Hope goes home

Geez, where has the last week gone? Oh I know -- cleaning up after the holidays and the kids already having a 2-hour delay and another whole day off school because of snow! (Just when I thought I'd have more relaxing days....)

Back to school also means Hope has to go home after a few weeks here. She has sa slight booboo on her leg that needs to be repaired (For some reason, her mom doesn't think the SpongeBob band-aids my boys "fixed" her with should stay there permanently.)

Before she left, Hope was a very busy girl. The snow day meant sledding in the backyard. She is in the sled with E and the handmade teddy bear and afghan he got when he has surgery at Shriner's Hospital.

Since proceeds of Hope's sale will go to Shriner's, we had planned on taking her with us to E's follow-up appointment In December but it snowed that day too and we stayed home.

Here Hope is sharing her journal with my after-school "daughter." I think she liked the quiet time. Boys can be so rough and loud!

Once I broke into an old steamer trunk (one of those rambunctious boys locked it way back when), Hope got to meet my handmade doll. An aunt gave her to me one Christmas. I always loved that this aunt always gave handmade gifts.

And before she was packed up with her suitcase and journal, Hope kept me company while I did some work on the computer. I don't know who enjoyed looking through all these vintage children's books more, her or me.