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]