Divide and Conquer

Last week, my parents took my daughters for a three day visit and this week they took the older boys.  With two grandchildren in tow, my parents did educational/fun/touristy things around New York City, things that I never could do when I lived there with four kids under four, things that I didn’t really do as a kid in New York either, we were too busy living our real life to be tourists in our own city!  The children had a wonderful time and so did I — at home, with just four children, I was able to get lots of work done around our house, play bingo, lay in a play tent and read about dinosaurs and many of the other things that often get shoved aside in our busy days.  It is funny, because four children used to seem like a lot to me, and now my house felt kind of empty with just four.  The kids missed each other, and were excited to catch up when they returned.  Leo (2) cried for his “guys” when he went to bed at night.  Absence made the heart grow fonder.  Now, they have a dresser full of souvenirs from their “staycation” in my home town, they have pictures and memories of great time, and next year’s school curriculum has been planned and ordered!  Thank God for grandparents!