Supermom Chronicles

I figured it was time to post the obligatory cute kiddo picture! As many of you may know, since I've been on bedrest I can't care for Faith, 4, and Cole, 23 mos, while John is at work. Since he works 4 days/off 3 days, we send the kids to his parents house near Smithville 4 days/wk. Then they come home for 3 days and run around me, bounce on the couch and try so hard to play with me while I'm horizontal! I love it when they're home and miss them terribly when they're gone. Anyway, Faith has her own bedroom at the grandparents' house (affectionately known as Nana & Icky - John's dad wanted a unique name, and I think he accomplished that). Cole sleeps in a toddler bed in Nana & Icky's bedroom. One night last week, apparently he was missing his sis in the middle of the night. So he went down the hall and crawled into bed with her. Icky got this picture early in the morning before they woke up. How sweet is that?! Cole is such a lover.

Nana & Icky have created a grandkid wonderland out at their place. They live on 6 acres outside of Smithville. There's a huge tank, stocked of course, with a dock and a bridge. They have a paddle boat that the kids love to go out on to feed the fish. They've left the majority of the acreage natural (cleaned up a bit) for future camping and exploring. They have trails all through the place for walking or for a fun ride on their golf cart named "Katie Belle". They also have a swimming pool with a slide, which Cole has been bravely enjoying since he was about 17 months old. He is not afraid of anything. Faith is already an excellent swimmer considering her only "lessons" have been from us and the grandparents. Then there's the sandbox, hammock, swings from the giant oak trees...the list goes on and on. What kid wouldn't want to spend time out there? Both my kids love being outdoors, so the turmoil of this summer has been more manageable for them with all the fun activities. We're really blessed to have such loving, helpful grandparents nearby. This lifestyle is beginning to take its toll on the kids, though. You can tell they're getting more emotional and homesick as time goes on. We're trying to tell them it's only for a couple more weeks. Of course then their lives will be turned upside down with a new baby! But with all the love surrounding them, I think we'll all manage.