Hi, everyone!
Right after we got back from Europe, we went out to the bay so Grandpa could mow the lawn. I was happy to see how much our basil plants had grown while we were away! The neighbor’s catalpa tree was blooming, too! I was happy that the local strawberries were still in season. I was afraid we’d missed them while we were in Europe. We had our first strawberry shortcake for dinner!
The next day, Sunday, Grandpa figured out how he and Grandma could get the dock into the water without help from anybody else. They finished on Monday morning, then Grandma and I had our first kayak paddle of the season. The wind was shifting and Grandma had to paddle upwind in both directions! Last year’s high water left a lot of gravel in the boathouse. Grandma spent two days digging it out so she and Grandpa could get the marine railway rails into the water. We took time out to watch sunset at the Point!
Last Saturday, James and Thomas and Aunt Kara flew from Brussels to Rochester. It was a very long day for them! They had to get up at 2 a.m. my time to get to the airport and they didn’t get here until almost 8 p.m.! I was able to track their flight from Brussels on the internet. Their flight from Dulles to Rochester was delayed, but they finally got here!
Grandma brought snacks for James and Thomas to eat while we were waiting for their luggage to be unloaded. Aunt Kara said she had completed her last duty as a military wife by bringing her family home! Even though everybody was very tired, we had to get out the Legos before bedtime! On Sunday, Grandma got out the box of Transformers, too! Thomas figured out how to make them change shape, all by himself!
On Monday, we all went to the post office so Aunt Kara could mail everybody’s Dutch identity cards back to Uncle Steven. James and Thomas picked a good hiding place — right by the passport applications! They need to get new, non-military ones. On the way back from the post office, we stopped so Aunt Kara and James and Thomas could see their new house for the first time. We couldn’t go inside, but I told them where all the rooms are!
We stopped at Griffiths park so James and Thomas could run around and play frisbee. Thomas really liked climbing the big rocks at the edge of the parking lot. Guess what? A deer walked by and wasn’t scared of us at all!
Powers Farm Market was on our way home, too, so we stopped to get strawberries and feed the goats and alpacas. The animals licked James’ and Thomas’ hands when all the alfalfa food was gone! I’m glad they didn’t lick my paw!
Grandma took photos of James and Thomas and Aunt Kara for their passport applications. I helped her figure out what size to print them to meet the requirements! We got out some boxed Lego sets that haven’t been played with since Uncle Steven was little! Thomas still wanted to play with the big bag of loose Legos! He found a wind-up Lego motor with a Lego key.
We had dinner on the back deck with the new umbrella for shade. I showed everybody the hollow crab apple tree. The woodpecker has made more holes and now you can see right through the tree! After dinner, James and Grandpa played catch in the back yard. Thomas had quiet time, instead!
Yesterday, Aunt Kara and James and Thomas had their first chance to see the inside of their new house. James and Thomas went upstairs first to pick out their new bedrooms. I was happy they didn’t both want the same one! Then I showed James and Thomas all my favorite places in the basement! They liked the play house underneath the stairs. They think the desks in the office will be a great place to build Legos!
When we got back from walking through the new house, James and Thomas decided to put all the Legos in their bedroom at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. That’s a lot of Legos! James found a hair scrunchie that made his hair look very funny before it fell off completely. We went to Perinton Park playground. Thomas found a very nice teenage girl who started pushing him on the swing before Grandma and Aunt Kara even got up the hill from the parking lot!
Today, Aunt Kara has been very busy! This morning she signed all the paperwork so the new house is officially hers and Uncle Steven’s. Then she started meeting with contractors about the changes she and Uncle Steven want to make before they move in. In the Netherlands, all the furniture has been packed up and is on its way here. James and Thomas and I played on Uncle David’s skateboard before it got too hot to play outside. Thomas tried picking a green apple and learned that it doesn’t taste very good! Now we’re inside watching James make a Minecraft new house!
Love,
Lion-san
We are glad that strawberries are still in season for you. They are really sweet this year. It looks like Thomas knew when he needed a nap, he looks more rested than James or Aunt Kara after that. It is nice the boys will have their own bedroom. And a place just for playing with Legos! James does look silly playing with a scrunchie.
Let’s see, Lion-san. Are you an uncle to James and Thomas or what? Any way, they are both cute kids. So fun for you and grandma and grandma to have everyone there. Great fun getting a new house for them. Happy playing with legos. Great Aunt Betsy.
Great Aunt Betsy, Grandma says James and Thomas and Karin and Bill are my cousins. Tonight we all watched fireworks from our dock at Sodus. Grandma says we can either have grandchildren watching fireworks or good fireworks photos with the camera on a tripod, but not both. We were all happy to have James and Thomas with us this year! After the fireworks were over, we watched fireflies and the stars overhead.
Love,
Lion-san