Week of Nana and Papa

Of course we have to start out by saying that my parents were here only a day or so before Rob took off to meet friends in Vegas. Apparently my dad was either impressed or distressed enough over Rob's packing selection to take a photo. Yes - he packed over a case of Miller Lite for the three nights in Vegas. Probably how he managed to do the trip so cheaply!


Anyone who knows my parents won't be surprised that one of the very first things Nana and Papa did with the kids when they arrived was take them to Snip-Its to get their locks trimmed. And I have to admit, seeing the "before" photo here, it was probably time. I miss Brody's curly locks, but Corey's hair looked like it belonged in the 70s (and frankly, it was probably because of that hair that I thought he looked SO much like Rob in a photo album we have: 70s Rob standing on a pier fishing.)





I had an appointment scheduled which was subsequently postponed, so I got to join them for dinner at NYPD, our new favorite pizza joint. You can see that Corey has Rob's old GameBoy to keep him company in the car.

We made a trip to the zoo while they were here, truly testing my abilities post-surgery. However, it was just walking, and I took plenty of rests. Once we got to the elephants, Corey and Nana and I were ready to go to lunch. Brody, however, was "still watching the elephants" for some time. He spent similar time watching the zebras, where he would not allow Papa to take his photograph (the Papa-razzi can be stressful) because he was "too busy" watching the zebras.

At some point, Nana went out in the backyard with the boys, and next thing I knew it, they were stripped down to their underwear (or pull-up, as the case may be) and splashing around in the ice-cold water. For everyone freezing in the midwest, it's not truly swimming weather here. Only for the very brave or very young.

Friday evening we hosted Brody's BFF from Goddard School and his mother. The kids had a great time climbing on the slide, running from Corey's tickles, tickling Corey, playing with trains and watching Madagascar 2. We hope to get together with them again soon because it made Brody very, very happy!

Saturday morning we went to the Riperian Preserve for a family bird walk. I figured it would be a 20-minute walk where we'd see a few ducks and move on. It turned out to be about 90 minutes (again, testing my post-surgery limits!) and we saw enough birds that Corey got a triple Bingo on his bingo card. (Which earned him a book on birds in Arizona, and we've seen many of them in our backyard since then, as Nana installed a milk jug bird feeder for Corey's entertainment.)




And of course, no visit from anyone is complete without hockey. So Papa played hockey. Corey played hockey. Brody tried to play hockey. Even Nana got to play hockey!





Sunday we debated how to best be sure to watch the KU game. We finally decided that - given the timing was the same as a local team - we'd be best off hoping it was on TV, and using the free Internet feed as back-up. We needed that internet feed! We were all decked out in our crimson and blue, and thank goodness we saw KU sail into the Sweet Sixteen!





Against my mother's objections, we trooped out to dinner in our KU apparel. Nana and Papa aren't big Mexican fans so we get our fix in Z Tejas when they come. Papa had a steak smothered in gorgonzola dressing, and though Corey had a grilled cheese, there was a showdown between them for Papa's last bites. Guess who won?

We had a great time with Nana and Papa this weekend, and today seemed so slow and quiet without them! I went to the doctor for my post-op appointment and we (well, me) decided it's time for me to go back to work, but I'm giving it "one more time, last time" (Brody's favorite expression) week to make sure I'm fully recovered. I'm planning on heading back Monday. Meanwhile, I have knitted half a sweater (mind you, the back panel was finished in Kansas and the sweater is wool, so it's been some time since I approached it), knitted half a blanket and finished three and a half books. Still time to get that last book and blanket finished....