~Happy Easter~
Grandma wrote this letter about her Easter visit with us. We had such a wonderful time with her!!
Dear family,
I just got home from 4 nights at Megan’s (and one in DC due to a cancelled flight on the way home!) Alabama was such a fun visit. I wanted to spend as much of my 2 travel days in Meg’s home (rather than in airports) so Dad and I got up at 3:00 AM so I could catch the earliest possible flight to Huntsville last Thursday. (We had gone to bed at 7:00 PM the previous night so we actually got 8 hours of sleep!)
Siobhan picked me up at the airport with several of the kids. Owen asked one of his siblings, “Is that my grandma?” Of course, he didn’t remember my previous visit, but all I had to do was sit on the living room floor with a lap full of little cars and we bonded immediately. His two great loves are cars and books. He is just as willing to read aloud to someone else as he is to have someone read to him. His confident flow of totally made-up words is so much fun to listen to as he turns page after page, reading with abandon. But his regular vocabulary is very intelligible (when he is speaking rather than reading), and somewhat bigger than his grandma’s. When asked what color something was, he promptly answered, “cyan”. Hmmm, I thought he must be trying to say something else, but sure enough, Owen identifies a bluish green color as cyan.
The twins’ greatest love is basketball. I have never seen anything like it. They LOVE watching professional games on TV. I joined them, trying to show an enthusiasm that is not natural to me when it comes to sports. I commented on one player who made what looked to me like a valiant effort to push through a crowd of players, as he made his way to his side of the court. I said, “That’s a great break through”. One of the twins politely instructed me, “That’s called a drive.” Another time I saw some letters on the bottom of the screen and decided to comment casually about them. They were REB and AST. This time Baxter graciously turned to me saying, “That means rebounds and assists”.
They are not only incredibly knowledgeable about the professional games, but the two of them play basketball constantly. I asked Ethan if he ever lowers the basketball net that stands at the top of their driveway so the twins can shoot hoops. He assured me that wasn’t necessary. Sure enough, throughout my visit, I could find Baxter and Cade out there shooting hoops with the net at its full height, and making their shots!
Brandan and I had lots of fun outside, but one of my favorite things was to see Brandan’s beautiful art wall. I was amazed at how creative each of the pieces are. He made birch trees that look exactly like real bark. He and Shaila have a wonderful art teacher at co-op. She teaches such creative techniques and even taught them how to make papyrus that they then used for practicing Egyptian art.
Brandan gave me a drawing that he calls “The Chicken and the Egg” which was a natural choice of subject since they are raising a box of about 17 half-grown chicks. They are all different colors – white, reddish brown, black, gold… In a few more weeks Megan and family will have all the eggs they can eat. Brandan, Shaila, and the twins were often found with a chick in hand or sitting in the living room with a chick on their shoulder.
Shaila shares my love for needlework. Siobhan had given her a kit with 4 separate projects in it – a cross stitched owl, heart, 2 cats, and …….. Oh well, I can only remember three out of four. She and I started the first project which Shaila finished within a day. It was beautiful!! Before I knew it, she had started the second one.
Siobhan, Shaila and I had a fun outing at Piper and Leaf – a creatively decorated tea shop. Of course, I ordered the yummiest chai I’ve ever had. We sat on an old-fashioned couch and admired the shop full of antiques -- old trunks, tea pots, ladies’ hats on a tall rack, old books, countless treasures …. It was great!
I loved the opportunity to chat with each of the older kids about their plans for the next few years – hobbies, college, careers, marriage …… well, maybe not marriage. Connor and I had a walk together and a chance to catch up on his interest in landscaping. He did a beautiful job laying out a bed of bushes and flowers around his front door and does most of the maintenance on their big yard. He also chose a movie for us to watch together and Aidan taught us a very fun game – Dixit. Aidan is weighing his options for college and is actively visiting several. I learned that his interests lie in the fields of literature and history as well as biblical studies. I am thankful to be better able to pray for him over this next year when colleges are being visited and applications sent.
Ethan and I had a lovely breakfast out together. I’m afraid I did most of the talking as I told him all about the projects and study that I am interested in at the moment. He was a great listener and encourager:) He also gave me his “take” on where each of his siblings are headed, and was obviously very proud of each of them. I will be praying for his remaining college years (which will probably include med school).
Megan planned so many lovely outings for all of us, and a few for just the two of us. We had a walk through the botanical gardens together. Meg is a master when it comes to my two favorite things to do – eat yummy food and walk outdoors. The most wonderful meals just “appeared” after each of our outings. It was a blessing to share Easter with them. Stephen led us in such thoughtful devotions at home; I was able to worship with them on Easter Sunday; I even shared in their egg hunt which included my other favorite – chocolate!
My trip home left a bit to be desired. The flight from Huntsville to DC was so late that I missed my connecting flight to Manchester. The airline paid for a night in a Hilton hotel and gave me a $12 food voucher (which I spent on a large chai and a bottle of orange juice). So, it wasn’t all bad. I was SO GLAD to get home today and (even though my final flight arrived half an hour early) Dad was waiting for me!! I was reunited with Parker and Carter today when they got off the school bus. I could hear Parker calling, “Grandma! Grandma! Grandma!” from the moment he saw me through the bus window until he flew into a big hug as he jumped off the bus. As Carter made his way off the bus and saw me, he said, “Oh yeah, Grandma, I forgot you were gone:)”
So that is my “excelentic” adventure.
Love you all,
Mom (Grandma)
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