Our Trip to the Midwest – Part 2 of 4

You can read about Part 1 of 4 here.

Every day with my nephews is a new adventure…especially if you’re a fun-loving *this close to Eagle Scout* boy-at-heart like my hubby. As much as he grumbled about having to drive to the middle of nowhere, in the heat and humidity, I could tell he was looking forward to playing with my nephews. They always give him a run for his money, and this trip would be no exception. They have been impatiently waiting for our arrival for months.

We arrived out at the farm just after breakfast. (My parents live in a house that is a quarter-mile away from what used to be my grandmother’s house. It’s all on the same farmstead. After my grandmother’s death, my sister and her husband purchased the house, and they live there now with their four boys.) It was so good to finally meet my newest nephew! He was just 6-weeks old and still really tiny. Actually, he was a pretty big baby, but compared to the almost-30-lb. sack of potatoes I lug around, he still seemed pretty tiny. You could tell the other three brothers had taken his arrival in stride. I was amazed at how they have all grown! They are Three, Five, and Seven, or as I was reminded, “Almost Four,” “Almost Six,” and “Almost Eight.” Where does the time go??

Claire loved seeing the baby and kept saying, “Oh, HI, BABY! HI, BABY!” She was really gentle with him and held him a couple of times (with our assistance, of course). The other boys were very good with Claire and really tried to include her in a lot of things. They needed to be reminded to be a little gentle, but thankfully Grandma (my mom) was there to referee. I’m so glad that Claire warmed up right away to my mom. I know it’s hard for my mom to live so far from her only grand-daughter.

My dad, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky. Claire was scared to death of him. No amount of coaxing could keep her from bursting into tears whenever he came near. I actually put her in his arms for a moment, and she cried so hard that she stopped breathing. In her defense, he’s a big ol’ farmer dude, and she’s just not used to people like that. I really think if she spent more time with him, she’d warm up. Maybe. But, I’d adopted my Zen Mentality, and decided that it was what it was, and we just adjusted. She’ll either come around, or she won’t.

It made him feel a little better that she was also afraid of my brother. She would actually sit on his lap for seven-seconds before trying to escape, but still. It’s not like there were many Hallmark moments to capture. Later that day, an aunt and uncle of mine stopped by for a visit. There was no way Claire would remember either of them. She looked at my uncle sideways, and he said, “I’m not even going to try! Don’t be so alarmed!” Then, she took one look at my aunt and extended her arms and asked to be picked up. My dad said, “Oh great. A perfect stranger can pick her up, but I don’t have a chance.” Poor Grandpa.

Oddly enough, Claire pretends to talk to my dad on her play phone, all the time. She begs to talk to him on the real phone. In real life, though, it’s another story. Quirky, that child o’ mine.

So, what was in store for my hubby? After lunch, he and my brother-in-law took Three, Five, and Seven to the hotel for the pool party. Claire and I stayed at the farm to visit with everyone else. After the pool party, my hubby stayed at the hotel to get ready; Claire and I drove by ourselves back to town to the hotel, and then the three of us picked up some take-out from our favorite Chinese restaurant and took it over to our friends’ house.

Of course, the “pool party” wasn’t just a pool party. It was a pool-party playground-hopping Dairy-Queen-visit and-who-knows-what-else boys-do-when they’re-by-themselves extravaganza. That night, I went to the bathroom to get ready for bed, and by the time I came out, Claire and Daddy were fast asleep… And, looking back, that wasn’t even the busy day!

Tuesday, July 17^th was the day Claire’s great-grandmother (my mom’s mother) got to spend some time with us. That day was also devoted to playing with my nephews, and when accompanied with the swimming of the day before, completed the triathlon my hubby ran with the boys. Yesterday they swam, and today they ran races and rode bikes. They also did much more than that, but I lost count eventually.

Claire got to experience some First-Time Things while at my sister’s (on the farm). She got to play with play-doh (Note to self! Make that recipe and play with that here, too! I keep forgetting!). She got to swing in a swing and ride in a wagon (she wasn’t sure about those two things…so we’ll have to try that again.) She got to attempt to ride a tricycle. (Another note to self! She could totally do this with a little practice! She almost had it mastered!) On her many adventurous walks with Grandma, she got to see real live cows! My side of the family takes this for granted, because they live on the farm…but we don’t see many real live cows here in the suburbs (thankfully!). And? Claire got to eat pizza for the first time. No, I have not given my child pizza. It’s one of my favorite foods, and I figure she’ll have years to grow an appreciation for it. That will not be needed. She loves it. I think she would have eaten the whole thing, had she been given the chance.

Gee, after looking at that list, you would be led to believe my child is pretty sheltered. No, she’s not…these were just a few things that we haven’t had a chance to do yet. Needless to say, Claire had a blast.

Again, that evening in the hotel, both Daddy and Claire were fast to sleep within minutes. We’d already done so much, and our trip had only reached the half-way mark. Continue to Part 3…