gifts

my parents were in town this weekend, and as usual they gave us a multitude of gifts. for being here less than 48 hours, they sure can pack in the giving.

first is always (and evermore shall be?) the case of Newcastle. my dad likes good beer, and knows that I love it yet dont get it for myself much, so he consistantly spoils me with 24 wonderful bottles of the good stuff. there really couldnt be a better food or drink gift for me.

then there's something for the kid. usually nice little clothes that we need and maybe a toy or two they picked up at the church yardsale or something. this time we even sent back the annoying toys, so they can be "grandma's house" toys.

on Saturday morning they hit the ground running with the gifts of service. grandma tackled the mountain of dishes (which took her pretty much all day, on and off) while grandpa installed the new roof rack for our car. their presence also freed me up to make a big grocery store run, while mama started her little family photo project. I cant express how wonderful it is to have a clean kitchen after such a mess for too long. I'd get oh-so-close, but never quite done. between sick baby and busy work stuff, we just couldnt kill the beast, but grandma to the rescue. we pledge to keep it clean until vacation.

oh yeah and I shouldnt forget to mention that I didnt change a diaper all weekend, which is a little strange. nice, but strange.

in the afternoon I was also freed up to do some gardening. this year I've adopted the Bush Doctrine and are hitting the bugs with a pre-emptive strike. no more sissy "insecticidal soap." I've busted out the real bug killer, and hopefully the harvest will do better and last longer this year. the tomato plants are looking great, as is the main cuke. we'll see about the squash plants and other cukes. the snow peas were about done after a bountiful harvest, so I tore them down, turned the soil, and planted more tomatos. yum. I think we're done planting new stuff this year, except for some marigolds maybe.

on Saturday evening they happily babysat while we went out for a nice dinner at Bonefish Grill. even better, my workplace picked up the bill as a thank you for staying late lately. the whole experience there was great and Michelle was just giddy to be out at a nice place together. good atmosphere, servers, beer, food and desert. if you go, you must get the "bang bang shrimp" appetizer. simply amazing.

when we got home, grandpa had mowed the lawn. even better, he mowed it with a new mower he bought for us! woohoo! no more mooching off the neighbors (thanks dave for all the mower use, by the way). maybe I can whip this lawn into shape so the kids can have something to play in besides a clover patch. I've wanted to buy a mower this season, but the roof rack took priority. grandpa to the rescue.

on Sunday morning we went to church while they stayed home with the baby, who isnt quite fully recovered from his week of sickness. we had a nice lunch and some last moments of cuteness together. it's so cool to see them love him so much, and he does quite well with them too.

now it's just us again, still enjoying the many gifts and blessings that they brought, looking forward to our next meeting in Vermont.

and this picture cracks me up.