February 25-March 1, 2015
Written February 26+
Written February 26+
Dear Diary, Friends, and Families,
This is a grandparents' diary. We will be reporting on our four-day babysitting job with Ava and Sam. Every grandparent likes grandkid memories and this is how we do it -- a diary in our long line of diaries (16 years and counting.)
After a quick (and non-emergency) stop at one of our most-frequented Fresno locations, Kaiser Medical Center, we headed out on the three-hour drive to Los Gatos. This drive is pretty boring, but at least there was no fog and we never have to worry about snow. Do you believe that people actually live in climates where snow is a months-long problem? Why?
Gabby's
house was as welcoming as usual and within minutes Gigi and I were
drafted into a game of Bingo with Sam and Ava. We never remember
who wins or loses, but there is always fun. This will be a good
stay, I'm sure. (They always are, actually.) We will be
alone with the kids from Thursday through Sunday, when Gabby and Mamal
run off to Dallas for some sort of family business meeting. They
get a break and we should get a workout.Kids nowadays have busy lives, and Sam and Ava are no exceptions. We have seen them at swimming lessons, soccer lessons, and now we watched tennis lessons. Ava is only five, until Saturday, and Sam is just three years old. I'm not sure the technical points of fine tennis are getting across, but it was clear they had fun.
The class started with calisthenics and a running lap or two.    From there it was a check of equipment, socializing, and celebration after a good hit.     |
Thursday was a completely "normal" day. Gabby delivered the kids to school before she and Mamal ran to the airport for the flight to Texas. That meant Gigi and I had pick-up duty, Sam at pre-school and Ava at her after-kindergarten daycare. From there it was play at home, dinner, some quiet time, baths, and bedtime.
Pick up at school    Play at home and then dinner   |
Friday morning, Marianne took Ava to school before visiting with one of her long-time friends, Adrienne. That left Sam and me on our won, so we started with a bagel and muffin at Noah's Bagels. From there it was exercise at Oak Meadow Park, a local favorite.
Boys out for breakfast and some park time    |
Lots of things on Woz Way           
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Saturday. Rain. Even in California. Good for the skiers and farmers, but a bump in any plans to take grandkids to parks. No matter, we'll have fun just hanging around.
Both
kids woke up about 7. Sam wandered out to find Opa and then just
wanted to be held. When he wakes up, he does it slowly.
Nice for Opa and Gigi. Meanwhile, Ava was in her room, reading
and telling stories to her dolls and secret friends. Eventually,
the offer of Gigi's palachinta pancakes got the kids up, dressed and
ready for the day.
On
our rainy Saturday, ready for the day meant indoor play, something the
two of them are actually quite good at. Sometimes Ava bosses Sam,
and sometimes Sam takes over, but they have remarkable problem-solving
skills when situations arise between them. Today, they had the
added advantage of joining up on a session of Opa-is-a-camel, an
activity that caused lots of laughter among the riders and a few groans
by the camel. They do give me exercise.Once I was completely worn out, we shifted to bingo, lunch, and a bit of TV-time.
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With the rain and hail still coming down, we made our out-of-the-house event a dinner out. We chose Mo's in Campbell because they offered a chance at a second breakfast. Pancakes are great cool weather comfort food!
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I wonder if Ava and Sam will remember the fun of our rainy Saturday, but I'm sure Gigi and I will. Thanks to Gabby and Mamal for giving us the chance, and thanks for raising such fun kids!
Sunday.
I started with diary-time at Starbucks, a common practice. This
also allows the house to wake up on its own schedule. Everyone
needed to prepare for a busy day.
The
big day-event for the kids was a birthday party. Since they would
be surrounded by their normal gang of friends and parents, we dropped
them off and enjoyed our own lunch date. When we came back, the
balloon lady was just starting, so we waited and met some of the other
parents and even a grandparent or two.     |
On Monday morning, everything returned to normal. Mamal went off to work and the kids got in Gabby's car for school drop-off. Gigi and I headed north for a week on our own, but that's another story.
John and Marianne
PS: House projects. We always seem to have house projects. Here is our record of the current effort, a small update to our laundry room. We want to remember this stuff, even if it's not of general interest!
Beginning: Cheap, mismatched cabinets. Exposed piping using up precious floor space. Generally ugly.  Demolition and placement of pipes, vent, and new electrical circuits back into the wall.   Next, the wall was closed and the cabinets went in.   All we need now is paint and the counter top -- tasks planned to be done while we are babysitting.   |