Grandchildren

It is not very often that we have all four of our grandchildren together, so it was a rare and wonderful occasion earlier this month when we got to "grandparent" for an entire weekend! Colleen had planned to meet some friends in New Orleans to run a half-marathon so she and Chris came through Houston on their way to bring Max to stay with us for a few days.

Chris and Colleen were only here for one day which meant a quick trip to College Station to have lunch with Alex & Nick and Leo, then over to The Woodlands for dinner with Amy & Ben and Isabelle & Olivia.
Friday morning Max and I went to what we call "the turtle pond" and he had a great time feeding the turtles and the fish, and exploring in the woods. I wish I had captured the look of pure joy on Isabelle's face when she came out of the door at school on Friday afternoon and saw Max waiting for her! The timing was perfect as that evening was her school's annual Creekfest celebration, which we all attended with her. Isabelle, Olivia, and Max did their best to try everything -- pony rides, giant bounce houses & slides, hula hoop contests, magic show, dance contests, cotton candy & sugar shack, pizza, tacos.... They kept up a frantic pace right until they dropped in bed!


Saturday morning we cheered at Isabelle's soccer game, then Alex & Nick brought Leo down to join in the fun playing in the backyard. Lee had a great idea for G'pa & G'ma to take the grandchldren to McDonald's for dinner and leave Alex & Nick and Amy & Ben to have a quiet dinner together, complete with adult conversation! We each drove a vehicle with a carseat and a booster seat and made it to McDonald's. What a riot!! The only person to spill was G'pa!

Sunday after church Max and Isabelle helped get ready for what Isabelle calls a "table dinner." They set the table, made place cards, and made sure there were flowers on the table. We returned to the "turtle pond" to feed the turtles, play on the playground, and fly a kite. All too soon it was time for a tearful good-bye, and 'til we meet again....

Monday morning we pulled a slick trick -- Max joined his parents while they made a plane change in Houston for the trip home, putting an especially great weekend in the memory book. There is nothing quite like the inexplicable joy and love of grandparenting!