My family moved around quite a bit when I was growing up. I never lived in one house longer than 4 years, usually no more than 2. In fact, when I go "home" to visit my parents, it is to a house I have never lived in. Matt, however, goes home to the house he grew up in. When we visit, each room has stories and now my children are taking part in the memories of where their dad grew up - running around in the yard he ran in, sleeping in the rooms he slept in as a kid, & playing in the same rooms he played in .
This trip to Florida was particularly special because I felt like I was coming back to my childhood home. Though I hadn't been to visit Grandmother & Papa at their house for over 3 years, so much felt exactly the same. Not just the same as my last visit, but the same as every visit since I was a little girl. From the beef & noodles served on homemade mashed potatoes to the
Tervis Tumblers to the sunny, pool-filled days, it was all the same. And during this visit my children, for the first time, were able to take part in all the memories of my childhood at Grandmother & Papa's.
No trip to Grandmother's was complete without her Mickey Mouse pancakes. True, I did not make them from scratch like she always did (hey - we had a flight to catch), but before heading to the airport to begin our Florida vacation, I served up one of my favorite childhood breakfasts. I even let Danny help put on the chocolate chip eyes and noses.
Our first afternoon at Grandmother and Papa's, Danny discovered and fell in love with the pool. I swam in this pool, played with that watering can, and dove for those sticks. Cousin Hannah spoiled Danny & Kaylee with lots of attention. Aunt Lisa & Grandpa both gave Danny mini-swim lessons. Matt played motor boat with the kids. I demonstrated the fine art of doing hand-stands in the shallow end, like I had done with Jessie & Jennifer & Lindsay over and over and over (don't worry, I spared any readers a picture of that frightening sight - Seattle legs flailing out of a pool - nobody needs to see that). And Danny, just like I had done, jumped in again and again and again until he'd worn out every adult who was willing to catch him.
I spent much of my childhood in the Northwest, so beach trips in OR & WA involved sweaters & raincoats. On the sunniest days I could brave the water for short increments. But when we visited Florida, the sun and warmth were plentiful. As a cocky 6th grader aspiring to get a tan, I got the worst sunburn of my life during a Florida beach day. Beach trips began with a short ride in Papa's painting van and were filled jumping waves, playing volleyball, building sand castles, searching for sea shells & shark's teeth, and burying each other. Kaylee was a very focused builder, Danny didn't want to leave the water, and Matt was a willing volunteer to be buried. Fortunately there were no sunburns on this beach day. I almost laughed out loud when I heard myself saying, just as I had been told, "Remember, brush all the sand off your feet before you get in the car. And sit on a towel. Let's keep the sand at the beach."
On our last day, I pulled out some of the toys from my childhood. Kaylee loved the stacking hamburger (forgot to take a picture) and Danny spent hours building with these straws, the same ones I had built with. In fact, when I was about Danny's age, older cousins and siblings used these straws to build a cage for me & my younger cousins. I loved reading him the books Grandmother had read to me.
A Fish Out of Water, The Grown Up Day, and
A Big Ball of String. And no trip to Grandmother & Papa's was complete without hot fudge sundaes. I can't believe I used to eat my hot fudge at that little table.
It was a wonderful visit that I will always cherish. Thanks for a lifetime of memories Grandmother & Papa!
Kaylee's Disney World experience was unique. Most of her days started out like this picture taken the morning we went to Animal Kingdom. She was fresh and ready for an adventure, looking clean & crisp. By the end of a full day of activities, messy snacks (ice cream at least once a day), & excess humidity, she usually looked more like this. 
On our first day we returned home for afternoon naps, but on the other days we just kept going & going. She was such a trooper & though it was hard for me to catch her smiling (see previous post) I did catch her in action.
Though Kaylee will not remember this trip, except through pictures & video, we hope she will at least always remember the song she learned to sing.
Though Kaylee will not remember this trip, except through pictures & video, we hope she will at least always remember the song she learned to sing.
