Sunday, June 8

A very rainy day didn't stop us from going to some yard sales this morning in Highland Park. Mom and Dad came with us too. We found a few things: some Christmas dishware (Mom and I), a huge candle (Greta), some books, some jewelry (Lucia), etc. But the best (?) find of the day was for the kids: more haunted dolls. 

We were driving around Highland Park and turned onto a street we recognized as having been the spot where they got their haunted dolls last year. The same house was having a sale, and when we went onto the porch, there were three dolls--probably the ones that were left in the box last year after the girls selected theirs. They each selected one doll, for $1 each. When Lucia went to pay the owner, she told Lucia she could just take all three dolls. Then she said she remembered L&G from last year and rwas hoping they would come back and that her husband's grandmother would be very happy. I told the woman we were going to let her know if we "had any trouble" with the dolls, which I'm not sure she really understood; I keep forgetting that most people see antique dolls as charming decorative items and it is only me and my offspring who declare them terrifying.

Of course, the girls were thrilled with the whole encounter. One of the dolls has a wind-up key on her back and plays an eerie tune. One of them resembles Lucia's doll from last year, which of course meant they were sisters. One of the dolls, the one Greta selected, is an absolutely terrifying infant. 

We were all starving and had lunch at Ritter's Diner, then dropped Mom and Dad off at the Manor to see a movie.

As soon as we got home, Greta lit her giant new candle, arranged all her haunted dolls around it, and "introduced" the new infant. Nutmeg sat right in the circle too. Lucia added her sisters. We took a few pictures of the dolls gazing intently into the candle flame.

Just another totally normal day of yard-sale shopping. 

The rest of the day was spent making the final preparations for the girls' departure. They leave tomorrow morning. My micro-managing tendencies are driving the kids crazy, but it's hard for me to relinquish control over things like passports and wallets and phone chargers. There is a right way to organize a travel bag! There is a right way to store a passport! But now it's out of my hands. By Monday night, they'll be in Spain.