Last June we loaded up the kids, some clothes, and a whole bunch of snack food and made the long trek to New Mexico. This is the highlight of Sammy and Riley's summer every year. It amazes me what kinds of details they remember from previous visits--and they expect the same or better on every new visit. The biggest excitement comes from the "Magic Treasure Box," whose mysterious fairy leaves small gifts for the boys each afternoon. This year they scored magnifying glasses, bubble wands, piles of pennies, and candy, among other treasures.
Another required activity is hiking up to the nearby mesa and feeding the family of bunnies that has lived in the bushes for at least 20 years. Grandpa and Dad usually orchestrate that outing. We also had fun with my friend Rachel and her two boys at a really interesting park--it has the most unusual climbing toys I've seen at a park.
Grandma spoiled the kids (and us) with fabulous food, as usual. Pancakes, strawberry shortcake, banana cream pie, etc. Zeke was in heaven, since no Grandma can resist a baby's request for "cookie?" Sometimes I fight against the nonstop flow of treats that come from grandparents, but I fully plan on doing that for my own grandkids someday, so I might as well be resigned.
The big event every year is a fishing trip with Grandpa. We've given up on driving 2 hours to a really great fish pond in the mountains. Instead, we drive for 20 minutes to a little trout farm in town. After trying for an hour to catch a big fish (they are big because they've been smart enough not to get caught for so long!), we moved to the small fish pond where the boys quickly caught their prize fish. Unfortunately, the water is so warm that all the fish taste like mud, so while the boys ate their trout for dinner, the rest of us ate wild Alaskan salmon (from the store).
All three boys cried when it was time to go, and are already talking about their plans for next summer's visit.
2 comments:
I've never seen your dad smile as much as when I see him with his grandkids!
Either grandkids, or having conversations about obscure trivia with your dad. I'm looking forward to reading your soon-to-be-updated blog. I have three more posts written that just need pictures!
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