Jonathan, Kayleigh, and I have been having a lovely time at Mom and Dad's. It is really nice to see Jonathan outside so much, whether he's helping Mom dig potatoes out of the garden (this morning); helping Boppa on Gator rides to refill birdfeeders, check out the far side of the property, or just get the mail; or swimming and shouting at the top of his lungs in the mini-swimming pool that Daddy got up a few days ago. Kayleigh is also delighted with all this room, although she thinks the dandelion flowers are a little bitter and was quite happy for me to fish them out of her mouth. She prefers the dirt, frankly. Given the opportunity, she will pull off all the flower heads of the dianthus and hostas, but if I give her the globe flower of one of the onions--which is edible--she discards it immediately. Of course she does!
Quite a few evenings have seen Jonathan out on the deck with Boppa playing poker (Texas Hold 'Em), although tonight (Friday) he got to stay up late and played Kings In the Corner with Mom & me before going out to the little old house to spend the night there with Mom. (I couldn't b/c Kayleigh needs me at night still--but one day I will.) He loved the card game, kept checking outside to see the level of darkness, and when we finally went outside to see them get settled in, he immediately remarked with delight on the fairy lights (his Uncle Lee also has them at his house in Ingatestone) and wished upon a star, quietly so that none of us could hear his wish. He and Mom looked very sweet in the double bed out there. I hope they have a nice night's sleep. Going out there was his idea, not suggested by us. He and Mom have been going over there in the mornings to play games, since that way Kayleigh is in no danger of either disturbing the game boards or getting ahold of little pieces that she shouldn't have.
The things Mom has fixed have been delicious, as always. Sometimes it sounds "ordinary", but having things fresh from the garden turns it into an incomparable meal. Tonight we had meatloaf, potatoes, and stir-fried broccoli and snow peas. The meatloaf was nice and light, not sitting like a stone in the stomach the way some do, and the potatoes, broccoli, and snow peas were fresh from the garden (Jonathan and Mom dug up the potatoes this morning). It's the second time I've had potatoes since I've been here, and they are so good! Very creamy (I think they are some variety of red potatoes), much more so than store-bought ones. And the snow peas (also the second time I've had them since arrival) are so good that I said to Mom that I really like them--as opposed to them just being all right or acceptable, which is all I can manage for most vegetables. These are sweet, crisp, and so good that I could actually imagine eating a bowlful of nothing but them. Who would have ever thought I would say that!?!
As Dale said repeatedly in his blog about their just-completed trip to England, Jonathan is a great traveller. (I had already known this.) When we arrived at the Austin airport last Monday morning, there was a *long* line at the American Airlines desk--never a good sign. Apparently there had been a "security breach" at the Huntsville, Alabama, airport that morning--and that's where our plane to Dallas was coming from. Thus our departure to Dallas was delayed by at least an hour, we were therefore going to miss our connection to Kansas City, and we had to stand in line to get rebooked on a later flight. As I told Dale, I was using up all my sling time with Kayleigh, because we stood in that line for an HOUR. Ugh. She did well, although she did start wanting to get down, but she coped. As did Jonathan. We finally got up to the counter and I gave the lady a big smile and said, "Good morning" very politely. It paid off because my bag was 15 pounds overweight, but she didn't charge me anything, although she did say I should pack differently for the trip home so that I don't get charged then. We got booked onto a flight that didn't leave Dallas until 4:13 p.m.--and we were originally supposed to land in KC at 2:15 p.m.! Boo hoo, I thought, and a lot worse too. But, being a good role model and understanding that these things happen when one flies--and being thankful that I wasn't in Dale's shoes and facing spending the night in Dallas instead of winging my way across the Atlantic--I was very adult about the situation. So was Jonathan.
When the plane took off for Dallas, I nursed Kayleigh (as I had always done with Jonathan) so that she wouldn't get pressure buildup in her ears. She was fine with that, but once we were up in the air she was done with nursing and ready for something else. Now I had plenty of things in my bag for her to do, trying to anticipate all eventualities, but she did something I had not expected. She climbed right off of me and over the seat arm into Jonathan's seat! So our poor boy is all squooshed up against the wall (he's in a window seat) with his sister contentedly tucked in next to him, admiring the pattern on the seat cushion and then fidgeting about but not in a bad way. Jonathan was quietly listening to his iPod shuffle when Kayleigh commandeered most of his seat, but he didn't mind, just giggled and moved over and then kissed her on the top of her head.
The Dallas wait was a big pain in the butt. We had a hot lunch at Chili's Too, which was fine, and then we waited at two different gates to try to get on earlier flights to KC, but no luck. We played the "Follow Kayleigh" game to let her stretch her legs--she charged up and down the hallways, never looking back at us, just grinning at everyone else. She took the nap that I had been hoping she'd take on the plane between the first and second stand-by gates, and Jonathan played in empty seats in the waiting area and listened to the iPod shuffle some more. Finally we went to the gate of the flight that we had confirmed seats on and Kayleigh charged up and down the seats, trying to get people's water bottles and generally charming them all. This flight was on time, but I did feel sorry for Jonathan because our seats were in the very last row of the plane. The window on the other side of the aisle was blocked by the engine, and there was not a window at all on our side of the plane, so he couldn't see anything. And we were right over the engine, so it was very noisy the whole way (about an hour and a half). But he didn't complain, just took it in stride. Kayleigh was a good girl too and amused herself nicely. We did not have a single instance of loud unconsolable baby, which I was most relieved at. With Jonathan I never worried about that too much, but she's much more fidgety and less apt to be soothed by nursing than he was, so I wasn't quite sure how it was all going to go. But before I knew it, we were starting our descent in Kansas City, and then we were there! A successful trip.
