Hooties & Hoppies

It may be common knowledge around these parts that I tend to exaggerate a smidge or get overly excited when I am conveying information from time to time. What can I say, I am a storyteller, y'all. But for the record, yesterday was ONE OF THE BEST DAYS EVER! Yay!

Nana and I spontaneously chose a sunny weekday that worked for both of our schedules for her and Grandpa John to drive up to Louisville and visit, and yesterday happened to be that day. To prepare Amelia for their visit, I showed her their picture and kept telling her that Nana & John were coming to see her. She is at the stage in life now that if I tell her that anyone is coming to see her, then boy oh boy does she get excited.

Only now am I slightly regretting prepping her for their visit as she insisted we stand outside for at least 30 minutes and wait for them. And when I say insist, I mean it - she was not going back inside until she saw their car pull into park. If she said, "Nana and John? Where are they?" one time, then she said it 375 times. Again, no exaggeration of course.

Finally, they arrived and as they were getting out of the car I could hear Amelia say quietly so that only I could hear "Hi Nana and John...Hi Nana and John..Hi Nana and John" until they walked up close to her to say hi, at which point she decided that she was bashful. Sigh.

Anyway, that shyness did not last long as she was playing guitar with Nana and kicking the ball with John before we knew it. She also introduced them to her hooties and hoppies, aka her stuffed animal owls and bunnies. One of her all time favorite stuffed animals is the little white bunny that Nana gave her last Easter. His name is Hoppy, which has turned into every rabbit she sees being called a hoppy as well. We played for just a little bit at the house before deciding to head out and grab some lunch.

We ended up at new restaurant on the river so that we could eat outside and watch the boats float by which was super nice and laid back.

After lunch, we headed to the outdoor mall for some shopping. On the drive there, Nana and Amelia played a sort of peek-a-boo/fetch Hoppy game that had all four of us cracking up. Based on the sparkle in Amelia's eyes and the biggest grin on her face that I saw in the rearview mirror, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that the two of them have solidified a lifelong bond and adoration of each other.

And don't forget about Grandpa John. If that kickball game didn't do the trick, then I'm absolutely certain that the endless stream of coins he gave her to throw in the fountain established him firmly as one of her very best buddies.

We shopped a little and stopped for some desperately needed frozen yogurt because it had warmed up quite a bit throughout the day, and we also took Amelia into Build-a-Bear. Have you ever been to Build-a-Bear?  I must say that place is pretty much awesome.

You won't be surprised to learn that the animal she picked out was not a hootie, but of course, a hoppy. A hoppy ballerina, in fact.

And because she is a creative genius, she named him Big Hoppy.

I can't wait to go back soon with Nana and John so that we can have another wonderful visit and maybe even come home with a Big Hootie.