What a very special time I had last week! It was the first time I got to observe (and interact!) with these four boys in their ‘natural habitat’ for a whole week, and what a joy it was. With Mom and Dad away (being spoiled on a cruise), Meemaw (the Grandma in residence) and I (the back-up Granny) were large and in charge!
We did a little schoolwork –
Tackled a little yardwork –
and played a lot of games (because that is what I am really good at!)!
We kept the ‘screen time’ to a minimum (virtually none during the week), but when it did happen it did keep everyone quiet for a spell!
Because, let’s face it – even Grams enjoys a little screen time now and again!
The week seemed to fly by! The two older boys did a great job of caring for the animals (puppies, dogs, pigs, chickens and a cat!) along with their other chores and schoolwork.
And the ‘littles’ helped around the house with simple chores (and keeping me in line!). Meemaw was the main taxi driver and chief cook (along with her teaching schedule and appointments!), and I filled in all the gaps that I could!
But regardless of how much fun the week was, for the boys, the best part was Saturday morning when Mom and Dad came home!
It was a busy week – and I was so glad I could share in the care of these sweet boys. It was truly an honor to be able to tuck them in at night. (Ok, there wasn’t much ‘tucking in’ with the older two – but at least I got to hug and kiss them each night!).
I was also pretty glad to be reunited with my dear husband and back in my own bed after a week away.
One of the perks of our Little House in Lindale, is its close(ish) proximity to at least one of our kids. Josiah and his family are down the road outside of Waco – just under a three hour drive. (Our other kiddos and grands are a good 1000 miles away, hence the close(ish) designation!). Any-who, we took advantage of that relative closeness and got in a sweet visit earlier this month.
We had a pretty laid back time – no big chores needed to be accomplished, so it was just hanging out with everyone and also meeting these dear puppies
But although the puppies were adorable, hanging out with the boys was the most fun! I had some help with my morning Wordle game –
And there was a bit of piling on Pops too!
Weston (age 13)tried to teach me his original game that is a cross between chess and MineCraft (neither of which I have the slightest knowledge of).
Once he simplified it by removing half of the pieces we were able to get through a game. He even had an algorithm to determine where the weapons were to go. Needless to say, he won. But it was still pretty impressive. (Did I even know what an algorithm was when I was 13? Do I at 73?).
Saturday afternoon we joined folks at their church for a Harvest Celebration potluck, and then after church on Sunday we stopped for a fun meal at one of our favorites – In N’ Out Burger!
This is what happens when you ask for your cheese burger plain but with EXTRA pickles. He was one happy pickle-lover!
Don’t forget your burger, Anderson!
And then the other table…
Yep – some of my favorite people at one of our favorite food joints!
We were home before dark on Sunday (more and more critical these days it seems!), and were so very thankful that a visit with our Waco gang is so easily accomplished.
Hope your weekend is going well!
PS – about those puppies – We were very tempted to claim one for ourselves now that we’re a bit more stationary, but with a Great Pyrenees mama and a Béarnaise Mountain Dog mix for a dad, we were pretty sure these cuties would be too big for our either of our little houses! Plus Gary’s allergies really kicked in by the end of the weekend. But if you’re in the Waco-Dallas-Austin-Lindale area – they will be ready for Christmas!
Of course, the real reason we went to Waco this past weekend was to spend time with our kids and grands and to also spoil our little guy who just turned eight!
But while we were there, it was fun to check on the little guys that we watched hatch just two weeks earlier.
This is how we left them –
By the time of our return this weekend they had already moved to the coop outside!
Still in a confined area, but in with the big ‘kids’.
Well, the bigger kids at least!
Here’s the previous ‘batch –
And then there are the teenagers –
Of course, we can’t forget the actual egg producers. (photo thanks to Josiah since I totally failed at getting a picture of the big girls!)
While we had lots of fun checking out the flock (even a new batch of bantam chicks that somehow found their way into Josiah’s cart at the local farm store)
let’s circle back to the real reason we go to Waco –
We like their Mom and Dad pretty well too -we just don’t seem to get pictures of them!
…and long driveways!
We had a great visit with our Waco kids last month! We were there for almost a week before we took off with Weston for his Galveston Adventure, and we managed to be productive even while we were playing with the kids! Ok, ok. Gary was mostly the productive one and I was mostly the playing with the kids one – but it all worked out in the end! I did help out with finishing up some painting, but mostly I was hanging out with these crazy guys!
Gary’s project was screening in the back porch.
He’d already begun framing it out in this picture, and by the time we left for Galveston he had it all framed and ready for the actual screening.
But even though he was pretty busy with that porch project, we still managed to fit in some local fun! Like indulging in some of our favorite Waco food! Shorty’s Pizza – love their Pizza pillows!
and of course In -N-Out! Mmmmm….cheeseburger animal style!
We even managed a quick drive-by of our little Waco house – we still miss that house somedays!
But aside ‘Walking down Waco Memory Lane’, we mostly spent time with the kids. We played some games,
celebrated Deacon’s second birthday
and even had some puppy time!
After our Galveston week, Gary finished up the screening lickety-split!
We left the trim for Josiah to finish up, and before we knew it, it was time to hit the road!
We might not get back this way until next year this time, so we’re so very thankful that we got to spend this with our Texas family!
Lots to catch up with here, but I thought I’d better at least touch base and let you know we have arrived safely at our November SOWER project location – Whispering Pines Baptist Camp in Citronelle, AL (which is about an hour North (and a bit west) of Mobile. See the map over at the “Where are we Now” Page). I’ll be honest here – after a whirlwind October – which included, but was not limited to, South Dakota goodness,
a Galveston Adventure,
a bit of a construction project,
and pirates armed with minions – arrggghhhh –
– we’re so very thankful to be sitting all by ourselves at a sweet camp, parked with a beautiful magnolia tree in our front yard.
There’s lots to share, but for now….
Sleep well, my friends! I know we’re looking forward to some sweet rest tonight!
