Vacant Climbing Stools

Some Very Happy Grandparents

It was tough enough to say goodbye to our threenager boarder and her mother yesterday morning but luckily Monday provided the busiest day I’ve had at work in weeks to help compensate. The FBR has inherited her abuela’s ability to dominate space despite a distinct lack of physical stature. I’m going to miss the running hugs I got each evening when I returned home which were so reminiscent of her mother’s practice of same back in the 1980s. There are a thousand little reminders of her presence that tweak a little bit at the heart each time I walk by them. I’m reticent to move the living room stools which are in the bathrooms to let the very big girl wash her own hands. If I move them, that means she’s really not going to be breathlessly bouncing around a corner.

The Sadly Empty Stool

My Two Superstars

My daughter arrived on Saturday for her extraction mission and the FBR didn’t allow her mother to dismount he car before jumping in with one of her patented hugs. Mom’s arrival also seemed to dilute the need to be on her best behavior which we had marveled at over the past week. A tad of the old familiarity and contempt thang but she was still a delight to be around (well except for her post Easter drive melt down). It was cool to see them slip into their respective roles of mother and daughter and also cause for a few heart pangs after the daughter spent so much time in the past week reminding my Favorite Panamanian and I of her mother at the same age.

Mom's Back

Showing Mom how to Read

Writing hin her Journal

Shopping Buddies

I had a lot of fun preparing for the following morning’s Easter egg hunt. The FBR awoke Easter morning to find an overladen basket waiting outside her bedroom door. She wanted to play with that until I mentioned the fact the Easter bunny may have hidden some eggs downstairs. She and I were soon a two member team scouring the first floor. My job was to carry the soon to be overflowing basket while she was the hunter. She paused at one point to opine that she was in fact a very good Easter egg hunter. Who was I to challenge that assessment.

BRS Sighting

Easter Dinner

Cousins

We all bundled off for church services. My wife accompanied the FBR downstairs when the children left for their time away during the sermon. While down there the FBR stood up in the group and asked everyone to admire her Easter dress which had a prominent bunny. The girl loves an audience. Shortly thereafter we were headed for New Hampshire to share Easter dinner with the ABFA’s parents and, of course, the BRS.

New Hampshire Easter Egg Hunt

ABFA Prepping the BRS

My Favorite Son Assisting the Two Cousins

We all love celebrating with my son’s in laws and Sunday was no exception with the added benefit of yet another Easter egg hunt, this time outside. The BRS was in fine form and loved being amongst the bevy of cousins running around. There were the obligatory two dogs including the grandpuppy Riggins. It was the kind of Easter I remember from days before my parents split up when the entire extended family would gather. I think my father’s family motto should be, “There’s something special about cousins”. I can only hope the FBR and BRS grow up with annual days like last Sunday.

Inseparable

The ABFA’s parents were perfect hosts and my wife even let other people occasionally hold the BRS. They have obviously bonded as you can see a sneaky smile from the BRS when she hears my Favorite Panamanian’s distinctive voice. The FBR meanwhile figured out my son had some inside knowledge on Easter egg location and was soon milking him as a source during the hunt. I was so pleased that she was honestly excited about seeing both her aunt and uncle, again for the long game in the years ahead.

Cousins

The afternoon was all too short and we headed back to Worcester full of too much food and an alleged over indulgence on the author’s part when it came to Peanut Butter Blossom cookies. I soon found myself on the drive with three sleeping females and directions from the youngest not to play the radio too loud. After surviving (a near thing) the post drive melt down we had a very fun last evening together. My wife took the FBR down the street to stop in to see the Neighborhood Mafioso and the FBR returned with even more chocolate and sweets. She does know how to work a crowd.

Still Together

I know it borders on pathetic to have my happiness so intertwined with granddaughters but there it is, which made Monday’s departures so keenly felt. The drive back for my daughter wasn’t as smooth as mine a week earlier because we discovered that the FBR had somehow managed to delete the Netflix app from the IPad which meant entertainment duties fell to the driver, no mean task. Luckily they made good time and the FBR was soon educating Wingman on the intricacies of her new Paw Patrol control tower which sadly no longer populates my living room. It was good seeing them back together though. This is their time but I so appreciated the weeklong memories evoked by chasing after my daughter’s doppelganger.

Back to Worcester

Deckzilla Time

From Last Week When FBR Showed me How to Eat Cinnamon Rolls

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law, formerly known both as MEF – Most Excellent Fiancé & MEG – Most Excellent Girlfriend; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt = my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Buddy – AKA the Wonder Pooch – family dog, a black lab – hates squirrels, died in 2017; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog, surrogate grandchild while awaiting arrival of the BRS; PanaGals – female relatives/friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Excellent Boss – my former direct boss at work; Deckzilla Dude – senior citizen carpenter/contractor; Voices of Inappropriate Worth - members of public who come to every Worcester public meeting to complain, all are on public assistance along with demeanor issues