This is my youngest daughter and her sweet hubby. They have two children, ages 2 and 3, fourteen months apart.. They also recently celebrated their fifth anniversary and wanted to get away for a few days. Alone. Without the kids. So guess who had the blessed privilege of taking care of their beautiful babies?? My daughter was concerned that having the kids for that length of time would wear me out so she had her mother-in-law and her sister as backup. She's thoughtful about those kind of things.
I most always love having any of my grandchildren here. I say most...there are times for which I'm just not up to it. This was almost one of those times (the reason why later) but I didn't want to ruin their plans and, besides, I was really looking forward to having them stay with us.
Here they are at the window behind Poppa's desk, which is also the favorite perch for my dog Banjo. Tater Tot has figured out that she can climb on his desk to get a better view of what's going on outside. Big sister loves explaining to little brother, Bubba, about what's going on out there (which usually isn't much) and about when they get to go outside to play and what they will do. She thinks it's her solemn duty to keep him informed of such things. That's what big sisters are for, you know.
For the most part, they are pretty good about sharing. They share and then take turns with Banjo on the leash. We have a really big yard, without a fence, and when the grandchildren are here, it's the best way to keep the dog corralled.
Bubba is enjoying his lunch of peanut butter and jelly, always a favorite. Maybe just a little too much with that mess on his face!
For the most part, Tater Tot can be an extremely sweet little girl. But then she has her ornery side and can be SO stone faced if she doesn't want to smile. She's alot like her mother. I asked her to smile and this is what I got. Sigh....
These grandchildren live just five miles down the road from us and live with farm animals. Well, they don't actually LIVE with the animals. Their daddy raises cattle and they live the country life like we do. But they have never had the fun of doing chores with Poppa due to either bad weather, ear infections, allergies and such. So it's exciting for them to help with chores for the first time and to see where Poppa gets his feed for the cows.
They are obviously in awe of this thing that makes a bunch of noise as the grain comes down the chute into the waiting buckets. Little Bubba is more interested in how this thing works. That's the way he thinks. First and foremost, he is interested in how things work. Even his toys.
The buckets are full of feed and it's time to drive the short distance to the corral to dump feed in the troughs.
Normally, Poppa has a couple of small buckets for the kiddos to use for dumping feed but he couldn't find them so they are using their hands. They don't seem to mind. See the cattle in the background patiently waiting? Once the feed is in the troughs, Poppa will load the kids up and take them out of the corral, shut that gate behind them and go to the other gate to let the cattle in. It's usually a small stampede. With the cows I mean.
The next day, it's time to go outside to play. My garden cart wears several hats. Today, and any day that grandchildren are here, it's used as a wagon for pulling, pushing and riding. Tater Tot and Bubba make a good team.
Bubba knows that that he doesn't have to ask very often and, if he patiently waits in the cart, sister will come around and give him a little ride.
See? I told you. It works just about every time. If sister was in the cart, he would be trying to pull her but it's just a bit too heavy for him. I am so happy that they play so well together. For the most part. After all, they are still babies. Only fourteen months apart. Wanting attention, something to eat, something to drink, taking a bath, reading a story...you name it....what one wants, the other wants as well. And guess who is there to take care of their needs? Me, their Mammer. Who loves taking care of them and considers it a blessed privilege to be here for them when mommy and daddy need me to. A blessed chaotic privilege.
I love my low sill windows. All of the little grandbabies, at one time or another, love being able to look out the window while sitting on the sill. Or better yet, consider it a great milestone when one is tall enough to stand on the sill. It's a much better view when you're that high up, you know. Right now, the window sill makes for a great little reading corner while waiting for lunch. Yes, my windows are dirty with smudges from little faces, dirty little fingers and even from one curious little dog. But I don't mind one little bit.
A little side note. The kids spent the last night at their other grandma's house. I had an appointment the next day at the spine hospital for a CAT scan and MRI on my lower back. Several weeks ago, I had suffered a really nasty fall off the steps of our RV landing on the corner of one step right on my tailbone. I had developed severe nerve pain in that area that kept getting worse...drop to your knees type nerve pain that radiated down both legs. Apparently, I had knocked my coccyx bone loose traumatizing the nerves. I ended up getting a series of steroid and pain injections in the nerves on both sides of my tailbone. Do you know how excruciatingly painful it is to get injections in nerves that are already inflamed and hurting? I was ready to be shot and put out of my misery!!! That's how much it hurt! But I am truly thankful to report that, after a couple of days of severe muscle pain and tenderness, the pain is now basically gone and I am back to somewhat normal. Whatever that is.
I pray you have a blessed, nonchaotic, day today~
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