This Girl

by Mama Mabel

I drove to Branson, Missouri, to spend Thanksgiving with my parents. This year my niece, Robin, from Florida came with her husband and little girl. I'm so glad I got to spend time with them! When Robin's mama, my sister Julie, was alive she often called Robin by my name because we're so much alike. She's smart and funny just like her Aunt Granny Girl! And that baby girl of hers is smarter than the both of us! It's been a week (I'm still here because of icy roads) and my mom and I are still talking about that amazing child. Little Julie is 23 months old.

One of her favorite things was riding with Granddaddy on his wheelchair. She also watched him being lifted from his chair in a sling on his rolling lift and wheeled to his bed where he was lowered. Once the process was completed she piped up, "My turn!" So she got a ride on the lift. :-)

This girl can draw like a big girl! Here's one of her drawings. She said it was her friend Skylar. I've never known a child this age who could not only draw a completed circle, but could also add discernible features to a face. I'm taking this one home and adding it to my collection of chilren's drawings. I think it's absolutely amazing!

Julie also loved her Aunt Amy who came in from Nashville. And Aunt Amy was totally smitten with her! They had so much fun playing and singing.

Friday evening Julie was sitting on a barstool at the counter and her mama asked her what she wanted to eat. Julie replied, "Crispris." Robin said, "Christmas?" This was repeated a couple of times and a frustrated Julie said, "I get down." Her mama helped her down and she went over to the bag of food I had brought and pulled out a box of Crisp Rice cereal. "Crispris!" she said. Now either she read it or she remembered it from early that morning when her mama had told her the name of the cereal she had poured for her. Either way, she's one smart cookie!

While she was eating her "Crispris" she started singing "All night, all day, angels watching over me." How does a one year old even know that song?

Since the weather was mild we took a walk. We saw a train parked on some tracks and asked Julie what the choo-choo train says. She said, "All aboard!" 

We celebrated her second birthday a little early. She had spilled something on her shirt so she opened her gifts shirtless. We all bought her things that made noise. (hehehe!) 

Ok, I'll wind it down now. It's hard to quit bragging on this little sweetheart, but I'll try to contain myself. Here she is on the newly installed porch swing with her great grandmama.

Here's her daddy finishing up the installation of the swing, and her mama being her usual ornery self.

These two packed up their little car and that sweet baby and went back to Florida. After they left, my dad said to my mom, "Little Julie takes up some of the slack that Julie left when she died." 

She really does.