Our Weekend in Tahoe with Micah and Jeremiah
What a blessing...and a challenge...to spend a weekend with our favorite grandchildren, Micah and Jeremiah, in favorite spot, Lake Tahoe! That describes it well. It was a blessing and a challenge.
First, Lorie and I are reminded of how all-consuming it is to have young children. There is the quantity of clothes and stuff you have to take with you just to get by--child seats, extra clothes, snow clothes, toys, movie players, DVD collections, medicine, "time-out" carpets...and earplugs! Yes, we drove from LA to Cooperopolis for a big surprise--Jeremiah and Micah were going to their first visit to Tahoe with Grandma Lorie and Papa Abba...alone! Yes, mom and dad were getting a two days off, and we were getting our first grandparent survival test!
We loved almost every minute of the experience. There was the three hour drive to Tahoe with high-decibel discourse coming from the back seats. There were kicks, blaming statements, intermittent tears and, of course, a series of warnings from the front seat--"Are we going to have to stop the car?" We didn't. Like all parents who point out the beautiful scenery; they didn't seem to care about what was going on outside the car. They wanted to know when we get there, and whether there would be plenty of snow.
There was quite a bit of snow for this time in the season and a threat of more to come that weekend. It did during the night before we had to drive out in that snow! But that is yet to come.
Within moments of arriving at our shared home in Stateline, the boys had their clothes and toys all over the house. We were trying to establish order; they were trying to create chaos. Lorie and I are still not sure which side won. We learned the importance of "getting kids tired" by hiking them, letting them play at playgrounds in the park and at McDonalds. Micah and Jeremiah, to their credit, play hard and get along well with other kids. They make friends and they race through every tunnel, every slide, and every swing set. We were proud of them. They enjoyed their hike to the lake through the reserve at Stateline. I took turns putting the boys on my shoulders...which will never be the same. We raced; we threw snowballs at each other; we laughed and we loved. They touched Lake Tahoe for the first time. We added that memory to our past joys associated with the hike. We used to take Runner and Sunshine to this area and watch them run. It was their favorite place. We hope the kids felt the same thing.
The first night was a challenge and a joy. There was the nightly reading to settle them down. Micah, who is now reading well, did most of the reading. He has made so much progress and loves to read and sing. It was a blessing. We then went to the rooms for stories. I told them stories, and they told me their own. They tried to stay in the same room, but that was not working. We split them up and put music in the hallway. They went to bed at 8:15, and we were in bed by 9:15. No TV, and barely time to get online to check e-mail. I can see why parents have a hard time keeping up with news or life! I was up twice during the night to put the kids back to bed and encourage them when they were afraid. I was suddenly glad that we went to bed early.
Saturday, we took a hike near the home by the creek. We went further than Sean and I had ever gone when he was a child. These kids are "true boys;" they love to take risks and take on the world. later we hiked at Emerald Bay to Eagle Lake with Micah leading the way. We then went back to McDonalds for food and more play time. Again the boys made a new set of friends. We went from there to the movies...to rest the grandparents...and take in the only "G" movie playing--"Meet the Robinsons." We loved the movie. It was a positive movie about adoption and the importance of "Keep Moving Forward" instead of getting stuck on past failures. We loved the movie...but like the scenery...we fear the message was lost on the kids. I guess that is what parenting is all about--thousands of such messages over and over again with the hope that some sticks. Lorie and I came to appreciate how great a job Sean and Nicole were doing to give the kids positive, faith-filled messages instead of just letting the kids watch anything. We tried to hold to those standards. It seems to be paying off for these two wonderful boys.
The final night brought more reading and more stories...and a great nights sleep with not a single interruption. Unfortunately, the great snow we wanted came when we were leaving. We had to drive through it instead of play in it. That was not as much fun, but thanks to four-wheel drive, we made it without chains back to Cooperopolis and...rest...for grandparents.
We not only survived the experience. I think they had fun and a new set of memories. We certainly have memories we will treasure. It was challenging but worth every minute it took to make it happen. After all, that's what grandparents are for--breaks for parents, memories for kids, and love...lots of it! What will I remember most, the moments I had with each boy to say how special they were and how proud we were to have them in our family.
