Barbara's Visit June 2012

Because David is studying to take the Dental Boards, Barbara and her children shipped out Monday to stay for ten days.  The first day, just being here was a novelty.  The second day, we set up the wading pool and the water table toy.

They found the Dress-Up Box, full of old clothes.

The kids marched around the "circle" of our yard: up the hill by the rose bushes, along the fenceline, down via the kumquats, up across the front door and duck in between the bushes on the far side of the house, and enter back again to the back yard, where Barbara and I sat chatting after dinner.  Summer nights are the best.

Today, the fourth day, we went to the beach.  Maddy's first impressions: She appeared to be pulled off balance by the receding water.  She soon got her sea legs.  Barbara thinks this is the first time that she has really interacted with the ocean; I couldn't remember any other time.  Here's some more photos of our day:

Riley seems transfixed by the wave action.  I did tell them to keep their eyes on the water.  About a billion times.

Off-balance Maddy.

Keagan is in awe.  She thinks we should come back again and go boogie boarding.  Agreed.

Sand castles are being built.

 Back home, Barbara had the brilliant idea they should wash out their shells in the water table.

I'm still prepping for the YW Camp luncheon for 70 which is coming up on Monday.  Here Riley helps take snickerdoodles off of the cookie sheets.  He did this three times.  I'm pretty impressed with how helpful Barbara's children are.  Keagan usually takes the lead on getting the table set up for dinner every night out on the patio, and they all clear their dishes cheerfully.  And with a little reminder, they do their "zones," blitzing a room or two, picking up toys.

Keagan is trying out one of the drawing programs on my iPad.

I'm wondering what else I can pull out of a hat to keep the kids entertained.  We have introduced them to two new movies, of Japanese cartoon origin: Totoro, and The Secret World of Arrietty.  I was surprised to look over and see a scene where the two little girls jumped into a Japanese bath with their father (very chaste and traditional Japanese experience, really), but didn't say anything and the scene quickly ended.  The old aunties seem to be such crones.  But the stories are lovely, the music exquisite and so far, both have had a 9-ish-year old girl in them, which is great for Keagan.  Multi-culturalism here at our house.

Tomorrow Barbara and I will be sewing more curtains for their house (she brought the fabric).  She's doing the sewing and I help with planning it all out.  We still have 3 giant batches of pasta salad to make; prepping (chopping) will go on during the day on Saturday, with final cooking and assembling shortly before we pack them up to go off on Monday morning at 7 a.m.  It's busy, tiring (we go to bed very early around here), but always fun to have the grandchildren come!