playground.
Watching these cousins play and have so much fun together was wonderful. Sadly our time playing was cut short by a rainstorm. There was no rain in the forecast but the sky turned dark and then the drops began to fall. We ended up walking quickly to get home before the showers really started. I ordered pizza and the girls watched a movie, before heading to bed. 
Surprisingly, the girls went to sleep before 10:30pm and were still asleep when I woke up at 7:00am! That was a miracle for sure. The parents were coming to pick up the girls around noon, so we had a lot of playing to do! It was a marvelous day, 70's and sunny, so we went outside after they did a bit of "work" at the table. Anna had drawn a picture for us to all color together so we completed that. We all had to color one of the flowers and write our name. This masterpiece is now hanging on my fridge. 
We had bubbles and chalk and the girls spent a long time blowing lots of bubbles. I think I had more fun the girls did.
Later in the morning we went out front and decided it was time for a game of hopscotch. It is always interesting seeing kids enjoy a game that I played for hours as a young girl. I couldn't tell you how many games of hopscotch I played, back in the day. Interestingly, I don't really remember Gwen playing much, so maybe it is one of those things that skips a generation.
The timing of this sleepover was good. We planned it so that we could do our family remembrance of Ken after the pickup. The only downside to this, was that both Anna and Grace were really tired and by the end of the day, they needed to be done! Watch for the next blog to see how our family time went. But all in all, it was a great first sleepover.
For Anna this was a very big event. The rule in the Johnson household is that no sleepovers are allowed unless you are vaccinated. Sadly, Anna and Zeke are not old enough to receive the COVID vaccine. But because we have allowed our family to be together during the pandemic, Gwen and Tim allowed Anna to spend the night at my house. Anna was very nervous. So was Grace, since she had never spent the night with me at my house either. COVID has really done a number on the kids. Grace really doesn't have any memories before the shutdown happened when she was just 3. We are just getting used to what is now our new normal.
The timing of this sleepover was also very good for me. I knew that this weekend, the one year anniversary of Ken's death, would be difficult. I had been dreading the date approaching and, just is so often the case, the actual weekend actually passed quite well. I am so thankful for the relationship that I have with each of my grandchildren. It is so wonderful to see how they are growing in their gifts and talents. This kind of one on one time (or actually two on one time) is so valuable. Each time I get to be with the kids doing fun things, I try to just soak it in. Time passes so quickly and the kids are growing up. I don't want to miss a minute of it. I love how Jesus has given me this time to spend with the kids. In spite of Covid, in spite of Ken's death, my life has been filled with blessings. Yes, a yearly time to reflect is a very good thing. Making the effort to see the blessings, to embrace the time and to notice the little things is such a gift.
Jesus, thank you for the gift of children and grandchildren. Holy Spirit, keep us aware of all of the blessings that surround us and help us to embrace each day. Thank you for times to reflect and remember. Keep our hearts open to your prompts every day. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment