Missing baby hugs, slobber kisses

We went to Texas a week or so ago to spend some time with the grandkids and their parents. We arrived to an empty home. Both parents were at work and the kids were at their other grandparent’s home.
After giving us enough time to catch our breaths, an aunt dropped off five children ranging in age from nine years to ten months. I wasn’t sure how we would be received as it had been a few months since we had seen them. But everybody was as glad to see us as we were happy to see them.
The kids found a small snake in the yard and killed it. When they went out later to check it out, it opened its mouth and the kids ran screaming back into the house and stayed there until my daughter got home from work. She gave them a lecture about staying away from snakes and disposed of the now dead body.
We made gingerbread cookies the next day. We played basketball. I lost. My daughter hooked up a batting machine for the oldest boy. We all took a turn and once again I proved just how bad I am at any form of sports. Even Jacob, who is only two years old, did better than I did.
We played on the swings. The kids played with the hula hoops. They jumped on the trampoline. The dogs were in the middle of it all and amazed me with their patience. Even the baby got in on the fun. In the blink of an eye it was time for supper, baths and bedtime.
The older children got ready for school the next morning. I was half asleep when my daughter said something about her sister-in-law and a babysitter. Not long after she left to make the rounds of school drop offs, her sis-in-law dropped off her two-year-old son.
We went in to wake up Jacob. After breakfast I discovered that the newcomer wasn’t quite as potty trained as I had been led to believe. A change of clothes and a potty visit later the boys were released to play. The baby alternated between paying attention to us and playing with the other little boys.
After Emma was picked up from school, she joined in on the fun. Sometime in the evening the extra child was returned to his mother. We reviewed sight words with Emma and she helped read a bedtime story to Jacob and baby Nicholas. Nicholas wasn’t interested in stories, but Jacob wanted the story read and reread until I knew several pages by heart.
The next day Jacob had his third birthday. We took him to Joe’s Crab Shack for dinner. He had pizza dipped in ranch dressing. Then he sucked up the ranch dressing with a straw. Yum. He was treated to a balloon sword and a balloon turtle. Parts of the turtle burst on the way home and temporarily deafened his grandfather.
If you ask Jacob how old he is now, he will say, “Four!” I guess he is skipping three altogether.
The rest of the week was spent playing with whichever children happened to be around. We reviewed even more sight words. We watched Emma spar in karate class. Actually, I’m not sure sparring is quite the word. She spent most of the time in retreat, but bless her heart, she kept trying. We spent quality time with our daughter. We enjoyed living a different life for a week and then headed for home.
On the way home we stopped at our usual stop only to find out that a steel mill had shut down and all the hotels and motels in the area were full. I’m still trying to figure out the connection.
Gracie, the calico cat, was surprised to see us when we got back home. I think she was planning on having the house to herself forever.
Life is much calmer this week. Nobody dissolves into tears because somebody yanked a toy out of their hands. Nobody bangs on the television screen and accidentally turns the volume up all the way. Mealtimes aren’t followed by a bath in the sink. Nobody pulls the baby’s hair then puts himself into timeout. Nobody screams at the top of their lungs.
Quiet, dull, familiar days are the norm. It is welcome, but I sure do miss baby hugs and slobber kisses.

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