Due to some lifting of travel restrictions, plus the fact that some of us have had COVID-19 already and the others have been pretty thoroughly exposed, we deemed it safe to have my daughter, son-in-law, and their four boys visit us recently. It allowed everyone a break from the routine. We were limited in what we could do, of course, with playgrounds, museums, libraries, and other attractions closed. It also proved to be a very wet two weeks, with many rainy days, but we had fun exploring some local parks when the weather permitted. On other days we did some baking projects and explored construction possibilities of craft paper and stickers.

Because my oldest daughter married young and my younger two children married later, I actually have two generations of grandchildren. The older daughter’s two children are grown and making their own way in the world (mostly). But they still live nearby and I’m always thrilled when they stop by for a visit. My son, who lives in England with his wife, has two children, a daughter aged 6 and a son, 3 (soon to be 4). Due to the distance and the expense we don’t see them nearly as often as I wish we could.

My youngest daughter and her husband are parents to four rambunctious boys, ages 3, 5, 7, and 8 (soon to be 9). They currently live in Indiana, so visiting us in North Carolina involves a long drive in a minivan stuffed with kids and luggage.

I’m glad that they think the long trip is worth doing a couple of times a year. It’s always wonderfully loud, raucous, and chaotic while they’re here, and the place seems too quiet once they’re gone.

My oldest grandson and youngest

My oldest grandchild and youngest