Alexa and I are back in Arizona, as we made the turbulent and longer than usual flight tonight. Thankfully Alexa was sleeping soundly for nearly the entire flight, so I commandeered the iPad and her bedazzled Hello Kitty headphones and caught up on "Modern Family" episodes to pass the time.
We had a wonderful trip in St. Louis, and it was the perfect break we needed. It was a jam-packed week of family, holiday celebrations, a private zoo tour, snow....and Steak-n-Shake. It was good to be home (my perma-home). :)
When Alexa woke up this morning, she noticed NeNe and Papa were nowhere to be found, so I informed her they had gone to church for 7am mass. Alexa's immediate response was, "Oh - they're celebrating Granty at church." She uses the term celebrate to refer to praying, because she knows we are usually thanking God when we pray together (always concluding with an emphatic "DAMON" instead of Amen....we'll work on that). When her cousin Mara corrected her and told her that NeNe and Papa were instead celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ (not Granty), Alexa didn't skip a beat nor retract her statement. She simply replied, "I had ice cream cake for His birthday." We did - Christmas dinner included Damon's favorite Baskin Robbins cake.
It's amazing what Alexa has been able to comprehend throughout this entire process; I truly think she understands how we remember and celebrate the life of our beloved Granty. There are definitely times that Damon and I wish she didn't understand everything that has happened, but I am pleasantly surprised that she has only happy memories and positive associations of Grant. And yes, NeNe did confirm - - she and Papa were celebrating Granty at church this morning.
 |
| Alexa looked like a Steak-N-Shake regular while waiting for our 'Takhomasak' order. |
Dear Damon & Connie, Of course we all celebrated the birth of Jesus as well as Granty, he is one of God's most beautiful angels. We are so glad that we were able to spend some time with all of you and are thankful you made it home safely. We miss you already but back to the old grind. All our love and prayers. Mike & Joanne
ReplyDeleteGlad you made it home safely. You totally called that the flight would be longer than usual. Had you waited another day to leave, Alexa would have been able to experience some more St. Louis snow! Tell her that her cousins Jack and Patrick (and Charlie) say hello! ;)
ReplyDeleteThat last comment was from Molly. I am using my mom's computer and it is signed in to google.
ReplyDelete