Visit with Mawmaw and Pawpaw!

Once again, Jacob had another business trip that carried him away to Phoenix for a week.  Since the last trip was a bit of a strain for Brenna and I, we decided it best to fly home and spend some time with Mawmaw and Pawpaw.  Help for me, fun for her!  And Oooh Boy did she have fun.  Seven straight days for undivided attention, unlimited activities, and staying up late.  So, sit back and relax because this is gong to be a long one.  I don't know how many pictures you can put in one post, but we're about to test the limit.  The week in pictures, here's how it went:

"The Play House"

The playhouse was complete with patio and air conditioner (see photo below).  She practically lived in this thing the entire week.  But who could blame a her, it was stocked with books, toys, playdough, a play kitchen, markers, musical instruments, it even had its own Christmas tree, which was requested by Brenna.

 

"Backyard Playtime"

Yes, you see it right.  Brenna wasn't even outdoors one hour on the first day, when I made a trip inside to get something.  Upon returning, I discovered Mawmaw had consented and allowed Brenna to strip off her clothes and get into the swimming pool in mid-October.

"Chuck E Cheese"

What better place for a three year old than Chuck-E-Cheese?  We had a playdate at Chuck-E-Cheese with a friend several weeks back.  Since then, I have constantly heard "Can we go back to Chuck-E-Cheese?" and of course, Mawmaw and Pawpaw never says no.

"Playground Fun"

We paid a visit to the new church playground.  New is really sudjective, meaning the playground has been there for a fews years now, but since it wasn't there when I was a kid, then it qualifies as new.  Things don't really change much in Dexter.

"Brenna and Pawpaw's Tent"

Brenna was Pawpaw's little helper while putting up the tent.  But once it was up, she didn't want to go in.  "It's spooky Mama!"  Then she discovered there was a window in the back.  I'm still not sure what difference that made, but it caught her curiosity.

"The Washington Parish Free Fair"

Once again this year, by coincidence, it worked out that we were home for the fair.  Maybe it will become a tradition.  As a kid, I went to the fair every year, for every day it was there, and I always heard the man on the loud speaker calling "HELP KEEP THE FAIR FREE!"  I never really appreciated the free fair (especially since I was on Mom and Dads dime) until I had to fork out $12 a person just to get in the gate of the Fort Bend County Fair.  Which, I'd like to add, lookings like a mall parking lot flee circus compared to the Washington Parish Free Fair!  

Last year Pawpaw was the chump who paraded around from ride to ride with Brenna.  This year, Mawmaw was her victim of choice.  However, even Mawmaw drew the line at the "Super Duper Fun Slide" and Pawpaw had to step in.  And in case your wondering, yes I did ride some rides with my daughter.  But now I've very cautious about which rides I participate in after an unfortunate incident last year where I got stuck in the House of Mirrors twisty slide.  If you don't believe me, just ask my loving and caring husband, who took the time to capture a picture before coming to my aid!

"Park Play with Anna"

We met up with Jodi and Anna at the Hattiesburg Zoo playground for some fun.  Brenna loves new places to explore and this park was spacious with lots of bridges and slides.  So it was a big hit with Brenna.  It was a bit of a disgruntled goodbye, because Brenna wanted to take Anna home with us.    

"Brenna the Artist"

On our last day, we did Brenna's favorite thing, PAINT!  It's exactly what you need as your grabbing and packing to leave for the airport, a 3-year old covered in paint!  Which led to Brenna's 2nd favorite thing, water fun in the bath tub, complete with all the new tub toys Mawmaw bought for her.

She's very serious about her work.  Just look at that concentration!

We had a great week!  Brenna had a great time up until the security check point at the airport, when she discovered that Mawmaw and Pawpaw weren't coming with us.  And then the water works began.  It broke my heart to see her so upset over leaving Mawmaw and Pawpaw.  15 minutes later, 2 nestle crunches, and a whole bunch of dirty looks from my fellow passengers waiting in the terminal, we were all ready to board the plane and head home to Daddy and the kitties!  Thankfully, the flight home was uneventful and at the first glimpse of Daddy, Brenna took off running into his arms.  She was thrilled with the new Toy Story Lego Train set that Daddy bought her in Arizona, so it was all Buzzy and Woody for the rest of the night!