Where Has The Time Gone?

It appears I've been absent from my blog. I have a good excuse, really. My grand kids have been visiting for the last couple of weeks. Joseph is 14 yrs old, Chuckie is 11 yrs old, and Brielle is 2 yrs old. The two older boys pretty much take care of themselves but Brielle is another story. When my kids were growing up I had a schedule that I strictly adhered to. We were up at the same time every day, ate breakfast, got dressed, and started our day. Nap time was immediately following lunch and lasted about 30 minutes. Our evening routine was simple. My husband worked swing shift so the kids and I were always on our own for dinner. Either I would cook dinner or we would pack a picnic and go to the park or down to the waterfront for the evening. I learned early that bedtime was always easier if the kids got fresh air beforehand. Living in Tacoma we had several nice parks to choose from. Often times we would go to Pt. Defiance, Puget Sound Park, or Jefferson Park. The kids loved it. If we didn’t go the park, we would load up the van, often with extra kids, and go down to the waterfront where the kids could roller skate or run along the walk way. This is a five mile stretch along the water and by the time we left the kids was exhausted. When we got back to the house, it was bath time followed by quiet time before going to bed. Quiet time always consisted of reading a book or watching something on television. Brielle doesn’t have a schedule, other than her own. Her parents work odd hours making it difficult to adhere to a strict schedule. Her mother works nights and her father works three jobs with hours stretched between 8:00am and midnight. Consequently, Brielle doesn’t go down for the night until the early morning hours and sleeps until noon. This is a huge conflict to our schedule. We’re up at 4:00am and usually in bed around 8:00pm. Aside from the odd schedule, their visit has been wonderful. We’ve baked bread, cookies, and blueberry muffins. We’ve had lots of strawberry shortcake and BBQs. We canned 20 pints of strawberry jam. They’ve enjoyed water fights, played with distant cousins, and visited with their friends up here.

Isn’t she adorable? Who would imagine someone so innocent looking could create so much havoc to our daily lives?




Brielle has helped her grandpa mow the yard, feed the goats, and take care of the dogs and cat.

She even got to help her older brothers wash the cars. And I think we’ve all had our fill of watching Tigger and Pooh and A Musical Too, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Chip and Dale movies.

But at the end of the day, we have learned to appreciate our quiet life even more than before the invasion.

Even if they all fall asleep in the family room instead of going to their rooms… Life is good.

Then morning arrives and it begins all over again. I love being a grandma!