One Last Fling Before the School Bells Ring

Actually, our Colorado grandkids' school is already in session. And I don't even know when the AZ kids begin. But our Washington grandkids start next week, and we were oh so happy to have them come for a visit while they were still unencumbered by their studies. :) Missy went to AZ to help her grandparents celebrate their 50th anniversary, and Ethan shepherded Brooklyn, Lilly, and Zaid over the mountains and through the turns to their grandma&pa's house, you know. We got to know Zaid better than we ever have before, and what a good-natured, fun-loving little adventurer he is! He wasn't at all shy, needed no warming up period before he would interact with us, and was always ready to laugh and play. It makes me grin just remembering how his little voice sounds. He went to bed both nights as easy as pie, too. His one difficulty that most likely only time and patience will mend is that he is a roamer. It's pretty hard for his Papa to enjoy picnicking in a large park or other outings because little Zaid is always looking for a chance to make a quick getaway in order to go exploring on his own! He just barely turned two, so self-guided park and playground tours are not an option. I felt bad for Ethan having to be on guard duty so much of the time, but he managed to handle it all quite well. Brianna tried putting Zaid in my lap at the park a couple of times to give Ethan a breather, but Zaid showed us he can squeeeeeeal and wiggle like a little piggy when he wants to. Once he got down to the sand and shallow water of the pond, he was a much happier little piggy. Eagle Island State Park just happened to be overflowing with guests that day. So much so that we couldn't find a site with both a table and a grill. So we spread out on a grassy spot with a grill, and cooked up hamburgers, hotdogs, and corn on the cob. Brianna was eager to do the grilling honors, and she did a great job with it. She brought watermelon, and I tried my hand at making Missy's fabulous strawberry lemonade. Everyone said they liked it, but I think hers is better. Dan and I each thought the other had brought the buns, so Colin kindly saved the day by hopping on his motorcycle and bringing back the necessary breadstuffs. The water was the main attraction though. We brought along the big inflatable whale again, and Brooklyn and Lilly thoroughly enjoyed playing with him. We sold our good old trampoline this year because it didn't get enough use to justify the space it took up in the backyard, and much to my relief, the ball and cars have filled the void wonderfully this summer.

Ethan took the children to the neighborhood park while I went to a couple of wedding receptions on Friday night. And Lilly especially wanted to go for frozen yogurt, so we did that on Saturday after we rested up from our big park/picnic/swimming outing. Brooklyn is always my little bookworm, so she and I had some reading fun at night. Little Lilly tried to listen, but sleep overtook her before we finished the first chapter. Both girls liked making pizza toast - toasting the bread, sprinkling on mozzarella cheese, next spreading pizza sauce, adding even more cheese, then popping it all into the oven for a little more crisping and melting. Brooklyn wanted it on Sunday, too, so we did it all over again just for her. She's the oldest, and I want to give her a little extra consideration when I can, because being the oldest is sometimes a bit of a hardship. Just ask my sister Becky. I remember my Grandma Jennie telling me that once when our parents were taking all seven of us on an outing to someplace or other, that Becky told them she had a stomachache. So they left her with grandma. As soon as our car pulled away, Becky said, "I'm not really sic, Grandma, I just needed to get those kids out of my hair." I imagine we also fell into the trap of piling too much responsibility on Ethan's shoulders when he was a little boy. I hope that playing in Grandma Miriam's huge yard gave him the chance to just be a carefree child for awhile, without having to worry about looking after his little brothers. As much as I can, I want to find ways to let each child know that they are special, unique, appreciated, and loved, just the way they are.