A Great Visit

I’ve finally had a few minutes to sit down and write about my grandma’s visit.  Things have been busy around here lately, but I felt so blessed to have her out here for a whole week, that I couldn’t let it go without mentioning.

My maternal grandma, Norma came out last week, and Nora really had a great time with her great-grandma.  Grandma’s getting ready for a trip to Israel, which will require a lot of walking, so we walked her around the island to get in shape and because that’s what we do.  I was so appreciative of how easily she just fit into our routine and we were eager to show off our island to our first family visitor.  We wanted to show off how adorable the houses are

and how blue the harbor is.

We took her to our favorite park to do our favorite thing.

And to take pictures of the Nora and Norma looking at (but staying safely away from) the beach.

We went to a baby dance and sing class at the libraryand Nora spent plenty of time showing off her almost-walking abilities.

Grandma was kind enough to watch Nora so Chris and I could go out on a date (pictures in a later post) and then took us out to dinner for his birthday.

(Where we sufficiently embarrassed him with a candle and singing).She was so generous, helping with groceries and getting us a few little things we hadn’t gotten yet for the house, and she spent tons of time giving me a break – helping with bath time, dishes, and sweeping, and entertaining Nora (which is a job in itself) so I could get chores done.

All of that was great, but the best part was just having her around to talk to.  As I’ve grown up, I’m really delighted to be able to interact with my family on an adult basis – it was so nice to have a woman in the house to talk to, especially in the evenings when things can get a little crazy and I’m usually by myself.  One day, quite a few things didn’t go as expected but it was great just to have someone there also witnessing it and to be able to talk to, especially because there was no judgment of my frustration.   It also was nice because she has the personal experience of being a housewife, having a husband young in his career who had to work a lot, and also having to budget, so she was able to offer an understanding ear and advice from someone who has been there, whereas many of our friends and family members cannot.  I was genuinely sad to see her go, and it seems really quiet around here now.  It makes me wish we lived closer to family, so we could see them more often.

Thanks for coming out, grandma.  We love you!