A whole week with just two little boys in my house (and only one for part of the time). It's been different in some ways, pretty much the same in others. One thing it certainly has been is awfully quiet around here. With two mostly non-verbal little guys, the silence has been unreal at times. Connor can't go five seconds without saying something. He can't go three without repeating it if he doesn't get the desired response (meaning ANY response). My little guys sometimes don't say anything at all for hours at a time.
And I can imagine just how not quiet it's been at the beach, where my three-year old is happily encamped with some of his favorite play buddies. Grammy and Connor called this morning for a brief chat. My son's part of the conversation was brief and to the point.
"Water! Pool! Beach! BeachPool! Sand dirty! Splashin'! Goin' on boat! Bye-bye, Mommy!" he said, and then he was gone. Back to the balcony to watch all the boats and jet-skis that were playing in the ocean in front of their condo and to sneak another look down at the pool under their balcony. If he could describe heaven for you, this would be it. But when he starts talking on the phone, his normally good conversation skills revert back to one-word sentences.
Grammy said they'd been spending lots of time at the pool and the beach, and that today they were hoping to take everyone out on a boat ride to see the dolphins. Connor seemed pretty excited at the idea of a boat, more water, and dolphins all at the same time! He sounds like he's having the time of his life.
Poor kid, coming home really is going to suck compared to the week he's having! But it's been such a wonderful gift for him to go, and I'm so thankful that he's getting to have all these wonderful adventures with his family. I don't remember ever taking a big family vacation like this one, and I'm glad my son is getting to be a part of it. He's spending the week with four generations of his family - his Great Grandma Kitty, his great Aunt Lynn and his great uncle Daniel, his own Grammy, and his cousins (second perhaps, since they are actually our cousins).
How often do we, in our busy every day lives, get to spend that much time with our extended families? Connor, and even the little guys on a smaller scale, have had so many of these wonderful adventures in their short lives. They're all going to have a lot of good memories to hold on to as they grow up! And right now, I bet this one is at the top of Connor's list.
