because I wanted to see time fly. Wait, it's doing that on its own. It's the beginning of December, and I have realized that I have not been doing very well keeping up with my blog. So many things have been going on, and the girls are growing so quickly.
We celebrated Dad's 58th birthday on Sunday, by going to Logan's Roadhouse in Lake Worth. It was not nearly as tasty as Texas Roadhouse, but it was nice to see Mom, Dad and GiGi. Macey hates baby food, but she loves mashed potatoes, and ate them up. Mikayla is so well-spoken, expressive and dramatic. Macey is the exact opposite, as she is observant, reserved and calm. I have never seen two little girls more in love, though. Mikayla hugs and kisses Macey all the time. She talks to her and plays with her constantly. Macey lights up when she sees Mikayla coming toward her. They are both sad when the other is upset, and they are both happy when the other is happy. They feed off each other, and they truly love being together. It is precious to watch, and it warms my heart.
Adam's dad, Roy, came in town the week before Thanksgiving. We went straight to the "Cowboy Boat," as Mikayla calls it, to watch Trinity play Allen in the high school football playoffs. I had already bought tickets, so wouldn't have to wait in line to purchase them. Mikayla is only three, so I didn't buy her a ticket. I put Macey in her Baby Bjorn, so she was strapped to my front. Adam and Roy went through the turnstile first. Mikayla was behind me as I handed the attendant my ticket. He scanned the ticket, and I went through the turnstile. I turned around to take Mikayla's hand to help her through the turnstile. The attendant grabbed her arm, and he said, "She can't go through. She needs a ticket." It scared Mikayla half to death that this stranger grabbed her arm. Sheer terror flooded her face. She looked at me, and I felt her fear. I didn't want to lose eye contact with her, because I didn't want her to think I was abandoning her. I told him not to grab her, and I (with Macey still strapped to me) leaned over and scooped her up. I held her and comforted her. I told the man that he scared her, and she was only three and didn't need a ticket. He said that in the contract, it stated that everyone needed a ticket. As I tried to comfort Mikayla, he pulled out a sheet of paper with the "rules" of entrance to the game. I looked for Adam and Roy, and they were several yards inside the stadium. Another attendant came over, and said Mikayla was fine, and that she didn't need a ticket. As Mikayla cried, Adam and Roy must have realized that I wasn't right behind them, and they made their way back to us. Adam took Mikayla to comfort her, and we walked further into the stadium. The original man who had grabbed Mikayla came over and apologized, but the damage was done. Mikayla has repeated the story to everyone she has come in contact with since the incident. Now that time has put some distance between "when the man grabbed my arm," we are able to smile about it as Mikayla recounts the details of that day.
While Roy was in town, we went to the Gaylord Hotel in Grapevine to see ICE! It is a walk-through gallery of ice sculptures. This year, the theme was "A Charlie Brown Christmas." The exhibit is in a tent that is chilled to 9 degrees. We left Macey at home. They give out these big blue puffy parkas to keep the visitors warm. I layered Mikayla's clothes to where she looked like Ralphie from "A Christmas Story"! Mikayla loved it, but she kept saying her cheeks were cold! It was amazing to see the intricacies of creating such massive sculptures out of ice.
We had a great visit with Adam's dad. He took Mikayla on a walk and played with her on the playground, and they played chalk on the sidewalk and driveway. We also made fajitas, and Mom and Dad came over to enjoy the best fajitas in the state! I'm pretty sure he returned to Las Vegas completely exhausted from playing with Mikayla and keeping her entertained. Macey, or course, was always a pleasure, and was so happy just to be around.
On Thanksgiving, we went to Weatherford to Adam's mom and step-dad's. We spent the whole day out there, and had a feast. I was so thankful to finally have an entire Thanksgiving break. I have never had the entire week off before. I have always had basketball practices and games. I have the entire day on Saturdays to spend with Mikayla and Macey. When I lay Macey down in her bed and when I lay down with Mikayla at night to tuck her in, I am most thankful that I am able to be home with my girls every night. I feel like I missed so many nights, and so many kisses and so many hugs.
Although I miss basketball dearly, I have realized that I will never get these precious moments back. I want to spend my time with MY little girls right now, not other peoples' little kids. There will be more basketball teams to coach. There will never be another time when my girls are little.
