Beans in the Bin and the OT's

Evie took a little trip to a nursing home this morning. She wanted to take her chairs with her but I made her leave them at home.  It was a chance for our kiddos to practice trick-or-treating and to let the OT's (old timers as Carl fondly calls them) have a chance to see the kids. Evie was so excited to wear her costume but she became a very grumpy ladybug once we walked in the retirement  home. Old people and Evie do not mix well. She's always been nervous around them and it has not changed at all. It must have been pretty overwhelming to walk into a room with literally 50 people waiting to pass out candy. She quickly learned the drill and was able to snag a few pieces of candy for her bucket. Evie was most interested in the resident dog, Molly. She was so happy playing with Molly. The fish and birds were a big hit too. I was sweating to death in there as I carried around my 27 pound ladybug in the sweltering nursing home. Evie was not impressed with the wheelchairs and refused to go near anyone in a wheelchair. One man kept calling her Dolly which was sorta cute.

It was really fun seeing all the kids dressed up and seeing the smiles on the faces of the residents. Multi-generational relationships are important and beneficial to everyone. It always makes me a little teary to visit nursing homes because it's such a visual reminder of how short life really is even though the days can seem so long. One sweet lady was there visiting her husband in the Alzheimer's unit and it broke my heart to hear her stories. What a terrible disease! She visits him every day and was peeking in at his reaction to seeing the kids. She told me that many years ago they had a little blond hair, blue eyed beauty like Evie. It's hard to imagine Carl and I hanging out in a nursing home together one day but it will come fast. One lady told me that she had been there and done that with kids and did not want to go back. That made me laugh! I guess she still remembers the joys and challenges of motherhood. It was a fantastic experience and maybe next time Evie will warm up to the residents.

   We had horrible weather all day! Tornado sirens going off, rocking chairs flipped over, trash cans swept down the street by the high winds and torrential rain. Scary stuff! It was quite reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz.
   
Evie woke up on the wrong side of the crib from her nap so we watched a show together. She's not into TV but will occasionally sit still long enough to watch a baby show such as Bringing Home Baby.

   We played with beans using a variety of cups and spoons. Evie had a blast and spread beans all over the place. I prepared dinner while she played with her highchair. Chicken Parmesan requires too many steps with a toddler underfoot. It's amazing that it even turned out. Evie was banging the lids of the pan together, crying for a pop and removing every pair of shoes from the storage bench in the kitchen. She's a busy bee!

  Carl came home and took her outside to play. He met another neighbor and she asked him what his husband name was. Carl told her that he was not that kind of guy and she apologized for her fluster. Not sure why but that just cracked us up! I am still laughing about it several hours later.

 We ate dinner as a family and then I ran out for a few minutes. Carl and Evie danced around the den. She sure loves her Daddy!