Return of the Noise

I just got a message from my mother-in-law saying, "it's too quiet here."  She and my father-in-law just got home after returning my children to us from a three-day visit with them.   I told her we had plenty of noise here if she wanted to come back for some more.   She replied, "no thanks."

My children love all four of their grandparents.   Each grandparent does different things with them which works out nicely because my parents and my in-laws are in town here for different parts of the year, swapping out when winter and then spring arrives as they each go to their cold-weather homes.   We cherish all the time the children have with them for several reasons. 

Firstly, there is nothing quite like grandparents.   I remember spending time with mine when I was a child. It might have been for a short few hours or it could have been a whole week, for some reason grandparents are just magical things to children.   They know so much and are fun in a different sort of way than parents are. 

Second, grandparents spoil their grandchildren.  My children love that part.   And I don't mean spoil in a bad way, this is the good kind of spoiling.  The kind where you as the grandchild are number one when you're with your grandparents.   They do special things with you and show you all sorts of things that are different in a fun way than you see at home normally.   My children's grandparents are just like that and the children love all the time they spend with them. 

And thirdly, we love it because we get a break as parents.   This weekend was dreamy.   I got so much done in the house while the children and dog were away.   Yesterday I kept thinking I had to hurry up and finish because the children would surely be back soon and then I remembered I had another whole day until they'd be home and I didn't have to hurry at all.   It was a feeling I don't get very often, especially with COVID-19 when the children, my husband and I have been at home for multiple months running.

The children are back home now and I even was able to extract a hug from them when I was able to catch up with the two of them (they had run outside the moment they got home.)  Good news?  They didn't miss us one whit.  The dog, on the other hand, said hello to me for a good five minutes.   Man's best friend was never truer. 

The Big Boy Update:  In going through the bins in the craft room this weekend I found a few things from Christmas that had gotten put aside for when they tired of some of the things they had gotten.  One thing I found was a pair of camouflage, fluffy flip flop slippers.   When my son got dressed for bed tonight I showed them to him.   He had forgotten all about them, as had I.   He's got them on now and may well wear them to bed. 

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter asked Nana to read her more of the Raggedy Ann stories this weekend.   She remembered Nana reading some of the stories the last time she was there.   This weekend they finished them all and now my daughter wants to hear the Raggedy Andy stories, Nana says.   I looked it up and there is an audiobook in the queue for when my daughter finishes her current audiobook.   I talked to her about it tonight when she was getting dressed for bed and I think she's going to try and finish her current audiobook tomorrow morning so she can find out what happens to Raggedy Andy.