I've been home from vacation for two weeks and I'm still trying to catch up on my blogging. Lately it feels like there aren't enough hours in the day. Perhaps I need fewer hobbies!
Sydney and Drew spent the night at Mom's the first night I arrived. At dinner Saturday night (Kay's Pizza- of course! We went straight there from the airport.), Sydney announced that she sleeps until 8am. My sister asked in what world she does that. I knew better than to believe her. She was up at 6:30 am. Mom asked her what about sleeping until 8am, and Sydney said she couldn't sleep, Aunt Amy was home and we had too much to do.
We started with a celebration breakfast (Sydney's words). I asked her what we were celebrating, and she said "You're home!" That just melted my heart. I hope she will always be so happy to have me come visit! Mom fixed toast, sausage AND bacon (wow- it really was a celebration- she normally fixes one or the other), eggs (for those who wanted them, which did not include me), and we had fresh fruit. I normally do not eat breakfast, so this was a huge feast for me.
After breakfast, Syd decided it was time for her dance recital. I missed her recital in early June, so she promised to show me the whole routine. She loves her tap shoes. They make noise! Last year she was in a beginner class that was some ballet and some tap. She did NOT like ballet. This year she was in tap & jazz and she loved it. Dad doesn't like her using her tap shoes on the hardwood floors, so we went outside. Mom set up the CD player in their mudroom, aiming it out the window. At 8:30 in the morning, Adelle was blasting from the CD Player and Sydney was giving a tap recital on the back porch. Sydney is a good dancer. She would close her eyes and still go through the routine. Thankfully, it appears she did not inherit my lack of gracefulness. Drew was dancing too. All he needs is a little music, and he starts moving his hips and dancing away. I started calling him 'Drew, party of one', because he can have fun anytime!
Some time that morning we made the special cake she wanted to make. At Easter time, I made a pink, purple, and green cake from an idea I saw on Pinterest. She loved the cake and begged me to make it with her. We made one for our family dinner that Sunday. Mom has a whole container of food coloring gels, so Sydney sorted through each of them to select the two perfect colors. Those colors were pink and purple. Mom has an island in her kitchen. Sydney sat on one of the stools at the island, mixing the cake. I stood nearby. Drew wants to do whatever sissy is doing, so he went and got the stool my mom has for them to stand on to reach the sink in the bathroom. He dragged it over to the island and climbed onto it. That put him at eye level with the edge of the island. He couldn't see over it and got so frustrated because he didn't know what we were doing. In another year, I'll have two munchkins helping me bake.
We had planned a quiet day at Mom's- just hanging out and letting the kids play. They love their swingset. Sydney told Mom she can't move because they would have no place to play. They also enjoy driving around in her pink mustang. This is probably the last summer she'll be able to drive it. Then we'll have to see if Drew gets a pink mustang or if we buy a can of spray paint to change the color. Drew likes to do what my dad is doing. "Where's PopPop" seems to be his favorite thing to say. Dad was watering the garden, so Drew grabbed Mom's watering can and went to help. He could barely hold the watering can and it was empty. Dad showed me where the child sized one was, so I put a little water in it and he struggled all the way through the back yard to water Dad's garden. Dad has a shadow and his name is Drew.
Eventually my sister and brother in law arrived with the dogs. Dad had set up the kids' pool that morning and they were eager to jump in. It was in the high 80's that day, and truthfully the water felt nice. Mom and I sat next to the pool with our feet in the water. My sister put on her bathing suit and climbed in with the kids. The kids enjoyed splashing us. Drew loves to splash others, but he gets upset if you splash him. He tells you to 'stop it!' Yet he used one of their toys and scooped water into it, then threw it onto my lap (or Mom's). It was hot and the water was cold, so when he dumped water on us we'd scream. That made him laugh hysterically. At one point I got up and walked away, and Sydney kept calling after me. I decided if I was going to get wet, I might as well put my swimsuit on. A few minutes later, my mom put hers on. It was truly a rare event- both of us hanging out in the yard wearing our swimsuits.
It was a fun day. The children had a lot of fun, the adults were able to talk and relax. Chesney played fetch as long as their was an adult to throw her ball. Patterson enjoyed being able to run and get attention from all the people. We had a very nice dinner of steak and chicken on the grill. And then- it was time for the grand finale: Sydney's purple and pink cake. I spent most of the afternoon in my swimsuit. I honestly can't tell you the last time I did that. It was probably 20 years ago or so. Sydney's new catch phrase is 'that's just perfect'. I would have to say, that was the best way to describe the day. It was just perfect.
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