Of course, upon arriving at the farm, Kayleigh immediately got into mischief. Within 10 minutes we were all standing in the kitchen talking, and we heard a little noise of triumph. We looked over at the den only to see Kayleigh standing with the look of the conquering hero on her face right on top of one of the footstools of the recliners! Then five minutes later she'd made it up to the 3rd stair on the staircase as we hadn't put the gates on yet. My, she's quick! She had also figured out what the handles on the cabinets were for, so the next day Mom & I found some good cabinet locks that don't require any drilling and applied them appropriately.
Anyway, the trip was 100% successful as far as I'm concerned, and it was wonderful to see Daddy waiting for us as we exited the gate, and to see Mom at the front door of the farm as we drove up. The place looks beautiful, and the new Morton building looks much better than I had imagined. Daddy finished off the bookshelves in the library very professionally--definitely something to be proud of. Mom has made the "little old house" (as Jonathan calls it) very comfortable and homey, and the grounds continue to grow and improve. I do love it here!
There's a new columnist on salon.com, and I haven't yet made up my mind what I think about her yet. She seems to have quite a polarizing effect on many readers so far, based on the reader letters that are sent in; but I have learned to wait a while before drawing any conclusions in situations such as this.
She has a new article up on marriage, and she addresses something that has caused me great curiosity for the entire length of my marriage. I always assumed that when I got married, my husband and I would pool our finances. I'm sure that's because that how my parents do it--isn't that always how it works
"In every union roles are assumed, some traditional, some not. My husband used to pay his own bills, I used to call my own repairman. But as marriages progress, you surrender areas of your own competence, often without even knowing it. You do this in part because it's more efficient for each individual to have his or her own area of expertise, but more as a kind of optimistic gesture. By surrendering certain skills you are affirming your belief that the other person will remain there to care for you in that way.
This kind of capitulation is not without its pitfalls, of course. Every woman who has given over the financial reins only to find herself divorced and penniless knows its dangers. Still, one of the wonderful things about an intimate partnership is the division of life, the parsing out and sharing of responsibility."
I think that's very nicely put.
Very quick entry--I am nearly ready for the trip tomorrow morning with Jonathan & Kayleigh to Kansas. I haven't been there in nearly two years, not since October 2003 when we went for a visit & Grama Sprong's memorial service. I am really looking forward to it. Mom & Dad always have such a relaxed, comfortable place and it is always such a break for me. Jonathan usually loves to run around outside, and he has said that he will go on some walks with me too, which I am looking forward to. He and I spent 2-1/2 hours out on our own yesterday, having left Kayleigh with Dale at the house. That's the longest we've been together alone since she's been born, I believe. It was nice to have his company.
Anyway, I think I'm in denial about the plane trip. Not too sure what I'm going to do with Kayleigh! She's much more of a fidgetbottom than Jonathan was; Jonathan is and has always been an excellent traveller. Now that we have an iPod shuffle for him to use (acquired for the England trip), I don't think it could be any easier. The only question is going to be how to keep Kayleigh from doing her arched-back protest to get down and wander up & down the airplane aisle. Maybe lots of nursing! Jonathan will hopefully provide a good distraction too, and luckily she's pretty cute (from an objective viewpoint, of course!), which means that maybe fellow passengers will help out. They are much more likely to engage with cute ones than the runny-nosed contingent, I've noticed.
I'll still be checking e-mail from Kansas, and my cell phone will be with me, so please don't hesitate to write or call! Just 'cause I'm away doesn't mean I've dropped off the face of the earth. Hopefully I'll post more entries than I have of late too. Surely I have lots to say (I could mention the governor of Texas signing a bill into law in a CHURCH, but really I have more things to do for the trip and can't stop for that right now
Well, I just wrote a nice little entry about my boys coming home from England, and when I clicked "Save", the damn thing ate my entry (it wanted me to log in again!). I have been having lots of problems lately with the browser not remembering my login to sites, and this is about the last straw. I'm throwing the thing through the window!
Not really.
Anyway, it was lovely to see Dale and Jonathan again after their two-and-a-half weeks in England. When Kayleigh saw them, a smile of indescribable beauty crossed her face and appeared in her eyes. It was as though I had waved a magic wand and gotten a character from a book to appear in front of us in real life. She was quite delighted and kept pointing at Jonathan all the way home.
While Dale was gone, I took advantage of my freedom from duties to accomplish a great deal around the house. Some things--like cleaning out the garage--had never been done since we moved in here when I was seven months pregnant with Jonathan. It did mean that I was up until 3:30 a.m. this morning working in Jonathan's room, but I got it done and it's much more livable now. I walk around the house and am very pleased with the results of my efforts. I told Dale it was my Father's Day present to him, so that now we are not met with clutter and crowded spaces every time we open a door or even just look around. (And many thanks also to Daddy, who put up a curtain rod, installed pegboard along the back garage wall as well as some bike hooks, put up the Roomba wall mount and another shelf in the utility room, cleaned out old icky caulk and applied new silicone around the hall bathtub, and other sundry items. I think he was busier here--he stayed with me the first week that Dale and Jonathan were in England--than he had expected!)
So now Jonathan is sleeping soundly in his very dark room (I found blackout curtains that fit his windows while they were away), and Dale & Kayleigh are fast asleep in the big bed. Soon I will be too . . .
Welcome home, my boys!