Willa will soon be two. I have been given the honor of baking birthday cake so I am trying recipes for taste testing by all interested parties. There are cookies involved too for the zoom party (crumby Covid-19) so I am working on those recipes and decorating too. I think we have found winners for them all but the decision isn’t final until the tasting is done!
Grandpa is working on a present too. Shhh, it is a secret.
This Grandpa and Nana thing is alright. It looks like overnights might be the best fit for everyone’s schedules right now and it is great fun for all of us. It is 7:30AM and we scoop up Willa and the requisite plunder for another sleepover. There is lots of walking and coloring and Willa really gets into finger painting
and makes her Mommy a Mother’s Day card. Mike and Tracy join us for one night to celebrate Mother’s Day…yeah I get two celebrations and two fantastic breakfasts. Mike prepared delicious pumpkin spice waffles and they bring a lovely Cosmos plant – hope I can keep it alive! The kids head home mid day leaving Willa to spend one more night with us. Perfect
I am so excited. We are off to pick up Willa for an overnight stay. We gather all the essentials; potty chair, night-night kit (blankie, fav book and can’t be without bedtime friends), and snacks plus adequate clothes for lots of outside time. The ride back to our place is uneventful and since Willa loves to be outdoors, we have lots of exploring to do once we arrive. We walk, throw rocks in the lake, balance on logs, pick dandelions and watch for ducks, swans and puppies. All in all, it is a great afternoon that amazingly includes a good nap. There is sidewalk chalk time and more exploring. A big bright red bounce ball is a hit too. When it is time for bed Willa is down in just minutes. It has been a busy day.
The kids sent a schedule and we manage to sort of follow it even including some learning time. One day we do shapes. It starts with first recognizing, coloring and sorting then with a game based on colorful shapes drawn with sidewalk chalk and lots of movement. Willa has circles, squares and triangles down. I have fun! Right and left learning time is fun too since we wind it up with the hokey pokey. Grandpa even plays that one! Fun stuff. Nap time day two is in her new “Created by Nana” sleeping bag.
It is a hit. Willa is back with Mom and Dad in time for Grammy time. We are already looking forward to our next get together.
We start slowly
The kids bring Willa up to see us and she and Dad even spend the night. Overnight in a strange place works out ok. Nana breaks some rules as Willa ends up in our bed a few hours but everyone awakes rested and happy. Nap goes pretty smoothly (well, you can imagine how 2-year-old naps go) and we find plenty of things to do outdoors to keep her entertained. It is a great first visit. We look forward to many more. We close out the day with a lovely meal shared with more doting grandparents, Pop-pop and Grammy.
Who can blame me? It has been 4 months since I have hugged our grand-daughter. We look forward to seeing her Mom and Dad too but video chats and pictures just aren’t enough to keep up with the huge changes in a nearly 2-year-old. I can hardly wait! We settle in at our next new home, Sylvan Lake Beach Park in Hopewell Junction New York. More stay at home orders restrict lots of activities but the park is green and quiet with a little lake to stroll the shore. There are lots of birds including hawks, osprey and bald eagles to watch. The kids are a few miles south but it is an easy drive so we hope to see everyone often. This should make a great home base for more family time.
1550 miles in 26 hours across three days, whew. To avoid being part of the problem in this Covid-19 age, we minimize contact as we travel stopping only for fuel and overnighting in Walmart parking lots. It is a tedious trip but worth it as we make it to PA for some family time. Here as in Texas, stay at home orders have brought work-from-home for nearly everyone and dinner out is not going to happen. As a result, we have some great times cooking and hanging out safe and cozy at home with family. The slightly slower pace helps remind us just how nice that kind of together time can be. A special shout out to our grandniece who is growing up so fast. Coming up on a year old. You are an amazing little girl!
It is always a bit of a chore to pack up after a long stay but things have come together and we are on our way. The motorhome and trailer are snugged away in storage near Rosenberg and the car will land in the kids’ driveway later today. We have a chance to spend a few hours with my brother Bob as he happens to be in Houston for business this week. Happy coincidence! Tomorrow evening our great Down Under adventure begins
Brian and Johnna meet us for steak at a little café in Rosenberg. Food is delicious and it is wonderful to share some time with the kids. Time is flying by as we finish up work at the refuge and do the final planning for our trip to New Zeeland/Australia. We will get to spend a little more time with them the weekend before we get on our way.
