Grandkids are here

[SassyLady]

My daughter drove from Tucson to Bakersfield with an 11 yr old, 8 yr old and a 9 month old. Got out and visited for four hours and put them all back in the car and then drove from Bakersfield to my house (another six hours). I am amazed at anyone who can drive 1000 miles straight through, but with three kids and a dog? Holy Moly Batman ..... but she said the kids wanted to be at Grammy's house! :dance:

We've been playing outside everyday for the last week. They get up first thing in the morning and go set up their "fantasy island" in the middle of the yard (under the walnut trees) and then we come out with the baby around 10:00. We picnic outside all day .... play with the dogs, play in the sprinklers, swing on the two tire swings or the hammock.

My 8 yr old grandson can climb a rope ..... it has knots every 1.5 feet and he climbed up and sat on the 10th knot the other day. Freaked out his mother and I ... bare handed and barefoot. We call him our Monkey Boy.

The weather is a little chilly in the mornings (coastal fog) and then it has been warming up to 80-90 around noon and stays that way until about 6 and then it starts cooling down again. Gets around 50 in the evenings. Great weather!!!

We are going to Marineworld this week ... will be baby's first time to see all the animals. It's an annual tradition for the kids ... mom and I are just along to pay for the stuffed animals and trinkets.

Anyway....just wanted to let everyone know why I'm not around too much. They will be here until the end of July and then my boring, old routine life starts again. :laugh2:

[Jeff]

Sounds like you are having a blast, enjoy well ya can they grow to fast

[Trigg]

Enjoy your time with them

[SassyLady]

Well, I went to get my hair highlighted today and both kids wanted to do something with their hair. Both have brown hair and the grandson got his highlighted and looks like Dash from the Incredibles...looks cute, but pretty sure his dad is gonna freak out .... will probably have to get a buzz cut when he gets home.

Granddaughter wanted to change her hair to look like Sharon Osborne but even more red (both mom and I thought of Ronald McDonald!!!). Momma said "I don't think so" .... and we finally got her to agree that maybe a couple of red highlights would be enough.....by letting her know that she would have to bleach her hair and then she wouldn't be able to donate it. She's been letting it grow for a couple of years so she can donate to Locks of Love.

When my 10 month old saw all three of us with foil sticking out all over, wearing shower caps and sitting under the dryers he was so tickled that he started screaming with glee....had the whole salon cracking up!!!!

[SassyLady]

Well....we survived!!! Daughter and grandkids are home, safe and sound, in Tucson. They left at 5 AM this morning and got home around 8:30 this evening. My daughter is a rock star ... she drives 1,000 miles in one day with three kids and a dog ... in a small car (Infinity M - not an SUV), with clothes, toys, playpen and dog bed. And, she even had time to stop at the Coach Outlet store in Palm Springs area!!!

They literally have the desert as their yard ... no trees or grass to play on. Bobcats, scorpions, snakes, havelinas ..... etc. romping through their yard. I have two acres of fenced, grassy, tree covered area for them to play on and they are outside from sunup to sundown.

I had soooooooooooooo much fun with the little one. He loved being outside ...we would take him out and plop him down on a blanket under the trees with his leggos, wooden spoons and other various toys.........and in less than two seconds he would scoot over to the grass and explore all the textures he came across.

I forgot how many times we have to take something out of their mouths. We have walnut trees so he was constantly finding the newly dropped walnuts and tried to put them in his mouth. He got to scream as loudly as he wanted (and mom finally got to have the battle of wills one day....with him screaming because she wouldn't let him put dirt in his mouth!!!! :laugh:)

We built a tepee in the yard, picked blackberries, apples and plums....played Rummycube into the wee hours of the morning...went to Marineworld, my stepson's wedding on Sunday, and lots of family get togethers!! I'M EXHAUSTED!!

We didn't lay in the hammock every night like we usually do. It was the COLDEST July ever.....we had coastal fog here every morning and night .... we only saw the stars two nights in the last three weeks.

Anyway ... now we are counting down the time until our next visit. Grandson's 1st birthday is end of September ... going to Tucson!!!