Good Ol' Summertime

The house is clean, the sheets and towels washed and put away, and the beds are ready for the next guests. It is deafeningly quiet here. The past week we have had, at last count, 28 people -  all family -  rotating through our home. What a great feeling that these individuals all care enough about each other to come together over many miles to spend time reconnecting and making sure the next generation knows each other.

The weather was sweltering here as it was over much of the country. I don't believe we had even one day where it did not soar over 100. So we put the pool up on the deck for the little ones, and kept the air going for the big ones. Most of our days were spent indoors leaving some of the planned activities undone, but we were able to find a few indoor activities to take their place. That's one thing I love about living in Woodridge.

Our niece Lindsay was here as much as possible when her job did not interfere. Mike and Elizabeth arrived from Atlanta with Drew and Ollie on Saturday. I was a little concerned about whether Drew would be happy to be here when I heard that he was disappointed to find out that Grammy and Pa had a real house and did not always live in a big brown bus near the beach. Later in the week, however, my fears were allayed when he reported that he liked the big house better. Three year olds have a remarkable ability to live in the moment.

After church on Sunday we headed downtown to explore the big buildings. We love our city, but it is even more exciting to experience it through the eyes of a three year old. Drew literally ran from Grant Park to the John Hancock past the lions of the Art Museum, Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue bridge, and the Water Tower. His favorite sight however was the Spiderman Movie advertisement on the sidewalk. Ollie's favorite thing was the elevator rides.

We were home that evening just in time for a light dinner and a visit from their cousins P.J. and Sheila and their girls who stopped by on their way to their vacation in Michigan.

On Monday morning, Don and Amy and their crew joined the fun and we all headed for our own Woodridge swimming hole, Cypress Cove. Another place that takes on new meaning when enjoyed with children.

I found myself alone with Drew for some much needed one on one. So we just chilled a little in the backyard pool. Bob and Gretchen arrived in time for dinner with the twins Robbie and Jake along with cousins Jason and Jo and their two little girls, Marin and Emily to whom I am Auntie Grama Jean. This was really home night. Most children come home to mom's cooking their favorite childhood comfort foods. For my boys and now their own children, coming home means Papa's Pizza. What can I say? It is hard to find really good pizza in Wisconsin, Minnesota, or Georgia. And just and aside here, Pizza in Florida is so bad we go almost 4 months without any pizza at all.



Ollie waiting for the fireworks

 Wednesday was our personal favorite holiday, 4th of July. We have our traditional barbecue with great friends and whatever family chooses to join us. Needless to say this year that was quite a crowd. Woodridge puts on a fireworks display which can rival any metropolis in the world. Especially San Diego. The little boys were all so excited in anticipation they could hardly contain themselves. The all decided which color they liked best beforehand and jumped for joy when their colors exploded.

After the 4th we were down  to 4 adults and 4 toddlers, besides ourselves. We took the boys to a fountain park in town, Bass Pro Shop, and The All Aboard Diner. For them these were as much fun as anything could be.

 

While the week was full of hugs and kisses, requests from parents to give them often fell on deaf ears. But that's all right. For even though every hug is welcome and special, there is no better feeling than the one that comes unexpectedly from a child who just stops on his way past you for a spontaneous hug on the run.

So when the children refuse to give those good-bye kisses, that is really the biggest complement of all, because it is their way of saying, "I just don't want to leave and if I don't say good-bye it won't happen." If only life were really that simple.