Well, the trip went very well folks and I am so proud of my kids. It takes an age to get to the remote part of the world my folks live in. Did my teenie two blink an eye? No. My international traveling lovelies just kept on moving with us till we all got to the peace and quiet of the Yorkshire countryside. We returned to the bog snow storm in NY. Was that an experience! They cried but they got through it. Good little ones.
For those of you that haven't been to remote Yorkshire land it is wet and muddy. On one walk I had two little kids wrapped around me whilst I slowly sank into knee deep thick muddy puddle. Turns out they quite like puddle jumping! Every time we went went for a walk the first thing they did was jump in the deepest muckiest puddle they could find!
The UK family dynamics were a little strained. It's really challenging to see such vibrant and successful people struggling so hard with the aging process. And it was really hard saying goodbye. At this point I feel the distance between us so very deeply. I can't just pop by. They see their grandkids in spurts. The historical drama gets crammed into a few days and so becomes incredibly intense. Such a complicated time. I miss them but I am relieved to be back in my life where I am not working hard not to be wounded.
Fun stuff:
Pip discovered the coolness that is Spiderman. Mimi mastered whining. Dear lord is that annoying.
We mastered the art of improvised nappies since we ran out three hours into a 12 hour travel day (don't ask).
Pip learnt to use a fork to eat spaghetti.
Mimi learnt to write a few letters and I swear she can read words.
Nephew (9) and kids were as thick as thieves and now Pip keeps saying "I miss my cousin) ahhhhh
We didn't watch TV at all.
Mimi really likes to cook
For those of you that haven't been to remote Yorkshire land it is wet and muddy. On one walk I had two little kids wrapped around me whilst I slowly sank into knee deep thick muddy puddle. Turns out they quite like puddle jumping! Every time we went went for a walk the first thing they did was jump in the deepest muckiest puddle they could find!
The UK family dynamics were a little strained. It's really challenging to see such vibrant and successful people struggling so hard with the aging process. And it was really hard saying goodbye. At this point I feel the distance between us so very deeply. I can't just pop by. They see their grandkids in spurts. The historical drama gets crammed into a few days and so becomes incredibly intense. Such a complicated time. I miss them but I am relieved to be back in my life where I am not working hard not to be wounded.
Fun stuff:
Pip discovered the coolness that is Spiderman. Mimi mastered whining. Dear lord is that annoying.
We mastered the art of improvised nappies since we ran out three hours into a 12 hour travel day (don't ask).
Pip learnt to use a fork to eat spaghetti.
Mimi learnt to write a few letters and I swear she can read words.
Nephew (9) and kids were as thick as thieves and now Pip keeps saying "I miss my cousin) ahhhhh
We didn't watch TV at all.
Mimi really likes to cook
I'm glad you are back safe and sound. I love reading about Pip and Mimi's adventures. They sound like troopers!
ReplyDeleteKathy
So glad you had a good trip. And ah yes, that family stuff sounds very, very familiar. But it sounds like you have a good sense of perspective about it.
ReplyDelete