Our Littlest Princess...

Tickets were purchased as soon as they became available. "Disney On Ice Princess Classics" was coming to Rupp Arena in Lexington. Such a wonderful thing to take a little Princess to just as she is learning about Princess' and how wonderful they are. We got tickets for the Marx family and Grampa and Gramma so we could all watch the wonder in little ones faces as the characters glide across the ice.

Thursday evening (March 25th) we planned to meet the Marx Family at the McDonald's on Hwy. 922 just outside Lexington. Claude and I got there early to have a bit of dinner. Then we got the call from Andie they were running a little late and maybe we should meet at Rupp Arena. We determined to both aim for the Rally's Burger stand closer to the arena. Now all this arriving together was because we figured out that Hayden had an OT appointment on Friday morning. If Claude and I kept Bailey after the Princess Show then Andie didn't need to get a sitter for her on Friday morning. This also meant Master Hayden could have a morning with just him and mommy. So the Marx & the Christensen cars needed to be close to each other to get a car seat in my car and transfer Bailey's sleepover gear. Claude and I headed to our car and when Claude put the key in the ignition he got nothing, nada, zero, zip, zilch!!! What in the world was the matter. He tried again. Still no start-up action with my wonderful red car. I gave him my key to see if that made a difference. With all these computer systems and keys with little micro-chips in them, it seemed a logical thing to try. Still nothing. I called Andie back and told here we were on to the next plan. They needed to come to the McDonald's and get us because my car wouldn't start. Now our evening had been carefully timed to allow just enough time to get to Rupp Arena, have potty breaks and find out seats so there would be a minimum of time for the mini-Marx's to get restless. All this silliness was not fitting into our timing for the evening at all. I hung up with Andie. Claude tried his key again while I'm rummaging through my owners manual trying to find something that might give us a clue as to what in the world to try. Then the most wonderful thing happened. The ignition ignited!!! Yeah!!! I called Andie back and said, "Back to Plan A revised!" We would both head to Rupp Arena parking and try and find each other in the parking lot. The Marx family arrived first, called and told us about where they were. Claude made it into the parking lot and we parked right beside the Marx family. Quickly Michael went into switch the gear and put in the extra car seat mode. I opened Hayden's car door and got the most wonderful hug. He loves to hug and gives great squeezes. Then he looked me right in the eye and said, "Bailey is coming to your house for a SLEEPOVER!!" I was so happy to hear that. This would be Bailey's first time sleepover at our home without mom, dad or Hayden. But Andie had talked to them over the last 3 days and Hayden understood clearly he was going to get a day with just Mommy. He was okay with the plan. But how would Miss Bailey be? Bailey was in her blue princess dress. When we were at the McDonald's waiting 2 little girls came in at separate times in their princess costumes. What fun to see all these little ladies getting into the feel of the evening as we entered Rupp Arena. We got into the Arena and seated just at the show was beginning. The first half of the show was all about Aladdin, Beauty & the Beast, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Mulan. We knew all of the stories except Mulan. None of us had seen Mulan. That is the only time the kids were a bit restless. Otherwise it was just great to watch them taking all that skating, costumes and scenery in. There was a brief intermission. The second half of the show was really about Cinderella with a grand finale of all the characters dressed in white costumes styled like their regular costumes and standing on a grand staircase. Even Mickey and Minnie had on white formal attire for the finale.

After the performance we did get Bailey an Ariel doll. Hayden didn't quite find anything of his choosing and willingly agreed with Andie that he could look for something else the next day while they were out on their day together.

Then we got to the cars. We loaded Bailey in our car. She was quite happy and said, "I go to Pa and Ma's house for a sleepover!" She never fussed or anything. I rode in the backseat with her because she wanted to hold hands while we drove home. My that was tender and sweet.

We got home and Bailey woke from maybe a 10 minutes sleep during the ride. She was wide awake and hurried inside the house. Then she came running back to get me and said, "Come on Ma! Yet's go to your bedroom. That's a gate idea!!" There you have it. Bailey was sure she was sleeping in Claude and my room between us in that big old bed. Claude came into the room and Bailey was nestled comfortably between our pillows. Claude looked at me and said, "If she wants to sleep here, I'll go to the spare room." What love from a tired grampa!! I had Bailey's crib all made up in the basement where she usually sleeps. But I knew our little 'princess' had just had a quick nap and was truly excited to be at Pa and Ma's home. So I popped in a Thomas the Train DVD and she watched a couple of short shows while I made sure the monitor was set up and her PJ's were one her.

Then I suggested, with as much excitement as I could possibly generate, that we go downstairs and see if her bed was still there. She grabbed Wah-Wah and I grabbed the bag of lovies and blanket that Andie sent and we headed to the basement. Bailey bounded right into the storage where her crib is kept. She was so excited to see all the things she usually had right there for her. The blanket to read and play on was beside her crib and we sat down there and picked out two books to read. She chose which toys to sleep with. Then we tucked her and the toys in her crib, turned the music on for her and off to sleep our little princess went. AMAZING!!

