J.E.S.S.I.C.A.

If 'Jessica' was a hard word to spell, or there were multiple spellings, I have a little saying for you to remember how to spell Jessie's 'proper' name:

Just Estimate Sixty Seconds In Current Activity ... JESSICA

More than anything that defines Jessie is her complete and utter contempt with any sort of rule about staying on task! Once not around it 24/7 it becomes exhausting to be caught up in the middle of it.

We get Jessie every Sunday after church. She has come to expect it and know it is coming and works well for all of us.

So every Sunday I leave church, pick up my girl and we start in on our Sixty second chunks of time on the ride home. That part mostly involves questions. Mainly the same three or four questions repeated over and over again.

Home and a joyful reunion with Gary and Charlie. Jumping, Shouting and Laughing/Barking all round.

Today dinner came next ... sometimes this is down the road a bit.

Then she knows it is movies and an all-you-can-eat type scavenger hunt through the pantry for the rest of the stay.

I went with an Arts and Crafts type theme today and tried to steer her clear of Gary since he was not feeling well - as he does when I am not feeling well.

Stickers are always a big hit.

Princess stickers all the more so:

We baked cookies for Daddy. And while this looks all Norman Rockwell and warm and fuzzzy ... it was from a chubb of pre-made cookie dough ...

She picked Pocahontas for the movie ...

Then proceeded to completely ignore it and run around the house stirring up trouble!

I got serious about some beauty care - her unibrow and some unsightly hairs ... gone! She was not all that pleased with this - especially since it did not fit into the Sixty Second time limit ...

She asked if she could make her crazy sticker pages into a book - so off to the computer

Made her a cover and she was thrilled!

We then made a Power Point Page of Purloined Princess Photos just for fun:

Then Jessie asked if she could cut them out. Good Occupational Therapy activity - plus Fine Motor Control check - so SURE! Was not sure how well this would go - some times she gets carried away and ends up with confetti:

Not Bad! We taped them to another piece of paper just to fill a few of those Sixty Seconds yet again.

Started in on our second time through with Pocahontas - this time she did sit for a minute or two.

Called my parents and Jess got to talk to Grandma and Grandpa. And then she said it was time ...





... time for her to go back! You have no idea the relief it is to hear her say this - it was not so long ago that she was screaming about not going back. It is WONDERFUL that we worked that through.

We started gathering her stuff she had made, and she always heads home with a drink and some snacks - just an extension of her pillaging our pantry I guess.

When she is ready to go back - she is ready. Here she is telling me to go get Dad to take her back - he apparently wasn't coming fast enough.

She talked Gary in to bringing Charlie along, got to the door and remembered she had not given me a hug (I HAD received no less than 100 from her today ... but not a specific 'Goodbye' hug) - so came running back, arms brimming with treasures - gave me a huge hug and a 'thank you'

and ran off - back to the back door and Charlie and Dad.

As hectic as they are, and as filled with insane moments of 'how did we ever do this all the time' - I really do love to have Jessie visit. She is happy and healthy and very well adjusted and I need reassurances every now and then that this is the case.

But I gotta tell you ...

This part:

When she is in Gary's truck and on her way back ...

Let's just say - it's not the least favorite moment of the day ....

And if you listen really close - after snapping the photo and shutting the door - you will hear me lean back on the door and give a HUGE sigh of ....



hmmm ....




... a huge sigh of 'until next Sunday'.