5.12.2008

Fun & Games with the Kiddoes

So tonight, with the custody of Maya and Mason relinquished to their parents [who had a wonderful time on their cruise], my house is way too quiet. We had such a good time and enjoyed every second.

I know you have to be wondering how we did with Maya's List -- here's a rundown:

  • Disneyland -- we didn't get there. Sigh. I wish.
  • Sea World -- ditto. I wish we could have but with 95 degree temperatures here on Saturday, I think it was better that we just couldn't squeeze it in.
  • Camp out in the back yard -- again, nope. I'm starting to feel like a loser grandma!
  • Buy a backyard pool/slip-n-slide -- yay! We did and they had a ball with it. It's an inflatable and neither of us wants to blow it up again so it's sitting upstairs, ready to go, in our guest room. Good thing the bed isn't in there right now, huh?
  • Sno-cones -- again, yay! Grandpa actually took them out to the park, hiking, and then for treats on Saturday while I was playing for the wedding -- and not only did they get sno-cones, they had donuts along with it for lunch. What a guy he is!!
  • Sleep under the stars -- again, no. But we did look at the stars and Grandpa started a water fight when they went to water their hanging flower baskets. That counts for something, right?
  • Get a library card in Maya's name. Didn't get done -- although it was on the list for today but it just didn't happen. Nap times for Mason cut into my time for fun.
  • Ride bikes in the driveway -- do scooters count? That's a check. We did that a lot, all over the house too.
  • Do puzzles and build big towers -- oh, yeah. Lots of them. Mason builds great towers and Maya and I are good at puzzles.
  • Go hiking, swimming and to the park. Done and done. Grandpa hiked their little legs off while I was doing wedding duties and I did swimming several times. We made it to two different parks -- variety is good.
  • No snowflakes were made -- I don't think anyone even thought of snow [except with longing] because it was so dang hot.
  • Pretend it's Christmas -- yup. We had a blast at Academy Sports and both kiddoes picked out several 'Christmas' presents to keep. Fun times!
  • We didn't make colored cookies but we did make small heart-shaped cakes and cupcakes. Pink. And yummy.
  • No tire swings. But we sure did swing - I pushed Mason and cheered while Maya pumped her own swing [a recently acquired skill] at the parks.
  • Watch SpongeBob. Done. And done. And done. Also a little Backyardigans [Mason's personal favorite], Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Bunnytown, and even a little bit of Max and Ruby. Fun times. Lots of snuggles in bed first thing in the morning too.
  • No movies -- nothing really struck our fancy. I think we're holding out for the Karate Panda one I've seen ads for. But we did read a lot of new stories and Maya was especially taken with our Tacky the Penguin book. It cracked her up.
All in all, there was a ton of fun here over the past 5 days. I think we had two happy little people with us the whole time -- I know they missed their parents and were so happy to see them and be back in their own home and family atmosphere, but I also think they felt safe, happy and at home with us. We did a lot of laughing, playing, cuddling, singing and loving, and it reminded me again of what a great blessing grandma-hood is to me.

And tonight, as I felt the emptiness of the house, I missed the excitement, the mess, the busy-ness, the noise and the fun of having children living with me again. If I could say anything to young moms who still have time, it would be to make sure you enjoy every second you can with your little ones. I know I spent too much time worrying about things that [I know now] really didn't matter.

Just get to know them, teach them and love them.

[photo by Greg Olsen]

21 comments:

Seth, Sarah and the kids said...

such good advice....it is so hard for me to remember at times to just enjoy them. you are such a great grama. those kiddoes will remember the fun times with you forever!!

hoLLy said...

what a fun weekend! you are both such awesome grandparents. and thanks for the reminder to enjoy every second. i truly do try to do that because i know the time is so short and flies by. there was a big gap between me and two of my little brothers. i was a teenager when they were born and i got to be a "little mommy." it was so fun!i loved those little guys like they were my own and they grew up sooooo fast. they are teenagers now. so, anyways, what i'm saying is that i kinda have experienced watching little ones grow and its true how they grow up before you know it. i treasure my girls and really try to live in the now-i know this is a time i will look back on and treasure.

Marilee said...

When you have little ones at home you think they will never grow up but then all of the sudden they do and you wonder where the time went. Glad you had such a great time.

You are on! Let me know when the time gets nearer and we will plan to meet somewhere. You will love the talent at the theater. August is the perfect time and hopefully we will be in our new house! Yea! It will be fun to meet Natalie too, she seems like a ton of fun.

Mel said...

What a fun weekend! You're such great grandparents. I'm sure those kiddoes loved every minute.

Chris and Tara Mason said...

Sounds like a great time!

Ashley said...

I'm glad all four of you had such a happy, fun-filled weekend! Aren't families the best?! Thanks, Sister Mason, for all the comments you left on my blogs. Thanks for taking the time to read it.

Natalie Scott said...

Thanks for the reminder, Jan. Being a parent with young kids sometimes seems totally chaotic with very little balance. I need to learn to let go of those things that aren't important so there can be more balance and more enjoyment of my kids! I do agree, though, they grow up SO fast. I can hardly believe my baby is 2 1/2 already (and no more diapers! It's bittersweet)

I'm glad you enjoyed your time with the grandkiddies. They are very fortunate children.

tara said...

wow. you two made those days SUPER fun for those cute little kiddos. It's hard to be away from mom and dad but you sure made it the NEXT best place to be:)

Jori said...

Wow! That sounds like so much fun. I love that you miss all of the hoopla. A lot of people would be pretty happy to have the house back to themselves.

Mia said...

Yeah for Grandma and Grandpa time! It is wonderful that you had such a great time with the kiddos this weekend.

Sandy said...

I love how much you adore and love your children and grandchildren.
So glad you all had a great time and that the kiddo's were with such fun people while away from mommy and daddy. Can you babysit me for a weekend? haha. :)

I am finding out how fast time flies and I am trying to let the unimportant things go so I won't miss the special and everyday moments with my kids that I will soon enough miss. Thanks for reminding us of the importance of our little ones.

G-mom said...

Hey we have tacky the penguin book too!!
Sounds like a lot of fun at your house. Hey maybe we can all get sno cones in a few weeks! love you!

. . . . . . . . . said...

You are SUCH a good gramma! 'Nuff said.

Jacqueline said...

It sounds like you had a great week. I bet your grandkids will never forget the special time they had with grandpa and grandma. I still cherish the time I had with my grandparents. What fun!!

Hacking it up said...

You are such Awesome, wonderful marvelous grandparents!!! What lucky kids to have you in their lives!

Nat Lud said...

You are so fun! I love that you are such involved grandparents. Maya and Mason will have such fond memories of you and there is nothing more special! I think you rock!

tiburon said...

Sounds like you had a fantastic time! How great to have that alone time with the grandkids :)

Cammie said...

Jan, you rocked her "to do" list. You are going to need a vacation!

Beth and Shae said...

Sounds like you had so much fun. You have inspired us. I think we will make a list of fun things we can do this summer and try to get them all done before the baby comes. I will let you know how it goes!

kelly said...

thanks for all your ideas yesterday, and i might just take you up on your offer to email you. thanks, i'm really looking forward to being the chorister. as for this list... it's incredible. i can't believe you got what you got done, done. does that make sense? your grandkids must LOVE you. what fun.

Unknown said...

you are the best grandmama in the universe. thank you so much for having them. they both had the BEST time. and we appreciated it SO much.