Week Home

Before we arrived home from our trip, Four asked if we were going to visit Grandma. She lives an hour away from us, so I scheduled a visit during the 8 days we were home. We went to the Denver Rocks, Gems & Minerals Show that my sister Lori was running. The kids and I walked around a tent in the parking lot waiting for my mom to arrive. We found lots of things we were looking for and more that we weren't looking for.

Three loved these heart rocks!

Five just wanted pictures.

As I was checking out with the booth owner, Mom called to ask where I was so we could find each other. I said I was in the southernmost tent. And that opened up a teaching opportunity when she didn't know how to navigate without turning on her van. Thus began an explanation of how the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and you can navigate according to what time of day it is. This was new to my mom, the booth owner, and Lori when Mom passed that knowledge on so she could find us. While I was still on the phone with Mom, the booth owner suddenly noticed Four and said, "She looks just like my friend! Hey, guys, doesn't she look just like Lori?" I asked if he meant Lori Schafer and that unleashed a load of excitement. Four is a carbon copy of Lori, but I've never had a true stranger call it out like that! 

After a while of looking around, Lori had to go back to the office and brought Four with her. We continued exploring and found aluminum anthill art. I never did get my cousin Rex to come out to Kansas to take care of the huge anthill in my yard for me...

I was without my van for a couple of days for an oil change, transmission and power steering fluid changes, shocks, and timing belt.

Having the van back meant a trip to Garden of the Gods.

We also caught up on sleep, a couple loads of laundry, some schoolwork, our forest, neighborhood friends and parks, and dinner with the Jimenezes. Oh, and Five practiced his mermaid singing.

 I spent the last night home folding laundry, packing it back in the backpacks (we decided not to bother unpacking for the 8 days at home), and loading the van while watching Gilmore Girls with Two. She was so excited to get to stay up late with me for that.