Gentle Years

On Wednesday we got a little over a foot of snow, so school was canceled.  I had already agreed to watch RB and MB for the afternoon so that their parents could make a treacherous drive to their mortgage appointment, and then JC called and asked if I could watch BB while she went snowboarding (our house is on the way to the ski area).  So I had all three boys.  Aidan and RB napped most of the time, which gave me time alone with the little ones.

BB spent Friday night with us and, Aidan loves to help take care of his nephew.  Then on Sunday morning GB called and asked if Aidan would like to come out to the community center in the next town over to play basketball with him before all of the guys/the real players showed up.  So we went for half an hour before church.  They shot a couple of hoops but the hoop is too high for Aidan, then dribbled, then played catch, then played air hockey, and last of all they played a little soccer, with BB and me helping out occasionally.

It is rare and special to have all four kids at the house at once.  Here are some pictures from Sunday-both a morning visit by GB and PB and their children, and then an afternoon visit by RB alone.

Okay, but seriously-the top photos are great grandparents of G-yes, the woman is American Indian; two of his great grandmothers were.

The second photo is of my grandmother-she is the second to youngest girl in the picture.

We've been playing around with old photos and were actually photographing photographs with our camera, hence the flash over my great grandparents' faces.

Now, on to the intended photos:

The weekend actually began with a rainy Thursday night.  We got pizza and rented Madagascar so the boys could see the characters from their Happy Meals.  Also, I dance around the house with them-we all wear different plastic pails on our head-singing, "I Like to Move it, Move it", so they love that tune.

Then there was shopping-tis the season-first for gifts for a great niece's birthday (I think she's turning 13), then for the mundane things like groceries.  Those trips were with Mom, then with PB.

And last, we had BB's christening followed by about a three hour nap!