spontaneous sleepover weekend

E's only girl cousin is the closest thing she has (and probably will ever have) to a sister. MC is 5 and a half, E is 4 and a half. She was planning to spend the day on Saturday, but I thought, at the last minute, why not have her spend the night? I knew she and E had had a sleepover at Grandma's and that they did eventually get to sleep. MC hadn't brought anything for a sleepover, but she's close enough in size to E that we knew they could share clothes. She borrowed a teddy bear and a blanket to sleep with and didn't seem to miss her own loveys at home. She slept in E's red sleeping bag on the bed, while E had a pallet on the floor. She kept saying, "I can't believe I'm spending the night here!" One time she said, "I'm barely old enough for sleepovers."

Saturday morning started with some drama as E tried out what she must have thought of as sisterly behavior: theatrical tantrums triggered by having to share, complete with defiant declarations, clenched fists, stomping around, flinging herself face down onto bed or couch, and saying, "I hate you!" (to me) and "You're a bad mommy if you make me do that!". It was really a performance, not her usual pattern at all. MC and I just stared at her. She did it two or three times, but after she realized the consequences weren't worth it (MC had my back - "You especially shouldn't say that to your mom"), she gave it up and played very nicely. Eventually E was happily saying things like, "I know who will go first - MC, because she's the guest!"

They watched Barbie in the Nutcracker on video and danced along with the final scene. The video I made is too big to upload here. Then we went to the children's museum and stayed until we just got tired of it, over 2 hours. I forgot the camera. A friend of mine came over after that and we got to talk while the girls played in E's room. Then she went with us to Steak and Shake.

Getting to sleep was the hardest part of the weekend. I'd heard that they went to bed on their own about 10 pm at Grandma's, so I didn't intervene much until I saw that they were still full-on at 10. I lay down with them and physically held E still. After she finally succumbed, MC was finally able to drift off about 11.

Sunday morning involved artwork, creative hairstyles, and then meeting Marie and her son Victor at a McDonald's with an indoor playground. The kids played HARD for a good full hour before E and Victor showed serious signs of fatigue. I didn't take any pictures there. Here's the arts and crafts scene:

After McDonald's we went to Food Lion to get things we needed for lunch, and this cart was a big hit. I always tell E she can only ride in one when she has a friend with her, because they're meant for two children.

It's fun to have a friend over, to get to know that child better and to see another side of my own child, and to have a break from the constant chatter and activity that's normally directed at me.