I was prepared for whatever reaction we got from Bailey on this first sleepover. I had carried my body pillow into the extra bedroom and made a wall with it and the extra pillows on one side of the bed. I figured if Bailey was really fussy to begin with or during the night, she and I would curl up in that bed and sleep together. It was not needed. Bailey slept from 11pm to 7am Friday morning. I kept waking up during the night to be sure the monitor was working. Silly me. That is that 'mommy gene' kicking in.

At 7am sharp I could hear over the monitor, "Ma come get me." I quickly got up and headed to the basement. There was our little princess waiting patiently for me to come. I scooped her and the lovies that were chosen to attend her that day out of the crib. As we started across the family room to the stairs Bailey said, "Oh, I forgot something." Back she raced to the storage and looked all over. She was missing a Beany Baby horse she likes to play with when here. We added that to her attendants and up the stairs we went.

I asked her if she wanted a waffle for breakfast. She said, "I want waffles and chicken." So that was her breakfast, a waffle and a chicken tender with catsup and ranch dressing. Oh, and she really needed chocolate milk. I only had white milk but I did have chocolate syrup to make the desired beverage.

As I prepared breakfast Bailey said, "Yet's get Pa." Faster than I thought possible she was across the living room to our bedroom door. She did knock a couple of times quickly, then turned that door knob and into the bedroom she ran. Pa was not going to get to sleep in this day at all. Bailey does like those around her awake, ask Papa about that some time!

After breakfast Bailey climbed up on a chair at the breafast table. The kids like to stand on stepstools at the island and eat. So now the breakfast table was her next destination. She took the Beany Baby deer and horse with her. They needed to eat and the perfect thing for their feed was sitting on the breakfast table. She shook salt and pepper on a napkin and then held their noses right in it to eat.

We had a full morning with our little princess. Here are some of her adventures. We hung the Easter ornaments on the little Easter tree. Well, we only hung the rabbits and chick ornaments. All of the egg shaped ornaments Bailey put inside the plastic eggs in my purple Easter basket.

We found the double-12 dominos and made Aladdin and Abu out of them. Then we added the Genie. I went to grab the camera just as Bailey jumbled the dominos again.

We played with the toys in the hallway upstairs. Then the John Deere barn that sorts coins in Pa's office. Then we needed to head downstairs. That is where the real toy closet it located. Bailey searched it for a bit and we found and played golf. Then her eagle eyes caught the Nemo movie and it needed to be on Pa's big TV. I got that going and she was sure she needed chips while she watched Nemo. Bailey is a chip-o-holic. She was really happy with the Pringle's and the blanket. Pa joined us for the movie viewing. He had been upstairs trying to get the new laptop out of the box and get it working.

I used the opportunity to comb Bailey's hair and put it in pigtails. I wanted to cut some off her bangs and this got the bulk of it out of the way for that job. She let me cut her hair but some of it was on the run. I did it in my sewing room in front of the full-length mirror so she could see what I was doing. This could very well be the least kid-friendly room in my home. Bailey knew it needed to be explored. Here are a few pictures of her looking through the sewing machine. I usually have it closed when the kids come. This time I did not and Bailey found it a very interesting place to explore. She reminded me of when I was very little and my mother's mother found me looking through things in her home. Gramma Fisch asked me, "What are you doing?" With the frankness and innocence of youth I honestly told her, "I'm punderin' Gramma, I'm punderin' (plundering)!" Princess Bailey was punderin' herself. Gramma Fisch just chuckled at me and I found myself doing the same with Bailey.

Claude watched Bailey and I managed to get my shower. Then I reciprocated the favor. Bailey really likes horses now and found a new interest in the rocking horse she has almost outgrown. She rocked and talked. Then she would stroke the nose of the horse and talk to him. Then she got off and shared her chips with him.

We pulled out all the trains and Bailey found it appropriate to sit on the train table to play with them. Please note the horse, deer and Wah-Wah are observing her play with the trains. All is in order in Baileyland.

We made our way back upstairs and read books with the little reader things I have. Claude and I gathered everything and loaded the car. It was time to take Bailey home. We had a wonderful visit with her. It wasn't until just time to leave the house that she said for the first time, "I need to go to my house to see Mommy and Daddy and Hayden."

I told her we were going to get Papa and take him with us. We loaded in the car and headed to Papa's apartment. He came out and got in the car and Bailey assured us she thought Tiny should be there as well. Tiny dutifully barked from her perch on the bed by the window.

Then we drove to Frankfort to the Dairy Queen for a bit of dinner on our way to LaGrange.

We visited with the Marx family for a couple of hours. Hayden had a new projector that showed 3-D slides of the universe. He and I watched all the slides. Bailey played with Papa. She wanted him to keep his legs out in front so she could crawl under them like a bridge. At one point she got his legs the way she wanted and then she looked up and him as best she could from under his legs and said, "Do you understand Papa?" He lost it and laughed really loud.

Then Claude, Papa and I headed to the temple for the rest of the evening.

It was a wonderful outing. What a blessing to be able to do things with little ones. Sometimes as we get older we forget all is really a wonder to see and learn about. Little ones remind us of that.