Sunday, November 30 to Thursday, December 4, 2008 I was privileged to get to spend some time caring for Brodrek and Wyatt while their parents went to New York City for an Edward Jones Adventure...the boys were very sweet and cooperative...I think grandchildren extend grace to their Grammy instinctively knowing that she has to come up to speed to hang out with them.  I wanted to share some highlights... Sunday: Our time began really early on Sunday morning – Brodrek woke up in the wee hours of the morning and came to his door crying.I intercepted him before his daddy or mommy heard him since they had been up late preparing to go to New York City and snuggled him in with me in “Grammy’s bed” and we drifted off to sleep. Not much later, Wyatt woke up crying and had climbed out of his “big boy” bed so I picked him up and snuggled and I settled him back into his bed without any complaint and just moments later I was back to sleep. Then at about 7:00 a.m. (Daddy and Mommy had already left for the airport), Brodrek very sleepily asked for a banana, his usual first morning fare…I asked him if we could rest just a few minutes and he consented…of course we didn’t go back to sleep and his next comment was, “Grammy, you are missing Pop.” to which I replied, “I sure am!” We got out of bed then and went for a banana and I asked Brodrek what kind of cereal he wanted.He told me he wanted the cereal with the monkey and I have to admit I looked for a box of kid’s cereal with a monkey on it before I remembered that “milky” sounds like “monkey.”JWhile I was getting it for him he informed me that the milky was in the fridge and the fridge had “maggots” (magnets)…we’re off to a great start! These guys are so funny. Wyatt Daniel is up now and both boys are fully awake so the note writing is done for the moment as Grammy rides herd on these two handsome cowpokes. 
Sunday evening brought guests…Diana, Lisa, Courtney, and Neil. First we had dinner with Diana and Lisa and at one point, Wyatt went to the back door…Brodrek saw him and brought him by the hand back to the table area where they were playing. He went to the door again and then came to me wanting up.I pulled him up into my lap and he pointed at the door and looked at me and it occurred to me that he was waiting for Daddy to come home – after all it was dinner time – I said, “Wyatt, you are watching for Daddy but he is in New York City with Mommy and will see you in a few days.” He sort of thought about that, processed it, accepted it and got down to go play. These boys are so smart!! Bath time was fun and Grammy had extra hands to help; Courtney and Neil read stories, prayed the nighttime prayers, and tucked the boys in – Brodrek requested an open door and neither he nor Wyatt got out of bed even once! Later when I went to check on them, Wyatt was sound asleep but Brodrek was still barely awake and he asked me to close his door – I guess we were too loud for him.J Monday: The boys slept all night long and Brodrek woke up at 7:00 a.m. requesting a banana (of course).While he had his banana I went to feed the dogs and cats and told Brodrek to watch me out the window…as I turned to come into the house from the garage, I saw the door to the mudroom open slightly and Brodrek was telling Wyatt, “See there is Grammy.”Sweet big brother was watching out for the little guy.
Diana had spent the night so we had a lovely breakfast of bananas and cinnamon rolls then we got right to work playing hard.We took got the trash to the road for the next day…everyone helped…Brodrek brought his wagon from the shed with a load of trash on it.Before we knew it the morning was gone and it was lunch time so we had some ravioli and other things and then went for a walk. We were pretty bundled up and Wyatt wasn’t as mobile as usual…good thing he is built low to the ground…we had to pick him up several times! We played on the porch for a while – the sun was warm there and the wind couldn’t get to us.After some fresh air and sunshine, we read some stories and got ready for naps.Brodrek had time to change into his cowboy outfit and play with John Wayne Bear. The boys enjoyed playing and singing with Miss Diana. Naptime came and two tired little boys climbed in for a snooze…Wyatt was the first up and not long after, Brodrek woke up too…we had arranged for a visit to see Aunt Heidi, Uncle Jonathan, Oliver, and Pacey.We took some chicken and dumplings and an apple and headed out – we had a good time there – Aunt Heidi got a cute video of a conversation between Ollie and Brodrek and when we left Brodrek gave Ollie a hug and kiss which were both reciprocal…too cute!! We left there and swung by Julia’s new rental house where she, Diana, and a few other ladies were stripping wallpaper and preparing to paint, then we came home, headed to the bath and bed. I read Brodrek’s current favorite “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” said our prayers and turned in…now it’s Grammy’s turn to turn in after sweeping the floor and straightening up…how does their Mommy do it day in and day out???She’s awesome! Oh…sweet note today – Brodrek heard “Amazing Grace” and “O Holy Night” and commented on both songs that his daddy sings that song!What a great memory he has.He also heard “Santa Baby” on the radio in the car and thought that was really hilarious…every time the phrase “Santa Baby” was sung, he said, “Santa Baby” in his best “that’s just ridiculously funny” voice.Grammy loved that one! Well – it’s 11:00 – do you know where this Grammy is?She is headed to bed! Tuesday: Brodrek woke up way early asking for a banana…we headed to the kitchen and I complied but saw that it was only 5:15 a.m. so I struck a deal to have him eat the banana then we were going back to bed…we did and he slept until almost 9:00 and Wyatt didn’t beat him out of bed by much.We got around and headed to town to do a little Christmas shopping, then went to Aunt Heidi’s to play with the cousins and do a gingerbread house together. On the way to Heidi’s, we picked up Happy Meals and as soon as Wyatt smelled the food he began to ask (very pitifully) for “bite.”Grammy couldn’t stand it – he really sounded hungry so I pulled out some chicken nuggets and cooled them as fast as I could and handed them back to both the boys…by the time we were nearing Aunt Heidi’s the first Happy Meal was completely gone and Wyatt was not yet full. I tried to distract him by whistling and talking and I asked Brodrek if he could whistle. He contemplated the question, and then said he could not because he doesn’t have a whistle. I told him that’s okay, I’m sure he will get one someday. Aunt Courtney came for the evening and helped me unload from the car while Trigger and Huck cleaned up our food crumbs.We enjoyed dinner, baths, a video, some play time, and book reading before settling in for bed.What sweet boys! 
