We had a very busy, very exciting weekend! Once again, my entourage proved to be amazing travelers. On Friday we drove up to visit Nana and Papa Bear. The girls kept themselves busy with the toys they packed, some coloring sheets, listening to music, and watching Robin Hood, which they enjoyed but were a little put off by the fact that the characters were animals instead of people. We made great time and actually had a good part of the afternoon left by the time we arrived at our destination.

No visit with Nana is complete without some shopping and a trip to the amazing, huge used bookstore in their town. We came home with some great finds, including a condensed version of Howard Pyle's The Adventures of Merry Robin Hood (Bug was particularly pleased that he was properly human again). They were also very excited about a "book" I found that unfolded into a panoramic tour of a Medieval castle. The other highly popular purchase fell at the other end of the timeline--a Star Wars book that retells the Return of the Jedi and is illustrated with stills from the movie.

The real excitement of the day came right after lunch when we got to Skype with Daddy for the first time in two months! The girls showed off their new purchases and were just generally excited to have real time contact again. High fives and fist bumps were exchanged through the web cam.

That afternoon and evening, the girls got some quality time with Nana and Papa Bear. They explored the lakeshore out back and discussed, among many other things, which plants were edible. They went out to their favorite Japanese restaurant for dinner, then came home to watch the beginning of Brave before bedtime (Nana and Papa Bear hadn't seen it yet).

Sunday morning I woke up to a surprise in my email: Daddy was coming home early! The very next day! We cut our visit short, packed up, and headed home. The girls were SO excited. They wore their Team Daddy shirts to the airport and talked about their plans to give Daddy great big hugs when we picked him up and wrestle and watch Star Wars with him when we got home. At this point, all goals have been accomplished, and we're getting back into the routine again.

[Note: Tons of pictures were taken at Nana and Papa Bear's, but they're not yet available for posting. Keep an eye out for updates.]