Papa Time

We don't get many visitors out here in Kansas, and with plane ticket prices getting so high, we don't know the next time we'll be back in Washington, so it was so nice to have a my dad come out and visit for the week!

The experience with each family member who comes to visit is so different.  When Royal's parents come to town, I pretty much get kicked out of the house.  It's not that they don't want to see or visit with me, but they are really here to spend time with the kids and they know they won't get the undivided attention if the kids are constantly coming to me for things.  And it's also so that I can make doctor appointments, or get some shopping done, or just get out of the house without the kids.  They are really trying to just give me a break, since we don't have family around to just drop the kids off with when we need one, and I really appreciate it.  While it's hard for me to just get up and leave and do whatever I want without feeling somewhat guilty about shirking my "job",  I try to enjoy as much alone time as I can because I know they won't be back for another 6 months - although half the time I can't figure out what to do and pretty much just drive in circles.... :)

When my mom comes to visit, I get a buddy to do crafty things with, or an expert in the kitchen to ask advice of.  My mom helps a lot with the kids, playing with them and reading to them, and what not.  However, I usually get something out of the deal, since my mom and I usually find a cooking class or painting class to go to, or she shows me how to do something on my sewing machine!  It's nice to have someone to tag along with and not have to go do these things by myself.  :)

When my dad is around, he is kinda like my shadow and proves there is a laundry elf and a dish elf!  It's like when I only get half way done with one project before the kids pull me off in another direction, he just quietly goes behind me and finishes it.  I might get the breakfast or lunch dishes off the table and back to the kitchen, but my dad will get the plates cleaned and in the dishwasher and the counters cleaned up before I can even remember that I still had dishes to finish.  I'll get the laundry clean and in baskets ready for me to fold and when I turn around again, my dad has them all folded and stacked.  It's awesome!  He just tags along with us and really just enjoys our life with us, even if it means getting in the car 12 times a day and Willow kicking the back of his seat yelling for a piece of gum, or the kids fighting over whose turn it is to open the garage door.  It was great to have him here and we miss him already, especially since my dishes are still piled up in the sink!  :)

We shoveled a lot of dirt while my dad was here, filling up our new garden boxes.

 And when my dad gave Royal and I a night to go out without the kids, we came home and found that my dad had convinced the kids to help him shovel an entire truck load of dirt, so Royal didn't have to do it in the morning.  :)

Thanks for all the help, Dad!