Or, why I spent twelve hours of the weekend traveling with these little sweethearts:

1. I have a van, and it was going to Omaha anyway.

2. Cousins – I take it as my grandmotherly responsibility to facilitate cousin time at every opportunity. The girl cousins live in three different states and are separated by sixteen hours. When one family gets within six hours of us, I make it a point to get some of us there.

3. Grandparent Sharing – I love sharing grandchildren with my friend, Cheri, and I had heard some homesickness in her recent emails. How could I not take these girls to see her when I had the chance?

4. The birthday boy – I promised to arrive at J. Paxton’s first birthday party with bells on. I opted to bring belles instead.

5. Memories – I love making them. The girls may not remember this trip forever, but I certainly will.