Our Summer - Substitute Daughter

While Bex was at camp, her Mom did find a few things to do!  Since Bex had abandoned me the week of our church's Vacation Bible School, I decided to import a "substitute daughter" for the week.  My niece CJ (Carroll Jo) was happy to fill the position!

CJ is now nine years old and just started the fourth grade a few weeks ago.  She LOVES her Aunt Meggy...but especially she loves her cousin, Bex.  Since the day CJ was born, she has believed that Bex was put on this earth simply to be HER playmate.  This was her first visit to Tallytown without her special "cuz" being in residence.  But we muddled through anyway.

When asked if she was having a good time, she told her mom she was enjoying being an "only" child.  Too funny!    When CJ was born she had one sister 12 and one 13....so she has ALWAYS been an "only" child.  CJ was born a teenager! Always the QUEEN!

CJ enjoyed VBS and swimming at our neighbor's house.  The temperatures during the week she was in Tallytown were over 100 degrees every day!  So the pool was a welcome relief.

CJ LOVED playing with Spooky!  Spooky LOVED having a girl to play with, too!  He wore her out with all his energy.  He was missing Bex terribly!

We lovingly refer to Spooky as "Pooky"...but I was informed in no uncertain terms that was CJ's nickname from her Grandpa and we could NOT call the dog, Pooky.

One of our evening duties was to feed the horses in Bex absence.  CJ (the girl) LOVES CJ (the horse)!  She wasn't too thrilled with Cherokee (the yearling filly) because Cherokee has such a prissy attitude, she scared her a bit.  But CJ (the horse) is always up for a little love and attention from anybody! (NOTE: CJ the HORSE was here first!)

Here CJ is enjoying our favorite summer treat...a Rainbow Float!  (Quickly invented by a very smart Aunt.)  A Rainbow Float is made up of Rainbow Sherbet and Ginger Ale, served up in a fancy glass.  (The glass is especially important!)  CJ would agree to anything as long as a Rainbow Float would be delivered as the reward.




CJ was a big hit at church!  She attended choir practice with us and enjoyed showing off the motions to songs she was learning that week at VBS.  After choir, I had several offers to take her off our hands...she's such a cutie!

At church, when folks asked CJ who she was, she answered..."I'm Aunt Meggy's substitute daughter while Bex is at camp!"  We got a LOT of mileage out that!

While CJ visited with us, she had to call her Mom and Dad EVERY day (can you imagine?).  Things got a bit trickier at the end of the week because I had told CJ about a surprise 25th Anniversary party for her parents that we would be attending on Saturday.  It was tricky because we had to "forget" to call her parents on Friday night.  We had to "forget" because we (CJ AND Me) were worried that she would forget and spill the beans to her parents.  Her parents were not amused....but they were surprised at the party ...and they survived a whole night without talking to her.  I tried to upload pictures off of Facebook of the party.  They're too small to really be of any value here...sorry.  But it was fun.

It was quite lonely around here after taking CJ home.  Quiet.  Too quiet.  But I survived the rest of the month anyway.  Now on to July for my next post! (Notice I didn't say tomorrow...but soon!)

Stay tuned.