Oh, the Simple Joys of Grandparenthood!

Let me start by saying how wonderful it was to visit our family in Delaware.  Even the snow couldn't keep us away for too long.  The boys are perfect!  Katharine & Brian are doing a great job managing their busy life of raising a family, holding down jobs, taking McColley to his multiple activities, and hosting visitors.  Brian is one busy guy, so it was great for him to have paternal leave during part of our visit.  We are still in awe when someone salutes Lt. Maguire or calls him "Sir".  He's accomplished a lot in his time with the Air Force!  They have adapted well to military life and take advantage of living in such a dynamic part of the country. 

 

We were SO delighted to finally meet, cuddle, hug, hold, kiss, and adore Brayton.  He is a calm content grandman, who was passed from one family member to another with nary a peep.  Nice to hold, substantial, and just right!  He really is Sir-Grunt-A-Lot.  Blue eyed, we think; he barely opened his eyes enough to tell.  He was starting to stay awake longer each day.

McColley is an active guy - the blurry picture is him in action.  The guys enjoyed hanging out on the couch, floor, kitchen...basically all over the house...since Colley goes from place to place like a whirling dervish.  However, he slows down for stories and Play-Doh!  That's when Grandma got to hold, cuddle, tickle, kiss, hug, and play with him.  What a great kid!  He helped cook, clean, and create while we were there.  He also enjoyed bathing, staying in his p.j.s for hours, and not going to bed...Plus, he talks up a storm!  All the time.  About everything.  And sings "Jingle Bells" at random moments during various activities.  And, like his mother before him, forced everyone to watch a movie over & over & over & over...His choice?  "Santa Claus 3". 

Colley not only got over his fright of the Chuck E. Cheese horse, he never wanted to get off once he figured out how to ride it by himself.  It even jumps, which makes his courage even more impressive! Brady got lots of Grandma time, but probably slept on Grandpa more often over the week.  Grandpa took Colley out to the blustery (the wind really blows on DelMarVa peninsula!) playground while Mommy & Grandma took Brady into the clinic for his 2 week check-up.  I was very impressed with the care he received.  KC had to learn to put medicine in his eye for a suspected infection - she does it really well and he barely notices.   

When McColley wasn't running around like a crazy man, he would chill in his chair - cute. Katharine turned 28 while we were there, so per our tradition, we started celebrating at 12:02 a.m. on the first day of 2009.  Dick Clark was there to congratulate her!  (Would you believe he was video conferencing with us???)  Brian also made her a second cake that afternoon.  

McColley and I made an elegant New Year's Day dinner, which was served on the fine china. The Asparagus ala Lemon is one of the beautiful dishes we made.  We also made Potatoes Anna and Salmon en Cartuccio (baked in parchment paper) with a tomato/shallot sauce.  It was yummy delicious! Please note Grandma's use of the Play-Doh medium when creating an impressionistic rendition of grapes.  She learned to utilize several techniques, such as squeezing, pressing, and rolling to create a wide variety of objects.  It was a surprise to see how easily the stuff cleans up!  We finally organized ourselves enough on the last day to take a family photo; just couldn't seem to get both boys to look toward the camera at the same time.  

It really did snow as we left - unbelievable!  On our way to the airport, we stopped into the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History for about 40 minutes (only in America!!) to find my dad's name, Phil McColley, in the "Dig It" exhibition.  It was quite moving to find something so personal in such an immense and impressive location.  While there, I showed Warren the diamond I'd like him to get me; I think it's called the Hope Diamond.  Washington DC is preparing for the inauguration, so bleachers were all over the place on Pennsylvania Avenue.  I am very pleased to see a new administration replace the currently broken one and wish we could be there to see the celebration.  Maybe KC & B and the boys will!  We sure do MISS them and hope to hug them again really soon.  Thanks for a terrific time!