Kent’s brother Todd died in 2007. That memory is brought into sharper focus as we learn that his wife, Martha, just passed away. Kent makes the trip to Louisville to share in the memorial and spend time with her sisters and family. It is another reminder to cherish every moment we have with those we love.
Family time in the Big Easy. We are spending a week in a Hosteeva rental condo just off St Charles Ave. in New Orleans. Brian, Johnna, Kent and I make it a road trip as we drive in from Houston (thanks Johnna for taking on the chore of chauffeur for the week) while Mike, Tracy and Willa take to the air from New York. By evening the 21st we are all settling in at our home for the week. Laid back time includes decorating the traveling Christmas tree (mostly cheering on Willa as she decorates the tree – fantastic), icing cookies and a gingerbread sleigh and reindeer (a cute but short-lived result), assembling an elephant puzzle, silly fun team games, and strolls up and down St. Charles. Nana and Grandpa make the most of Willa time taking walks, blowing bubbles and just finding fun anywhere we can. Our family exchange this year involved each of us anonymously donating an item that best represented our 2019 to a grab bag. We drew those items and attempted to determine who contributed it and what it represented for their year. It provided a fun way to get a little insight into each other’s lives. It was unanimous, we should do it again some time. We do a bit of cooking: burritos, corn chowder (nice job Mike), pizza, and stuffed roasted squash (thanks Tracy) for dinners. Mike’s cinnamon rolls make a perfect breakfast for Kent’s bday and his Vegan Derby pie the bday “cake”. Vegan baked French toast was a hit as well. We do some eating out; Café De Mond coffee and beignets of course, some fantastic etouffee, beans and rice, jambalaya and gumbo at a hole in the wall joint, the Bayou Bistro, gourmet hotdogs (the kids found this place while they wandered the Quarter), awesome drinks and Vegan dishes at the Green Goddess and a meat eaters fix of burgers at the Trolley Café. We take in some quintessential NOLA French Quarter entertainment: a very talented violin player showing his skills in Jackson Square, a wonderful high energy live band out on the street, and Music Box Village a unique artistic stop where we can “play” the actual structures and make music. Very cool. Kids night out involved a sampling of clubs. It IS the coastal south and huge live oaks line the lanes and canopy the walks in City park. It is a beautiful place to stroll anytime but even more magical at Christmastime when the trees are lighted with displays ranging from graceful and romantic to odd and whimsical. The NO Aquarium is pretty spectacular. At first Willa is a bit overwhelmed by the huge tanks and oddly lit spaces but before long warms to it making for a great visit. I get my Sazerac fix and a wonderful special treat when Brian and Mike take me out to the nearby Avenue Bar for a little Mom and son time. Perfect. It has been a great week. Kent and I are enormously blessed to have time with our entire family together. There is no greater gift.
One more gathering, Christmas in Pennsylvania. Merry First Christmas Harlow. We gather with Bob, Lou Ann, Molly, Clark, newest addition Harlow, and Carol. More cookies, great food, a fair amount of football, and a chance to catch up on what’s happening with everyone. It is a great closing to our holiday Season. Love and hugs to everyone.
Johnna and I get into the spirit early with a trip to the Nutcracker Market in Houston where one can find just about anything Christmas! Since I didn’t actually need anything, I think I did pretty well to come home with just a fun Holiday Tee shirt. Johnna found a beautiful snowman-sporting wreath for their front door and some very tasty fudge. Ho, Ho, Ho…..it is indeed Christmas time…well, close enough.
Happy Birthday Brian! We all go out for a fun Mexican dinner then celebrate the occasion with candles (not the relighting kind) on a West Virginia pound cake. Saving the real bash for 2020 – the big 40! We hang at their place for a great Thanksgiving dinner that includes all the classic dishes and “help” get the Christmas decorating started. Now I am really feeling the spirit.
Hill Country Texas Christmas wine trail, it is a great road trip with Brian and Johnna and we find a couple nice wines along the way.
Cookies…lots of cookies. Carol is in town and Johnna graciously allows us to take over her kitchen. The must haves, chocolate chip and peanut butter blossoms. Add to that a pumpkin sugar cookie, no bake orange balls, and gingerbread plus some of Carol’s specialties; raspberry bars, fudge, date pinwheels, and florentines. The freezer is packed with holiday goodness after a bit of taste testing! Oh yeah!