We had a pretty eventful and busy summer, with 4 grandkids (for 3 months) while a house was being built (Gelsey), and a total of 8 in July while trying to beat the Arizona summer heat (Linds).
We had some fun, however, amidst the chaos... and I learned a lot, like:
1 make yourself scarce in the event of malodorous emanations from the general vicinity of a
diaper
2 warn the neighbors in advance
3 always volunteer to walk the dog
4 take your stress tabs
5 look for out-of-town work opportunities
6 plan on lots of lap time
7 buy a Wii for the grandkids, even if their parents don't want one
8 if you need to use the computer... get up early
9 don't tease a grandkid until they're fully awake
10 don't plan on a snack or a drink without the expectation that you'll share it
With Kipp trying to prevent the National Forests from burning down, and Michael straightening teeth in Phoenix and Scottsdale, I got a lot of grandpa time.
There was also a major effort to keep everyone busy, so:
I dragged everyone to the GTO Nationals in Loveland, but had to bribe them with everyone's favorite... the Embassy Suites.
Les insisted on hiking, climbing, and moving rocks at Vedauwoo.
and the Thunderbirds at Cheyenne Frontier Day's airshow.
At the County Fair... that's Cruze on the right, even though the one on the left more closely resembles me.
We made lota of trips to Fort Collins to check on the Klein's house progress. From her years working as a structural engineer, Gelsey was pretty tough on the contractor.
Due to the unusually hot summer, we were al looking for opportunities to keep cool. I think I'll seriously be looking to add air conditioning next summer.
Now Les and I are on to our fall vacation. We've got our UW season football, men's and women's basketball tickets, so that'll be entertaining. But we need to plan a trip or two. The Austin's want us to meet them in Hawaii in January, so maybe we'll plan that.
Gelsey, Kipp and fam are now in their new house, and Bode's starting pre-school. Kipp and Gels are trying to find time to hang window treatments, install ceiling fans, and put in a sprinkler system and landscaping... good luck!
Linds, Michael and fam are back in Phoenix. Jeremy, Tyler and Megan went back to school in early August. Linds is home alone with Lucy, but has a new treadmill for running when it's too hot outside. Michael's busy with work and as EQ president.
Life is good!
A new blog! Wow! How exciting! I think there is a forgotten kid there at the end... :) We made ourselves scarce this summer. We figured we wouldn't add two more grand kids to the craziness at the Polson farm! Ha! I bet it feels good to kind of be back to normal now. If you are looking for a trip, the Minnesota clan would always love to have ya!
ReplyDeleteOh Dad... admit it... you totally miss us! It was a fun summer... at least we thought so! I suppose I can understand appreciating a break from us though... I sometimes think I need a break from us too! :)
ReplyDeleteThat was a seriously funny (and creative) list. Glad you were able to learn a thing or two from us. See? Silver lining. Youre welcome. :)
Now that is a summer to remember! I bet you are happy you are retired and didn't need to return to work in the fall. Now the vacation can begin. The summer seemed to fly by for us also but it wasn't as eventful.
ReplyDeleteEverybody needs a trip to Vegas to warm up in the winter, but it is tough to compete with Hawaii. Hopefully we can meet up in June.
We miss you guys! This was such a fun summer--so great to ESCAPE life for awhile to come visit. Come to AZ if you're looking to get out of town!
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