Marcia, Marcia, Marcia

We had a fine weekend planned ... Heidi, Tom and the kids were coming up from Kansas City. We would start off with the York High School homecoming game. Margie was looking forward to meeting the cheerleaders. Saturday morning we would rise and shine, have breakfast and split up. Heidi and Tom would take off for Branched Oak Lake. They had arranged to meet up with good friends Ruth and Kevin for a camperee. The kids and I would load up in the car and head for Kearney to meet up with Jessica, Lena and Parker for a cousins’ trip to the pumpkin patch near Amherst. My camera had a fresh battery. I had been looking forward to the weekend and stacking all four of my grandchildren up for a photograph.
At about 6:30 Friday evening my cell phone rang. Jay and I were just finishing the last bites of a sandwich ... it was Heidi calling from the road. Just as they had passed the Waco interchange, Margie sort of (actually had) urped in car. The 2 year old, who tends toward the asthmatic, had gotten wheezy on the way to Nebraska. Little Margie had started coughing, and coughed it (her dinner) up, chocolate milk, cheeseburger and all. Consequently, the background of Heidi’s call went something like this, “Waaaaaaa .... I puked,” that was Margie.
“Ewwwwww ... Margie puked,” that was Ben.
This exchange was followed by assorted crying and concern over affected toys in the back seat.
“See you in a minute,” I said cheerfully to Heidi, “fun, fun, fun.”
I clicked the phone shut and gave Jay the bad the news ... “Guess we won’t be going to the football game.”
Shortly thereafter the Alger clan arrived. Heidi carried Margie through the house and directly into the bathroom for a dunk in the tub — after which things calmed down.
Margie woke up a couple of times Friday night, her parents took care of her. By now her tummy had settled down but the wheezing had racheted up.
It was evident early Saturday morning the pumpkin patch was a no-go. Around 7:30 a.m. Heidi and I headed out the door with Margie (clad in Dora pajamas) for the emergency room — we got home in time for lunch.
Instead of writing off everyone’s plans, it was decided Heidi and Tom would go ahead with their primitive camping encounter. The kids were comfortable leaving Ben and Margie in our care because we had, in fact, successfully raised our own pair of asthmatic children.
So, last weekend from Nebraskaland I rented an Ariel movie, Disney’s “Cinderella” and a TMNT epic. And, last weekend from home I watched an Ariel movie, Disney’s “Cinderella” and a TMNT epic at least three times each in an effort to keep Margie occupied but calm.
We played princesses, Margie was a Cinderella fairy in her flowing pink “Princess Wheezy Pants” dress. I was Sleeping Beauty (even though I hadn’t slept all weekend). We read books. We played with dolls and colored in the Halloween coloring book. 
Saturday afternoon while his sister napped, Jay snuck Ben out of the house for a little fishing trip to Recharge Lake, that was pretty cool. They bought worms and caught fish.
When Jamie called from Kearney that evening to see how his niece was doing I heard Jay tell him, “She sounds just like you used to.” Boy was that true.
I was up with Margie several times Saturday night. Once she was crying “My drink is stuck.” Turns out her sippy cup had become lodged between the bed and the wall.
Sunday morning everyone slept in until at least 7:30 (yippee). Late that morning we packed the kids up. And after finding Cinderella’s little blue dress (which was hiding under the bed in the middle bedroom) I headed down the Interstate to meet Heidi and Tom for the hand-off. Instead of rolling pumpkins and falling leaves, the weekend had flown by on fairy wings and fishing tales and that was fine.