Famliy

Familes are wonderful--of course I knew that all along but it was reinforcced this weekend. Colin and Lisa, Morgan and Kegan arrived late Friday night; Jamie and Mel, Maddie and Edie came Sat. afternoon though we passed like ships in the night for a while. I was at the grocery when they arrived, and they were off to ride the zoo train by the time I got home. But by late afternoon, we all settled on the porch. As always, because of children, dinner--bbq'd chicken, cheese grits casserole, and salad--was early and by ten everyone was settled in for the night. Maddie shared her special bed with Morgan and then, in the morning, with Kegan too. By eleven this morning, they were all gone, leaving behind them a neat house, with everything picked up and put away.

I discovered this weekend that both my boys are heavy drinkers--one drinks lots of designer water, and the other swigs gatorade all day long! They leave a trail of recyclable bottles. This morning when I went out for the paper, I thought maybe I'd had a young people's party instead of family--found two beer bottles hidden among the plants.

Favorite moments: Maddie carrying Kegan around; Morgan announcing she wanted to stay at Juju's house; Edie giving me a sweet good morning kiss; cooking visits with Mel and Lisa in the kitchen; sitting on the porch, watching all the kids play; Maddie getting Morgan up and helping her potty first thing in the morning and then being so pleased at the praise heaped on her.

I am learning a lesson I try to teach myself all the time--relax and sit down. Everything doesn't have to be perfect, the house doesn't have to be picked up all the time. I admire Mel who gets down on the floor and plays Barbie dolls with Maddie and Edie, or Colin who can chase Jacob endlessly--we visited them Saturday morning--sending Jacob into hysterical screams of laughter. Often before, when bunches of children and grandchildren have left I've felt exhausted and overwhelmed with "picking up" but not today. But not today. I've lesiurely gotten together dinner for seven tonight: Jordan and Christian, plus his parents and sister and her husband, all for Jordan's b'day

So now I think I'll read and nap--and once more trying to figure out how to put pictures in this blog. (Obviously, I haven't mastered it, since Maddie and Kegan are sideways above).

Much later: Dinner of cold cuts from the deli, potato salad from Central Market, and home-made three bean salad was a success, and I think the b'day girl was pleased, though the present I ordereed at her request wasn't right--I didn't realize she wanted Jacob's name in hieroglyphics and I ordered it in English. My feet have hurt all day and really commenced to talking to me tonight, so I was not really happy camper, though I did put on a pleasant face, and now all that tiredness I said I didn't feel has come creeping in. Wow, what a weekend!