This past weekend the kids got to enjoy a visit with Grandma and Grandpa. They rolled in on Friday with packages galore to celebrate the kids' birthdays. Yeah, their birthday is in December, but the in-laws are headed to Florida for the winter so they won't be here in December, and I'm pretty sure they're unaware that a thing called the UPS exists. So they deliver all of their packages ahead of time and as far as I'm concerned that works out just fine to spread the joy around a little.
Most exciting was the giant, enormous, made-for-outside-but-currently-residing-inside basketball hoop for Milo! It's about twice as tall as he is, and comes with a little basketball, and Milo has been over the moon about this thing. Tonight he said "Going to make 5 baskets!" and started throwing at random. (Why 5? He doesn't know what 5 is, exactly, but it was cute.) Milo can actually make a basket, and I've seen him make three in a row even, which is amazing to me. The downside, however, is that Milo gets really, really frustrated when he can't make a basket. Red face, tears, and jumping up and down kind of frustrated. Either way, I can tell this thing is going to entertain Milo during many snowy days.
The kids also got a mini trampoline, but I'm saving that one for when the weather really turns nasty and we all start huddling up inside for the winter, the way people tend to do around here. Autumn has returned to us for a while, and we can still run around outside for the time being.
I had to work all weekend but this gave the kids plenty of time to play with Grandpa and Grandma, which they loved. I walked to work on Saturday morning about an hour before the football game started, and it was the most wonderful atmosphere. I passed literally thousands of red-clad fans. I walked under the graceful arc of two footballs in motion. I passed dozens of makeshift brat stands, and hundreds of tailgating vehicles. I heard music everywhere. I love how festive the town gets on days like those.
Walking home at 5, though, was an entirely different story (partly because we lost the game). Those pleasantly tipsy people had reached the falling-down-and-throwing-up drunk stage, which is quite a bit less festive. I felt like the only sober person in the entire town.
On Saturday night we ate a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting courtesy of my mother in law who brought the cake for Jake's birthday. Milo enjoyed it. Nora liked the cake part, but when Jake gave her some chocolate frosting she actually gagged, and then spit it out. My daughter gagged on chocolate frosting. If I hadn't watched her jump out of my belly with my own two eyes I'd wonder if we were related.
Sunday morning found me at a coffee shop with my laptop, working away and watching the people walk by outside. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and the kids spent the morning in the park, going down the slide over and over again. All of the leaves have turned, now, and just walking anywhere -- to the store, to work, to the coffee shop, to the neighbor's house -- it's just beautiful. I love our tree-lined street this time of year. The grandparents left that afternoon and the kids spent the evening coloring and reading books. Another beautiful weekend. Right now I feel like I need to soak it up as much as I can before winter comes.
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