Thursday, September 2, 2010

Over The River & Through The Woods… (Day 1)

Last weekend, we took one long overdue trip to Grammy & Papa’s house (Jake’s parents) in sweet little Holbrook. And while we will always feel fondly towards Holbrook because it is where Grammy and Papa reside, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it quite as lovely as last weekend. I mean, it was just friggin’ beautiful last weekend. I thought I’d died and gone somewhere… really friggin’ beautiful! With perfect tranquil warm air and a fresh breeze that barely whispered autumn; flowers in full bloom; perfectly blue-green everything, anywhere you looked; trees heavy with ripe fruit and brightly colored vegetables crowding the garden – I just couldn’t believe that somewhere could get that heavenly.

It was just too wonderful to stay inside, so I had to pry Gabriel away from watching “Toy Story” on the tube (his new favorite movie) and kick him out the front door. He quickly realized what he’d been missing (what a city boy). The girls took turns swinging on the tree swing while the boys rode scooters and bikes up and down the long driveway. The kids had rolling races down the grassy slopes and pitched play forts. They explored, barefooted, the grounds – relishing in the way the grass felt on their feet (cool and soft, unlike in the Valley where bare feet means two things: hot and sharp), picking up fallen apples off the ground and eating them straight away, like real country children.

That night, the cousins played. And the boys behaved like boys… like crazy little boys. And the girls got fussed over. And Grammy made a yummy lasagna and lemon bars that we all ate together (all twelve of us, which still felt like a small group, because we were missing the others.) The men watched silly TV shows and chuckled aloud as though they were back in high school. And there was love. :)

Days 2 & 3 still to come.

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The girls loved this swing like none other. They fussed each until it was their turn. And then they never wanted to get out.

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When you imagine how grandmother’s country house should look, does it look exactly like this? It does to me.

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Nothing beats a rolling race when you are in the mood to hear a chorus of children’s laughter.

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My adorable niece, Kendrick.

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My big boy nephew, Brayden.

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My awesome nephew, Trevor.

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It was hard to capture the action of this pillow fight, but it was raucous and fun. And nobody cried. :)

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