Missing days with grandchildren

What a difference a week makes. Last week we sat outside in our bare feet holding a baby and watching small children play in the yard. What grass was growing was still green. The air was warm and the skies were sunny.
This week we are both cold and achy. Neither of us would dream of sitting outside for any length of time and our feet aren’t bare even inside the house. Our grass may be green but it’s difficult to tell since it is covered with a blanket of yellowing leaves. The air is cold and the skies have been dreary.
I long for the day when teleportation becomes a reality as the drive to and from Texas has exhausted both of us even though my husband did all the driving. It takes us a full week to get back to normal.
Still, we cherish the lazy days spent holding a baby who was attempting to pull the hair off the poodle and the lips off the bulldog. My husband watched cartoons with a toddler curled up next to him. We teased the toddler about his “belly, belly, belly screen” which is a phrase taken from one of the favored cartoons.
I enjoyed watching my daughter take care of her children. I watched her get her daughter, Emma, ready for school and was pleased to find out that she takes advantage of travel time to review schoolwork. I had found a packet of addition flash cards and showed Emma that even though she was only in kindergarten she already knew some of the answers.
I also enjoyed time with my bonus granddaughter, Paige. She has beautiful long, blonde hair and like many little girls whines when it is brushed. I was thus engaged one day and she was doing her usual, “Ow, ow, ow” and wincing with every stroke. I was being as careful as I could and finally started counting her complaints. At that point she kept saying, “ow” every couple of seconds and also informed me when I miscounted.
The next time I brushed her hair I asked her how many “ow’s” she was going to have. She said “20.” She didn’t make a sound the entire time I was brushing and never flinched once. At the end she said, “OK, are you ready?” Then she proceeded to use up all her “ow’s” while counting on her fingers. At least I found out that I wasn’t really hurting her!
The two girls play well together as they are only a year or so apart in age. The girls also play well with the little boys. The toddler and baby light up whenever they see either of their sisters. When neither of the girls are around the boys are capable of playing by themselves or with each other.
For a solid week we were immersed in the alien world of little boys who aren’t yet fluent in English. The baby has no trouble communicating via smiles, giggles and the occasional screech. He also blows raspberries and drools more than any kid I’ve ever seen. He wasn’t entirely mobile while we were down there. He could turn in circles and unintentionally go backwards. I’m guessing that he will figure out how to go forwards on purpose in about another week.
One evening we made Rice Krispie Treats. I mixed up the ingredients and dumped it into a pan. Emma and toddler Jacob spread it out with well-buttered hands. They thought they were getting away with something when they ate globs of the sticky stuff. They didn’t realize it was better for them than the candy they would get a couple days later on Halloween.
I miss cooking with little ones. I miss reading stories to sleepy children who beg for just one more. I don’t miss cleaning up the baby who would get all wiggly halfway though a diaper change. What I miss even more than the warm weather are all the baby hugs. I miss the knocks on the bathroom door from a toddler “telling on” my husband for some minor transgression. I miss seeing how independent the girls are getting.
We will go back to visit and no matter how soon we go it won’t be soon enough.
However, Gracie, our calico cat, is glad we are home and wishes we would stay here where we belong.[[In-content Ad]]