Grandma and Grandpa’s House

I’ve been to my parents house twice in the last three weeks: the first time two weeks ago for 4 nights, and the second time this last weekend for 2 nights. I wrote a big long post about my visit in July with the boys (Michael was on a business trip to Illinois), but I left it on the computer unsaved, and when I returned my computer had lost the internet connection and I tried to surf away from the page without copy/pasting my precious post to Word or something in case something happened. So I lost it. It was very long, very detailed and had several pictures pasted in at the appropriate times. You can all assume that it was the finest piece ever written in the English language, and it is gone forever.\par
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To summarize: Went to parents on Sunday. Went shopping Monday with Meghan. Went to Mystie’s house for middle of day on Tuesday. Went to Meghan’s house on Wednesday. Boys played with kittens a lot, especially Judah. Also, Grandpa Mike took Judah on a “tractor” (i.e. riding lawn mower) ride, which was much enjoyed. The trip back on Friday was very uneventful, except that the boys hardly slept and Judah announced that he needed to “go poppy!” when we were about 20 minutes from home, and the traffic was a little congested. I had to turn off the freeway and take him to the nearest gas station. Oh yes – I bought some new red shoes of which I am very proud and wear whenever reasonably possible. Here are the pictures:\par
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This last weekend we went up the gorge again, this time with Michael. It’s much nicer traveling for 4 hours with another adult. That way one of you can drive and the other try to pacify the children. When you try to do both at once, it can be a little stressful, even though our children are good travelers, overall. This weekend was kind of like the last visit in miniature: the boys played with the kittens (probably for the last time), and Judah went on a nice long tractor ride with Grandpa, I hung around and talked to my family, and Michael spent Saturday morning with my dad and brother helping a family from their church move.\par
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My parents have bought a house in Richland, which they showed us on Sunday. They will probably move out of their current one before we go to visit again, so it was very bittersweet driving away from their house on Sunday morning thinking about how I probably will never sleep in it again. There are so many memories associated with the house, I have a hard time imagining ever feeling quite the same about any other place.\par
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My parents church has moved to Richland as well, and is now practicing weekly communion and changing things up a little in terms of liturgy and such, now that they are no longer part of the Orthodox Christian\’c3\’82\’c2\~Reformed Church confederation.\’c3\’82\’c2\~It’s nice to see them free to pursue an improved worship service.\par
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Our boys were pretty distressed to be excluded from the table on Sunday, which was a new and unexpected experience for them. In retrospect, we should have prepared them for it in advance, but I didn’t think about it until it was too late, and Ezra was looking at me reproachfully as I passed the plate by him. I imagine they’ve already forgotten about it though. Now just to remember whose turn it is to go get communion with Daddy at our church on Sunday! (note: this is in no way meant to be a complaint – I just wanted to record the reaction of our children to a non-paedocommunion communion!)\par
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We went and saw the outside of my parents new house on Sunday afternoon before the fellowship meal at church. The boys took to the back yard immediately, and Judah seemed to comprehend the idea that the house now belonged to Grandma Rachel (and Grandpa Mike – although for some reason houses are always referred to as possessed by the mistress of the home in our family). In fact, in the way home he was telling us that Grandma Rachel had three houses: the house in Benton City, the house with the Red Door in Richland, and the beach house! We had to explain that the beach house actually belonged to the family camp and that we just stayed there with Grandma Rachel. Funny the ideas kids get. He had a good time at Grandma and Grandpas and wanted to go back “tomorrow.” Oh, if only we were close enough to do that! Their new back yard is really great for kids although I personally shudder to think of doing a project as big as remodeling a house built in the late 60′s – although we might end up doing that to our house someday and it’ll be nearly the same thing! We didn’t see the inside at all. I’m jazzed about the fact that their new house is only about 5 minutes away from Mystie’s new house!\par
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Well, now we’re just back home with no trips planned for any time soon. My sister came back with us on Sunday and will fly home on Saturday, although she’s gone now at sleepover with some friends of hers who live around here. It’s fun to have her here though – we’re going to try to sew a skirt together, although it’ll be difficult to get done in time, as we won’t be able to work on it until tomorrow (Thursday), and we’re busy all morning! On Saturday Michael and I are going to go on a tour of the Street of Dreams in Oregon City for our 6th anniversary – and I am looking forward to it! Well… I think I hear a small child calling my name from upstairs now, so I’d better go!\par
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