Wednesday: This was a really busy day!When we got up and around we headed to El Dorado to see Aunt Courtney in action at Butler Community College – we went to her vocal music class and the “Headliners” performed for us.We heard a lot of “Aw, how cute!” comments about the boys and several students asked Courtney if Wyatt and Brodrek were her little brothers.Ha!Oh my!She proudly told them that these are her nephews – she was beaming to have us there and I was beaming sitting and watching with the boys.The music was wonderful, the teacher and the students were very welcoming – one gal even gave the boys some Starburst candies – there were no complaints from them.J After our “private concert” we headed to Ark City to see Aunt Niki, Kaidyn, Corbin, Carter, and Lainey.Uncle Dirk even arrived home before we left so we got to say hello to him as well.Corbin and Lainey were both on antibiotics after being sick during the early part of my visit so we were anxious to get to see them.The boys both fell asleep just outside of El Dorado and slept the whole way – so they were recharged and ready to play when we arrived.Aunt Niki had warm brownies and milk ready…she loves us, doesn’t she? She also picked up some Taco Bell and fed us before we left. Kaidyn came to the farm with us and my friends Denise Schafers and Marilyn Wright were already there when we arrived and the boys provided entertainment right away as it was bath time.Then when the boys were tucked into their beds, the ladies (Kaidyn included) sat in the living room and visited.Kaidyn was our very apt photographer as we always take a picture when we get together.She was also a delightful hostess like her mom. Thursday: We started the day pretty early and had a great time playing with Kaidyn.She helped the boys get out their toys and at one point imitated a turtle with a laundry basket on her back; then she decided to dress the boys in animal costumes…she chose lion costumes for both of them and stuffed Wyatt into a too small costume – I really got tickled when they came out and she asked for help snapping it. There was no snapping – it was way too little so I took it off while she chose a new costume.I can’t believe she got him into that lion costume, I had to practically peel it off – he didn’t complain either in the stuffing in or the peeling off so I guess he’s no worse for the wear. I just wish I had a picture of it!   
We played outside and I even got creative enough to drag the ironing board out on the porch so I could join in the fun and still work some on Pacey’s first year quilt. Kaidyn brushed Trigger and Ranger until one of them clawed her as he insisted on being let loose.Kaidyn said, “I guess that kitten had had enough of me!” She loves the animals and the farm so much – she fed the cats that morning while Brodrek and Wyatt watched out the window. She got closer to “Whirlwind” than she ever had before.We set up a picnic lunch in the living room complete with a movie and Kaidyn presided over the picnic so I could finally get showered and ready for the day…okay…ready for the day minus the morning but who is counting? We almost made it the entire time without injury to our accident prone Wyatt – as we went to gather the mail, he was running on the drive and planted his sweet little face on some rocks…so we had a few marks to show for it…but at least we never had to utilize the medical releases Mom and Dad had left just in case! Niki was gracious and drove to the farm to pick Kaidyn up and I furiously sewed on the quilt, hoping to finish it before I left Kansas.I could hardly bear the thought of packing it up, hauling it back to Charleston, and then mailing it back too late for Pacey’s birthday.When Niki and crew arrived she motioned for me to check out Carter – he had fallen asleep while eating French fries – they were still in his hand.I slipped out the fries (which Huck and Daisy appreciated very much) and as I gently picked him up he woke up and lifted his hand to his mouth for the next bite…maybe he had been dreaming about those fries while he slept! Niki even baked cookies to welcome home the Yourdons and the rest of us enjoyed some fresh out of the oven.She also got dinner started for me while I continued to sew – it sure is hard to sew while there are six wonderful grandkids around to play with – I did take a few breaks to snuggle Lainey Paige and play some.The boys were having a fine time and Brodrek and Corbin helped bake the cookies while Carter and Wyatt took a nap. (Note: I did finish the quilt!) 
Brodrek and Wyatt were so excited to see their mommy and daddy when they arrived.Reunion are so awesome!I think the refreshment that comes from time without the kids helps.Parenting is a tough job!Especially when the kids are so close in age.My respect for all my married girls (and their husbands) grows when I spend time with them – the time is delightful but it is as Jessi says, “stinkin’ hard” sometimes. So I returned to South Carolina (with Brodrek wanting to go with me) to see Pop on Friday.We were already running a little behind and were headed to the highway when Wyatt squealed in delight and I turned around to see that Trigger had stowed away for a trip to the city – that required a turn around and a drop off back at the farm! As we drove in to town, Wyatt took off both shoes and one sock which he turned into either a mitten or a sock puppet – I’m not clear about which one it was.Brodrek had been contemplating life and told us, “Daddy is my best friend.”I pray that will always be true – what a precious boy he is!! 
I very much enjoyed my time with Brodrek and Wyatt and look forward to the next time my boots can be kept next to my little farm boys’ boots. By the way, Wyatt enjoyed wearing mine almost as much as he did his own. Until the next time! | 
