to mom and dad's

on thursday i picked up maryann and her boys and headed down to mom and dad's for a visit. we wanted to go to mass before but i was running a little late so we ended up catching only the liturgy of the eucharist. we piled in the car and headed down the road a ways. the trees were stunning. i love how they line the highway displaying all their variations of color only to be broken up by sections of evergreen. coming home always feels so nice in the fall. the old growth trees in mom's hood never disappoint. in the spring it's a competition between the dogwoods and the azaleas but in the fall the oaks and the maples take over the show.

i had put together some bread dough before leaving the house and it rose nice and high during mass so when we got to mom's i put it right in the oven. we sat and chatted. fr. joseph was feeling better than the last time i saw him. he stayed out in the living room to chat and take a peek at frances. i fed frances and pottied her and she fell asleep snuggly on maryann's chest- where she remained for about two good hours. the towel on frances' head is to keep the crumbs from maryann's sandwich from getting in her hair. the poor girl often has food spilled on her- attachment parenting at it's sloppiest.;-)
david and i headed out to the yard while the bread cooled. he brought his bike and we were determined to learn to ride it. we started off in the grass and he picked it up very easily. we headed out to the street and he fell, attempting to dismount the bike as it was still moving. so we headed back to the grass to perfect braking.

a few more runs in the grass and we needed a water break. once inside arif tried his best to persuade me that the bread was cool enough to eat. how can i say no to those big doey eyes? i cut him a couple slices, feigned a fight over the heel and made him a sandwich (both he and i love the heel of a fresh baked loaf). arif took his meal outside to picnic and watch his youngest brother learn something he no doubt mastered years ago. a tragic car accident took a lot of motorskill from arif. he is a walking miracle. maryann is chronicling the incredible journey of his accident and long road to recovery here- http://miracleboyarif.blogspot.com/

after a few more tries i observed that david was losing focus. we headed back inside for some lunch. mom and maryann are chatting in the living room. we all share a modest lunch- the bread all but magically disappears as the afternoon wears on. fr. joseph shows me some clips on youtube he's found interesting. he's looking better but still not healthy. he's tired and thin. he's mostly bald with a little whispy baby soft hair sprouting up between sores. the drugs that course through his veins to keep him alive seem like they are doing a bang up job-literally.

everyone found their way outside after lunch, possibly to give fr. joseph a quiet house to snooze in.
the sun warmed up the front lawn throughout the morning and now sat behind the pines in mrs. kruger's yard. after snuggling with grandpa the baby the baby laid in my lap in a patch of shadow and watched david attempt to catch the leaves falling from the water oak in mom's backyard- the one that is trying it's hardest to push the fence over with it's everexpanding trunk.

i had to call things off way earlier than i wanted to. the school kids were soon to be dropped off at the busstop and i had to drop maryann and her boys back off at home. what a nice visit. we should do it again soon!