Visiting the Grandparents

Today is my mother's 83rd birthday. My father will be 90 (hopefully) in November. They live 5 hours away from us (their choice, not ours), so we only get to visit with them a couple times a year. I am so thrilled that they are still around and apparently doing so well. One of my dearest dreams is for my daughters to have memories of their grandparents, all four of them. Even I never had that opportunity.

This past weekend went a long way toward building that foundation. My Mom had told me that she bought the girls jigsaw puzzles (750 pieces). I replied that while my girls both exceptionally smart, a 750 piece puzzle was probably too big of a challenge for even my two 5 year old geniouses. Before we arrived, Mom had returned the larger puzzles and gave the girls 100 piece versions. Chloe insisted on making her puzzle right there on the floor of Grandpa and Grandma's trailer. We all pitched in and it turned into a fun family time for all. I don't know if the girls will remember it, but it will always be a treasured memory in my collection.

My brother and his wife also made the long trek down to visit the folks, so we were fortunate to see them as well. This was even a rarer occurance as he lives in a remote wilderness area of eastern California. Although I do have a brother and a sister, I was raised as an only child because both of my siblings were adults when I was born. I grew up with my sister close by, but spending time with my brother was always limited. Too bad, for I really do think he is an amazing and thoughtful person.