is the crunchy stuff on top?" She was good at figuring out dishes. I explained it was crushed crackers.

At that point, Hope asked, "Auntie, do you have some plain crackers, please?" She was a picky eater, but could fill up on saltine crackers and milk. She did eat strawberries, and a few bites of chicken tenders, but that was about it. Happy ate it all, firsts, seconds, and even thirds!

While we were eating, Jazzy stayed outside, watching inside through the French Doors. We decided to let the girls get to know Jazzy by taking her for a walk in the park.

Funny, the girls, the same ones who were a bit hesitant about being near a dog, thought she was great fun on a leash in a park. Happy even begged to walk the dog, and enjoyed every bit of it.

We then took the girls to the playground, and they enjoyed the various swings, slides, balance beams, and more. I photographed them like a silly tourist, taking shot after shot of these jubilant girls.

Our great fun was interrupted by poor Happy's belly. She started cramping up and begged for a bathroom. I took her to the porta-potty, She said, "Auntie, what is Porta-Potty?" I told her it was a metal room with a toilet.

"Does it flush?"

"No baby, it is just an outdoor bathroom. You might have to hold your nose."

When I opened the door to the mysterious metal closet, Happy's eyes widened and she said, "Oh, Auntie, Please, No! May I go somewhere else!"

We begged Russ to rush to get the car, parked far away, and speed us home, just five minutes away. I'm not sure what the bathroom traditions are of little girls in Uganda, but I do know that they told me they had to squat rather than sit when in Uganda. Perhaps they had gotten "soft" in their year in the United States. What little girl wouldn't, when given the opportunity?

After the bathroom visit, and I realized her symptoms, I gave her some berry flavored Tums. She liked them quite well. Good thing, with her eating pleasures! haha! I love a girl who loves food!

We left Jazzy at home, and hopped back in the van to go to the movie rental place to get some movies for our weekend (since we didn't have cable or satellite dish). It was funny to watch the girls in the movie rental store. They had seen every movie fit for little girls to see. We grabbed three, and also purchased some movie-style microwave popcorn. It came in the tubs found at movie theatres. It was funny to see their eyes.

"Auntie, where is the popcorn?"

"It is here, I promise. We will make it pop up in the microwave."

"Will it go BOOM too?"

"No. Just wait and see. You will like it."

They knew they liked popcorn (they both love salty things), but they couldn't understand how it would magically appear in these tubs. It was pretty cool to see their faces!

We watched Ice Princess, and it was quite good. Hope knew every line, and often said the lines along with the actors. I asked them not to tell me what was going to happen, especially if I would be sad or happy, but they told me anyway. It was their way of introducing me to one of their friends, in a way.

During the movie, Jazzy was so good to just lay around near the kids, without bugging them (much). It was neat to see how gentle she was with them.

Then it was time for bed. They begged to stay up later. Of course! I told them we would get a glass of water to drink, would use the restroom, and would have no excuses for delaying bedtime. After they were in their jammies, I said a word of prayer with them on their bed. It was a precious time.

Amazing. In just a few short hours, I fell in love with these girls as if they were born from my own womb. What a bright light they are.

(More to come later.)