GRAND Is the Time Spent with Grandkids

I always look forward to having the grandkids come visit for a while in the summer. Sometimes we have them one-on-one, which I like since they are four years apart, and that way we can focus on one at a time. But this summer we brought both of them home with us, last Sunday, and it was a great success.

We drove to Houston on Saturday, and celebrated Grandpa (Dan's) birthday. The kids had baked him a delicious pound cake and gave him a present, the game Ticket to Ride - Europe.  Later that evening they lit off the last of their 4th of July sparklers.

We went to church with Chris, Kelsey and the kids on Sunday morning, had lunch together afterward, and drove home that afternoon. After dinner, an hour of Netflix, and a good night's sleep, we were ready for a Monday adventure. We drove down to Georgetown - less than an hour away - and went to the Inner Space Cavern. This cavern is one of the best preserved caves in Texas. It was discovered by a Texas Highway Department core drilling team in the Spring of 1963. They were drilling to find out whether the ground was stable enough to support a large I-35 highway overpass. Currently I-35 passes over the cavern, and the caves extend both east and west of the highway.

The kids really enjoyed the tour. Our tour guide, Rachel, was funny and full of facts and stories. At one point, as we were pausing to view one of the cavern rooms, I heard Robert carrying on a detailed scientific exchange with her, about some of the animal fossils that were found.

The path through the cavern is downhill all the way, but that means uphill all the way back out. It wasn't too bad except the last steep incline before exiting. There were places where you had to watch your head - and Dan missed one of those places and whacked his head a good one.

The rules at Grandma's house are a little bit relaxed, so each evening, before bed, we watched a couple of Netflix episodes and had a small bowl of ice cream. One series they like is "Who Was ..." and the other favorite was "Nailed It." I also let them play some games on my iPad each morning, before breakfast. I know this is not something they get to do much at home (and I approve of that home rule), but . . . it's Grandma's house and, therefore, Grandma's rules - at least for a few days in the summer.

On Tuesday we went to Summer Fun, a family-run water park in Belton, just 10 or 15 minutes from home. This was a big hit. Dan and I enjoyed relaxing in the shade and watching all of the fun. Clara and Robert stayed together the entire time, and got a little braver as time went on. Their favorite was the big inner tube slide.

Before dinner, Clara asked if she could make a card, using my Cricut Maker machine. She had watched me make one the day before, so I figured she could handle it. I sat beside her for most of the project, and she successfully made a beautiful card for friends who had recently lost a loved one. (How tender-hearted of her to think of them!)

Wednesday was an unscheduled day. We started off with a half-hour romp at the Whistle Stop Playground.

Then we went to McWha Used Books, in Belton, where they found some books to take home and read..

Mid-afternoon Clara reminded me that I had said they might be able to bake something, so we pulled out the bowls, cups, spoons and ingredients and baked a pan of brownies, which we had later in the evening while we watched the movie, Looney Toons: Back in Action. 

Finally, well past their bedtime, Grandpa Dan set up his telescope and showed Clara several planets and one star. Robert was not tall enough to see through the scope. We'll have to remedy that for the next time. 

They are in bed now, and in the morning we'll drive to Somerville, where Kelsey will meet us for a "kid-swap." It's been a blast. (And yes . . . I'm tired!)