Thanks Mom!

Seems worth publicly noting that we think grandparents are pretty wonderful!! Right now we are feeling particularly grateful to my Mom who spent the last two days with us. How is it that life goes so smoothly with that additional set of hands, the extra hugs, the sweet surprises and caring gestures, and Kali LOVING having Grandma around? Kali just can't understand why she can't stay for a year. And getting back to Grandpa (who still has 100 days left before he can retire) is not a good enough reason for leaving!!

Sunday evening we had fun celebrating her 65th birthday, complete with two different very dark chocolaty desserts. Monday they were busy at home preparing for a mystery dinner, which Kali had initiated (with a "weather" theme - for example, mashed potatoes were clouds and water was rain and mud was chocolate mousse...). What a treat to come home to good smells, delicious food, and a happy daughter.

But the highlight was no doubt for me, a 2 hour hike with Jason this morning to the pond. While challenging physically to walk the trail, where we noticed ski tracks but not footprints after a certain point, it was a much needed time of connection. There is much percolating inside both of us these days - between permaculture weekends, nonviolent communication practice, respective parenting challenges and joys, missing Nora a lot these days and dreams of the future, we both feel full to overflowing some days. It was good to share some of the thoughts, feelings and raw emotions together, with no other ears nearby other than the thrush that flitted down by the pond's edge.

We came home to the smell of homemade doughnuts frying. We enjoyed a little "eating doughnuts off strings" competition (Kali's loose teeth gave her a strong disadvantage), which Mom photographed before getting on the road.

We did our final grocery trip this weekend. So our "no grocery stores" for Lent starts tomorrow. Kali is ready to go - stocked up with a pack of yo-baby yogurts, two boxes of macaroni and cheese, and vanilla letter-of-the-day cookies. :) And, in case anyone is wondering, we are not allowing ourselves to utilize Sundays for grocery shopping. We'll see what we learn about ourselves in the next 40 days. One thing for sure, we aren't likely to go hungry.

More pictures from Mom's visit are online at: http://picasaweb.google.com/bennerj8/GrandmasVisit#