Shopping

Yesterday was errand-palooza.  By 1:00pm, I had made a total of 11 stops while completing various tasks.  Through a weird scheduling scenario, I had Gracie along for the ride.  She performed like a total shopping champ, and I gave her my highest behavioral rating -- five stars -- for being such a trooper. 

One of our errands was a quick stop at the mall to pick up Skip's gift.  Gracie has had some issues with discretion in the past, but she promised she would keep the gift a secret until Christmas morning.  She promised. 

This afternoon, Skip was loading the girls in the car when Gracie suddenly said, "Daddy I have a big surprise for you!"  He promptly told her not to say another word, to save the surprise, etc.  She is likely about to burst, and I fully expect her to run through the house screaming, "Daddy!  Your surprise is X!!!" at any point.  But, she did make it 24 hours before she alluded to the gift, and that is huge progress. 

In related news, we celebrated Christmas with my dad this past weekend.  We have had their gifts for a while, and those bags were the lone gifts under our tree so they have been a focal point for weeks.  They made it all the way through the gathering without spilling the beans.  However, as Lauren was handing PawPaw his gift she said, "This is for you, PawPaw; it's a book!" 

If Skip's gift remains undisclosed until Sunday, I am guessing he can expect a similar revelation.