Grandmothering and a bit of writing

It's Labor Day weekend, and Jamie and Mel brought the girls for the weekend. They came Sat. early afternoon and we did not much--a trip to Bed Bath & Beyond, a thwarted visit to Jacob (he was indisposed and not receiving company). Saturday night the parents went out to dinner with friends, and I served pigs in a blanket, corn on the cob, beans, and peanut butter cookies the girls and I had made that afternoon (cooking with the girls is always a little problematic, because they get into turf wars, but we got it done). Maddie put herself into pjs at 7 even though I pointed out it was early and still daylight; Edie put on pjs but was not at all ready for bed at 9 when Maddie was. She said "Mommy?" I explained that Mommy was having dinner, and she asked, "Is she eating fast?" I said no, when you went out for dinner, you ate slowly and savored the meal. Later when she kept calling for Mommy, I said, "Aren't you glad Mommy's having nice night out and enjoying herself?" Her answer? "No!" I altrenated cuddling and leaving, and she went to sleep about 10:50.
When Jamie and Mel came home, they reported that the first restaurant they went to--for tapas--was weird. Well, it was the same one where Betty and I had received such condescending treatment and the bonus of wine not billed. I was glad to have my opinion confirmed.
Today we did breakfast (brunch really) at the Ol' South, a Fort Worth favorite that really is a greasy spoon dive but beloved by everyone. Then on to the Cowgirl Hall of Fame, which the girls loved--they constantly had to be told to walk not run and lower their voices, but it was such fun to see them so excited. A short stay at the very noisy KidsSpace at the Museum of Science and History, and I was the first to bail, admit to exhaustion. We came home, the parents both went to sleep, and I, who had been the first to claim tired, was the one who napped with one ear and one eye open! Tonight we went to my wonderful Central Market and cobbled together a great Greek dinner, complete with dolma, hummus, tabouli, tsatsiki (homemade by Mel), artichoke salad, and grilled flank steak. Tonight we are all tired. They'll go home in the morning--after Jamie hangs pictures for me, though he asks how I know he wants to do that (I know, he's a good son, just cantakerous occasionally), and I'll settle back into my routine.
I'd left the novel behind last week--an all-day out-of-town office meeting and other deadlines sent me home to do work-related things in the evenings, but Saturday morning I dipped back into it and got new ideas, new excitement. I hope to move ahead in the next few days. And tomorrow? It's funny how a few days away makes you see the whole thing in a new perspective--I could see major changes that had to be made and did most of them. Tomorrow? A good nap and a lot of writing, plus maybe some reading. A perfectly lazy Labor Day.
But what can I say about how wonderful it was to have the girls here? It's beyond words.