Today Truett and I spent a wonderful day running errands in Gainesville. The list stays the same: drugstore, pool place, pet store, book store, see the grandchildren and their mother and father, grocery and home. And lunch thrown in at some point.
We left Ft. White at 10:30 this morning and it is now 7:00 p.m. Looking back at the day, two highlights stand out. We took Madeline off her mother's hands for an hour and a half and took Maddie to Pet Smart to see the animals. Rats, Guinea pigs, mice, birds, hamsters, fish, dogs, cats and reptiles. It is such a sweet feeling to have a three and one half year old hand holding mine while the mouth says, "Nana, he's sleeping. Or Nana, he's laying in his food, or Nana, he's eating a carrot."
In the meantime Maddie reminded us we had not bought her ice cream yet. So off to Steak and Shake we go for 'banilla' milkshakes. "Maddie, say Vanilla...vuh..vuh.."
"I don't want to say that," she answers. "I want a 'banilla' milkshake."
Slurp. Sluuuuuuurp! "Yummy," Maddie said after she drank hers all gone.
Truett and I have been waiting for the moments that we could take Maddie on outings and actually have semblances of conversation with her. I certainly don't want to rush time, but one day we hope to take her to Jacksonville to the zoo or maybe Disney World. I think she'll be 5 by then, though. If we're still able to walk and breathe at the same time.