My parents came to visit us for their twelfth time in six years. I am getting better at controlling my excitement before they arrive and our disappointment after they leave. I plan things to occupy myself and the kids until our next visit and it seems to work pretty well.
While my parents and I were out shopping, my husband made my mom a red velvet cake with cherries inside for her belated birthday. Puss in Boots here had a good time helping to make it and blowing out the candles. That night my mom, my dad, and I caught the flu ... probably from our son who barfed momentarily a couple of days before us. Sounds like a scenario last February when they visited? Yes, almost an exact repeat.
We had a warm 1st week and were able to play and walk outside but as soon as Christmas arrived, so did the cold. It did not, however, keep us inside or home.
Because I do not have any siblings and my husband's siblings are younger and without families of their own, it means that the boys are the only grandchildren on both sides and the only great-grandchildren that are still kids. They were spoiled by us and grandparents with things like skis, skates, the rocking horse my dad made for me when I was two, a pirate ship, a hunting camp, knight castle, and much more.
The boys had a lot of attention and asked for their grandparents still. Actually, as I am typing this and my son is watching a movie he says, "I want grandma and grandpa to stay here, mom." It's a good thing they will soon retire. Until then, we remember them by having pillow fights each night on their bed, playing with their gifts, reading books about Minnesota, and eating my mom's (my grandma's) cinnamon and sugar bread rolls. Besides, we have memories of sitting outside at -25 and watching fireworks with them, ice skating, swimming, and much more including fantastic cowboy and indian costumes and wooden bath boats made by grandma and grandpa.
I received a scroll saw for Christmas and hope to make many gifts with it. I want to take a knitting class and learn how to expand my knitting capabilities, which should also help me gift creatively. Tomorrow, I join the Community Band and will play the flute in a group as I did from 5th grade - college. I am looking for a used but maintained piano on which the boys will take lessons and hope in other ways to incorporate more music into our lives. I have joined the Ladies of Leisure ski group and want to ski ten times this year which would be probably the most times ever in a year or at least the most in the last fifteen years; I am up to four so I should make it. I want to bike with the Dirt Divas again this summer at least four times a month and bike to the art exhibits on First Fridays at least once. I want to bring the boys camping two times and backpack with either my girlfriends or my husband before I find it completely intolerable (I'm 30!). I want to teach my son before or during age four to skate alone (almost there), ski (he shows promise), swim (I've been slacking here), and to read (he's starting to sound them out) since he shows an interest and promise in all of these valuable skills. I think I will stay busy this year or at least until March, when we plan to see my parents again.
