Three and a half days in Gladwyne

A few weeks ago I was feeling at loose ends and lonesome for children and grandchildren.  I emailed Michael and Laura and Michael responded with "Come on July 14 so Laura can go to Florida with me."    Jim was not interested, so on a whim, I asked my sister if she would like to accompany me.  To my surprise, her response was, "That sounds interesting."

A DQ treat in Haverford

 So last Wednesday I drove to Grand Rapids where I met Lois and we took an American non-stop flight to Philadelphia.   Michael was already gone on his business trip; Laura left Thursday at suppertime.  As it turned out, Michael went to Seattle instead for two nights and he met Laura in Maine for two days of hiking and lobster.

Promise and Gabrielle were the Thursday and Friday nannies.  Laura and Promise took the kids to the zoo on Thursday; Lois and I walked to town and got some coffee.  The humidity was terrible and discouraged us from much outdoor walking.   Lois exercised in the pool each afternoon but I enjoyed a nap instead.

Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom at 6 am

What did we do with the kids when we were on our own with them?   We swam after supper two of the nights.  We took the kids to swimming lessons Saturday morning and then had a DQ treat afterwards.  Lois played Uno and participated in a rather long and complicated Santa Claus improvisation directed by Jasper.   She was a saint.   While she did that, I was chauffering Sam to his six year old "girlfriend" Emory's birthday party at a trampoline center.   My goal was to avoid I 76 or I 476 and I did, but that meant Siri directed me with many turns.  I was relieved to see that we arrived at the right place--after crossing I 76 twice!

 After an initial protest of "I don't like zucchini", we made zucchini muffins and they were so good that we had to make them the next day too.  We also made brownies for Alex's 1 1/2 year birthday and that went over very well with Alex!  Our meals were kids' meals of scrambled eggs, hot dogs, chicken strips, etc. But Lois and I did enjoy a bit of wine when everyone was in bed or at least quiet.

 I tried to have evening prayers with the three older ones and, with a little encouragement, even rebel Sam joined in with a thank you for the pool and the party.  Ruth and Jasper can really enter into thanksgivings and requests worded with "I hope..." like  "I hope Mommy and Daddy have a safe journey."

The nights were not easy.  Alex is 18 months old and resists bedtime.  With long naps, I didn't even try to get him to bed before 9 pm. I'd give him a bottle, sing to him, give him his "nana" (pacifier), and  I would think he was asleep.    I would put him down and he would pop right up again.  He can crawl out of his crib so the end is left open.  As cute as he is,and he is adorably good-natured,  hearing his little "Mama" at the door of his room at 4:30 AM was not a welcoming wakeup call.  However, he was persuaded to go back to sleep.   The other two mornings, I was up with him at 5:30 and 6:00.  The last morning, Lois encouraged me to go back to bed after an hour--and I fell sound asleep again.

As Lois said, "This was not a vacation."  No, it wasn't.  We got tired and the kids never seemed tired!  Lois said she was glad to get to know my grandchildren and I was happy to feel as if I continued to get to know them better.   And I was glad Michael and Laura could have some time together.

Our last little adventure was our Uber trip to the Philly airport.  Gabrielle, the Friday nanny, helped me download the app and helped us call for a ride on Sunday. It could not have been smoother and easier.  Our flight was good, my two hour drive seemed long but by 7:30 I was home having a glass of wine with Jim.