Afternoon With Family, Morning With Rhys

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Tommy J

Backyard View Of Pool And Woods

The Family

It’s 7:00, and I was up at 6:10, joining Grandma Mary and Rhys. He was watching a video about tractors and trucks while eating a bowl of blueberries. He loves staying overnight at his grandparents’ house, and they clearly enjoy it just as much. A little later, Tom, Rhys, and I rushed outside to watch the garbage truck arrive. Rhys waved enthusiastically, and the driver obliged with a blast of the horn as he pulled away.

Dining Room

Yesterday’s road trip to Lee’s Summit was uneventful—just long and boring. The only rough stretch was driving around St. Louis, five to six lanes of driving hell. Both sides of the highway were lined with buildings and shops, especially car dealerships, and the strip malls seemed endless. Once past that, it was smooth sailing until we neared Kansas City, where traffic picked up again. Eventually, we arrived at Tom’s house, where Tom, Mary, and Marlena were outside waiting for us.

Rhys And Granny

Grandma Mary And Rhys

Rhys Watching A Truck Video

They moved into their new house about a year ago, and this was our first visit. It’s a striking place, essentially with two living rooms: one above the pool that includes the kitchen and looks out over the woods, and another at pool level with a couple of TVs, a bar, and a workspace for Tom. We got settled quickly and caught up on their lives, but mostly we waited for Nick and Aundraya to arrive with our two great-grandsons, Rhys and Tommy. The afternoon was spent watching Rhys play and taking turns holding Tommy. Both boys are a delight, and we envy Tom and Mary for having Nick’s family living so close.

Tommy With Grandpa Tom

Wearing Grandma Mary's Glasses This Morning

Nick and Aundraya both have busy lives since they work full-time, though each has taken advantage of three-month parental leaves at different times. Earlier, Tom pulled out 20 pounds of wings, doused them in hot sauce, and let them blacken in his smoker for a couple of hours. After a couple of glasses of wine and some quality time holding Tommy, he went down for a nap. We sat down to dinner—wings, salad, baked beans, and cream corn from a local barbecue place called Smoke Stack. Everything was delicious, and I happily finished off the beans and corn. Yum.

Morning With Rhys

Tommy With Great Granddad 

Nick and Aundraya took Tommy home around 6:30, and Mary put Rhys to bed at 7:00. Earlier, Marlena had baked cookies to take to a party, so she left around 7:30 and planned to spend the night at Nick’s house since it was close by. The four of us struggled to stay awake until 8:30 while watching the NFL game, but by 9:00, we were all in bed, worn out from the drive and a busy, wonderful afternoon with the boys.