Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Nana's Visit

My mom-in-law came to visit for an extended weekend over Memorial Day. Doesn't she look radiant? You can tell she's in her element: with her grandkids!

Nana kept up with all four of them - holding Jax anytime he made so much as a whine; playing with Annalyse and her dollhouse; and shooting baskets in the driveway with the boys. Not to mention wandering in the woods to see forts, shooting slingshots, and looking for minnows in the creek. When Nana comes to visit, she comes to play hard!

We enjoyed a simple and early birthday celebration for Grady Lee. My handsome little man will be eight in a couple of weeks and Nana had some gifts for him. Games, books, and a basketball... though based on his enthusiastic response to the basketball, I think that was gift enough!
The local pools opened and we enjoyed a couple of afternoons swimming, sliding, and splashing. Jax loves splashing in the bathtub at home, but he wasn't quite sure what to make of the enormous swimming pool. After a few minutes in a johnny-jumper, he was content to kick and people watch for the longest time.
Thankfully, Nana isn't one to just sit on the sides and watch. She was more than willing to race my boys on the water slides time and time again, and to stand at the bottom of a slide to catch Annaylse and say (over and over), "Wow! Great job!"
As an early birthday gift, we purchased my mom-in-law a day pass to the Whitewater Center. She had mentioned before that she would really like the chance to raft and give the rock wall and high ropes courses a try. The weather was perfect on Memorial Day and she joined my boys and Grady for an all day adventure outside.
My boys were excited to see Nana rock climb, work her way through the high ropes courses, and race across the zip lines. Impressively, she tried it all and even said she had fun doing it! The highlight, hands down, was the time they spent rafting.
Annalyse, Jax, and I walked around the course to watch and snap a few pictures. I admit, I was a teensy bit jealous that they were enjoying a rafting trip and I wasn't, but it was also nice to enjoy a quiet day with just my youngest two. And, I know Nana appreciated the time she was able to spend with her (eager-to-show-off) grandsons.
From what I saw, no one fell out of the raft or lost a paddle - but I'm not entirely sure that's the whole truth...!
Regardless, everyone got wet and everyone had a good time. And, since it was a full raft Grady had fun sitting in the back to "help" the guide paddle and direct. I assured him that from my point of view, his muscles and form were just as good - if not better - than the guide. But his summer tan? Um, not so much.
Five days sure goes by fast when you're busy and having fun. We're thankful for a Nana who loves us enough to drive so far to spend time with us, and for a Nana that has a willing spirit to get dirty, play hard, and try new things.

1 comment:

  1. Wow, what an awesome Nana!!! Looks like so much fun had by all!! What wonderful memories were made as new adventures were experienced together!! Great pics!

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