New Places; Old Friends

We three Creaches decided that staying home for too much of Sophia's break would be too uninteresting for us, so we decided to visit a new city and see some old friends.

We have some very good friends who moved to Indianapolis in 2012, and we had yet to visit them in their new home. We did not expect to enjoy Indianapolis itself quite as much as we did.

We stayed in the downtown Omni hotel, which is in a very cool area. Lots of interesting architecture and walkable restaurants. Exactly what I love. The Omni and several other hotels are all connected by a skywalk, similar to the one in Kansas City, with a great mall in the middle.

In said mall, there are the usual stores, cineplex, food court and such. There is also a huuuuge arcade. This arcade is the nemesis of parents of small children. Why? Because most of the walls are covered in prize-hoarding crane machines like this one.

Sophia had been looking through the whole mall for a stuffed animal that was wearing an Indianapolis-themed shirt. I really am not making that up. Imagine the mixed feelings Erick and I entertained when we spotted, at last, this machine full of bears wearing an "I" on their shirts...

Before we let her spend any of her (and our) money on this effort, I showed her the chair that she would sit in when she tried it three times without success. It would be her chair of sadness and disappointment. She understands, having tried unsuccessfully at these machines many times before, that her odds are very slim.

But she's an optimist.

She tried it once. With no success. She asked Erick to take over. Palms sweaty, the pressure building, he dropped a bear on the first try.

Last try they had. Sophia got behind me so she couldn't see. Erick and I were silent as the crane swung gently and carried the blue bear (Sophia's favorite color) ever nearer the drop point.

Then we hooted. And so did she...

That may have been a highlight of the trip, but we were also very impressed with the memorials that Indianapolis has downtown to their veterans. Sophia could not understand why we'd fight with Mexico, but she did like the memorial. And we were cold.

Somehow we were too busy with our friends to capture any pictures of them or us with them. Their kids are adorable. Their house is wonderful and spacious. We had lots of fun. But you'll have to take my word for it.

Here's proof, however, of the fun we had just the three of us.

The Singer

She writes her own songs. Then sings them with feeling.

She said, "I have hope in my dream of one day having a band. That makes my voice sound even better."

Awkward

The other morning, I was getting ready in our room. Sophia was in there, too, because she hates to be alone...

Anyhow, she was rambling along as usual. All the sudden, she says, "Hey, I know where daddy keeps his handcuffs."

Huh? I'm running through my mind trying to figure out what she could possibly be talking about because, as far as I know, he doesn't own any handcuffs.

She holds up a glasses case and opens it.

"CUFF LINKS!" She probably wondered why I shouted.

Funny things so far

When we spend this much time with Sophia, it's inevitable that she's going to make us laugh. So far, that's happening quite a bit.

Here are a couple of examples.

While putting Sophia to bed, I prayed and thanked God for our family. That got Sophia to thinking about them. She asked earnestly, "Are you all twins?" Before I could speak, she followed up with, "Oh no, because some of you wear glasses and some of you don't." There are many differences between my siblings and myself, but apparently none stands out more than our ocular health.

The one that really has us chuckling lately is about her presents. I also think it says a lot about who she is. You can decide.

On Christmas Eve, we let her open one present. It's never one of the main ones, but we try to make it something fun and surprising. Well, this time, we gave her this baby doll thing that has a place in the back for a Wii remote. And it came with a Wii disc for the game system. Essentially, you care for the baby while the game is on and it tells you how happy or angry the baby is in response. She had asked for the Baby Alive doll that we got in addition, but this was completely different, so we assumed she'd like the options... Unique and fun, said we to ourselves.

When Sophia opened it, this is what we got, "Oh. A baby doll." Feigning a smile and interest, while looking at us for explanation. So I sell it based on the aforementioned awesomeness. And I quickly add, "Of course you'll have lots more presents tomorrow." To which she responds, "And the presents tomorrow - Will these be from my list?"

We laughed very hard, and I had to answer honestly that only most were from her list. However, her Christmas was a huge success, if I do say so myself. I just appreciated her willingness to give us the benefit of the doubt. Being honest about her hesitation about our gift judgment, but not pouting or throwing a fit in her disappointment.

Now, if we hadn't come through on Christmas, and if she didn't have Santa to fall back on, I'm pretty sure she'd be forced to give in to despair... She's only six.

The Best Day of Her Life

This weekend has been long awaited in our house, but not nearly as much as for our friends Nick and Hillary. They are officially Mr. and Mrs. Frey. I have never witnessed a couple that radiated happiness and love as much as those two did last night.

The truth is that it was a day that will live forever in Sophia's memory. I fully believe that. I'm about to tell you why.

The day started early at the salon. Sophia and I both had our hair done. It took about ten minutes for Sophia to get her hair done. The rest of the nearly four hours that we were there, Sophia was entertaining the wedding party and the other patrons with feats of magical skill. It was just the beginning of her day in the sun. Fortunately, Hillary was generous to allow Sophia some spotlight on her day.

Sophia isn't the first young lady that Hillary has become very attached to. The first was Sarah, seen here witnessing Sophia's magic. If Hillary has half the positive influence on Sophia that she has had in this incredible young lady's life, then I will be thrilled and grateful. Sophia said that Sarah was her favorite bridesmaid to play with. (Sorry, Clare. You, of course, were mine.)

This woman wasn't with us, but she had spent enough time admiring Sophia's tricks, that finally she got one of her very own. 

Here is Sophia practicing in her wedding shoes and giving the bride some tips.

I may be biased. Well, I am. But I love Hillary's friends. Here we are just before she got decked out in her stunning gown.

Nick Frey. Sophia's a fan of his, too, but this is about as close as she gets to touching him. Still a little bit of awe or shyness or something there.

Sophia, Hillary and Anna after the wedding. Such beautiful ladies. Full of love and life!

Jonathan was the ring bearer. And of her friendship with him she said, "Sometimes the world puts us where we find people who were meant to be our friends."

All weekend, Sophia was bringing little gifts to give to Hillary. She understood better than anyone, I think, how this was the biggest event of Hillary's life. This particular gift was Sophia's placecard with, "I love you" and part of her flowers inside.

Another unbelievable but true anecdote. As Sophia watched Hillary and her dad dance from here, she began to get some tears. When I looked at her with a question on my face, she said, "I'm crying happy tears."

Oh, and then started the dancing. Nick's aunt Pattie was the first to take Sophia onto the dance floor. She would not be the last.

Especially after the costume change.

Sophia literally danced the night away. She so enjoyed the dancing, but she liked being the center of attention even more. I hope she never forgets how much fun she had last night. Dancing, dancing and dancing.

Erick and I were so proud of our girl last night. She was fun, respectful, sweet. She seemed to understand what was happening, as much as any six-year-old can. Hillary's day was beautiful and perfect. I'm so grateful to have been able to share that with her and that she also shared it with Sophia. 

Now we have to try to recover for a normal week ahead... And hope that Sophia isn't too disappointed at not having an audience.