A tea party and more
A tea party and more
By Allan Olson
It was a nice weekend, at least in comparison to what it could have been. We traveled to spend the majority of the Easter holiday weekend at my parents.
Arriving late on Friday, the day was virtually shot to enjoy any of the it outside, but Saturday, despite a strong wind and intermittent rain showers, it was really a nice day to enjoy the outdoors.
After dealing with a gas line problem, my dad and brother got the tractor running to help with some basic yard work, including moving two oak picnic tables back to their “summer” location.
Alivia happened to be the only kid around at the time, and knew right away that she wanted to drive the tractor.
Grandpa consented, and so up she went. She helped drive the tractor to get the tables, took a break during the loading process, and then was back up for “one more turn,” as she put it.
Wanting his own turn, Marcus was next. He enjoyed it just as much, but Alivia suddenly was not as happy, because she wanted “three turns,” she said.
Nikolai was next, and he got to drive the tractor with Grandpa across the yard.
Figuring to get the fun stuff out of the way first (something that didn’t happen when I was growing up), Grandpa hooked up the wood trailer and everyone went for a ride at once, with Abigail getting her turn behind the wheel. With mud flying and the wind blowing in their faces, the kids all enjoyed the ride.
Alivia also managed to sneak in that third trip behind the wheel when the others weren’t looking.
Then the real work started. Grandpa said he needed more wood in the house for the stove, or the house would get cold that night.
All four kids took part in loading the wood trailer, and sometimes they ended up fighting over who got the bigger pieces.
With the trailer loaded to Grandpa’s satisfaction (and a few extra pieces more because the kids weren’t done yet), we set off to unload the trailerful of wood into the basement. Once again, the kids were willing participants. Abigail managed to drop one piece of wood on my foot, as well as hers, and not at the same time.
After lunch, it was nap time. Abigail decided that she wasn’t tired enough to take a nap, so eventually her and I ended up outside again.
She invited me to her “tea party,” only there wasn’t tea on the menu. It was “shakes” – blueberry, blackberry, raspberry and strawberry shakes, made with sand.
I took part in her fictional little world, pretending I was drinking it just like her. Then my drink disappeared (over my shoulder when she wasn’t looking). I told her I drank it, that I enjoyed eating the sand. She didn’t believe me.
I disappeared to the other end of the yard, but she found me and brought her cups and blankets (a.k.a. rugs) with her, along with the stroller to carry them in, and made more “shakes” for me and her grandpa and uncle. Of course, they, too, enjoyed the treats.
All the hard work and fresh air worked their magic on the kids, and they all slept in until after 7:00 on Easter Sunday. Naturally, that was the one day I couldn’t sleep any longer and was wide awake just after 6:00.
To sum it up, the weekend was a great time to have some fun with the family. Now, hopefully, the weather holds, because this yard is looking to be cleaned, and the kids are eager to get outside and play.
Of course, I suppose there is always some baseball I could watch this weekend and skip the yard work if the weather does not cooperate. Thanks for reading! Remember, we appreciate your feedback so feel free to drop us a line at cltimes1@arvig.net. For more of my columns please visit my blog at: http://allan-crazykids.blogspot.com/.
By Allan Olson
It was a nice weekend, at least in comparison to what it could have been. We traveled to spend the majority of the Easter holiday weekend at my parents.
Arriving late on Friday, the day was virtually shot to enjoy any of the it outside, but Saturday, despite a strong wind and intermittent rain showers, it was really a nice day to enjoy the outdoors.
After dealing with a gas line problem, my dad and brother got the tractor running to help with some basic yard work, including moving two oak picnic tables back to their “summer” location.
Alivia happened to be the only kid around at the time, and knew right away that she wanted to drive the tractor.
Grandpa consented, and so up she went. She helped drive the tractor to get the tables, took a break during the loading process, and then was back up for “one more turn,” as she put it.
Wanting his own turn, Marcus was next. He enjoyed it just as much, but Alivia suddenly was not as happy, because she wanted “three turns,” she said.
Nikolai was next, and he got to drive the tractor with Grandpa across the yard.
Figuring to get the fun stuff out of the way first (something that didn’t happen when I was growing up), Grandpa hooked up the wood trailer and everyone went for a ride at once, with Abigail getting her turn behind the wheel. With mud flying and the wind blowing in their faces, the kids all enjoyed the ride.
Alivia also managed to sneak in that third trip behind the wheel when the others weren’t looking.
Then the real work started. Grandpa said he needed more wood in the house for the stove, or the house would get cold that night.
All four kids took part in loading the wood trailer, and sometimes they ended up fighting over who got the bigger pieces.
With the trailer loaded to Grandpa’s satisfaction (and a few extra pieces more because the kids weren’t done yet), we set off to unload the trailerful of wood into the basement. Once again, the kids were willing participants. Abigail managed to drop one piece of wood on my foot, as well as hers, and not at the same time.
After lunch, it was nap time. Abigail decided that she wasn’t tired enough to take a nap, so eventually her and I ended up outside again.
She invited me to her “tea party,” only there wasn’t tea on the menu. It was “shakes” – blueberry, blackberry, raspberry and strawberry shakes, made with sand.
I took part in her fictional little world, pretending I was drinking it just like her. Then my drink disappeared (over my shoulder when she wasn’t looking). I told her I drank it, that I enjoyed eating the sand. She didn’t believe me.
I disappeared to the other end of the yard, but she found me and brought her cups and blankets (a.k.a. rugs) with her, along with the stroller to carry them in, and made more “shakes” for me and her grandpa and uncle. Of course, they, too, enjoyed the treats.
All the hard work and fresh air worked their magic on the kids, and they all slept in until after 7:00 on Easter Sunday. Naturally, that was the one day I couldn’t sleep any longer and was wide awake just after 6:00.
To sum it up, the weekend was a great time to have some fun with the family. Now, hopefully, the weather holds, because this yard is looking to be cleaned, and the kids are eager to get outside and play.
Of course, I suppose there is always some baseball I could watch this weekend and skip the yard work if the weather does not cooperate. Thanks for reading! Remember, we appreciate your feedback so feel free to drop us a line at cltimes1@arvig.net. For more of my columns please visit my blog at: http://allan-crazykids.blogspot.com/.
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