Marc, Nanny & Pop Pop

Last Monday, Madeline played with her presents from Uncle Marc -- Finnegan (whom she calls Gilligan) and Sheepy.

Monday night, after she went to bed, there was a spectacular rainbow!

Ooo.

Tuesday involved more playing.  Madeline really enjoys monsters (see the end of this post).

Wednesday was a bit calmer.  Madeline loved having Uncle Marc read to her.

But Thursday, Marc had to leave.

He and Madeline got in some last minute bonding before his morning departure.

And we took the obligatory posed shot.

And before school, we deposited Marc at the train station then fielded questions from Madeline: "Uncle Marc's going on a trip?  He's going to Minnesota?"

Then Friday, Nanny and Pop Pop came to town!  Madeline checked out the vegetables growing in our garden when she wasn't helping me grill.  She also found a worm -- "That's a nice worm. That's my friend worm." -- in the garden.

At bed time, Madeline was enthralled with the books Nanny and Pop Pop gave her.  Dr. Duck has proved to be a particular favorite (Nanny and Pop Pop each read it at least once, and we read it twice tonight, too).

Saturday morning, after Madeline's standard sing-song "Daddy, open the door; come get me!," she announced, "I want to go downstairs and see Nanny and Pop Pop."  So we did, and I made breakfast, and then we relaxed in the yard.

We played with dinosaurs, too.

After a while, Madeline announced, "Time to go inside, everyone. I'm all done with outside."  We complied but ended up back outside during her nap.

Later, inside, Pop Pop helped Madeline give her bears checkups.

Nanny and Pop Pop also gave Madeline a crib and some other accessories for her baby doll.  Madeline especially enjoyed the toy diaper cream tube, which she has used to treat imaginary diaper rash on both the baby doll and her Bubby Bear.

Last night at bedtime, there was more reading (of Dr. Duck, of course).

Today, after brunch and some more playing, Nanny and Pop Pop read Madeline more books at naptime.

Look closely: as you can see, Pop Pop is reading Dr. Duck.

After books, Madeline said her goodbyes.  And while Madeline slept, Nanny and Pop Pop took the train back to Delaware.

When Madeline woke up, asking about Nanny and Pop Pop and the train to Delaware, the day was hot but she wanted to spend time outside.

So we set up a sprinkler that Grandpa John and Grandma Susy had brought two weekends ago.

We had fun.

Then, again, Madeline announced, "I'm all done with outside.  Time to go inside."  So we did.

During her bath tonight, Madeline made water and chocolate chip soup.  Then she told me, "There's a monster in the bath with me."  I asked her about the monster and learned that it was originally green but then turned pink and later settled on red.  It had two eyes, one nose, two teeth, ears shaped like circles, and no horns or fur or scales.  It was a nice monster, not a scary one.  And most importantly, it was filled with chocolate chips and was bite-sized.  Before she got out of the bath, Madeline ate the monster.

Finally, Madeline asked me three times today after Nanny and Pop Pop's departure to sing her "the state song" -- a song every Tatnall child learns (or did in my day) that lists all the states in alphabetical order.  It occurs to me now that maybe Grandma Mandy's flight to Oregon, Grandma Susy and Grandpa John's drive to Delaware, Uncle Marc's train to Massachusetts and flight to Minnesota, and Nanny and Pop Pop's train to Delaware might have prompted this interest in state names.