browser life

I got to experience a first on Saturday - my sister, her husband and their two boys came up to South Dakota to visit! The older boy, who has Down's syndrome, is almost four and the younger is a year and a half. They came by the house around 2pm.

Dan and I gave them the grand tour, trying to keep an eye on the boys as our house is far from childproof (I did have the good sense to put things like medication and cleaning products out of easy reach). We did have one mishap - Nephew L. gave his little brother a kick and sent him tumbling down the stairs headfirst! Luckily, the stairs are carpeted and Nephew A. must have a hard head because he was just fine. I think L. didn't intend to actually hurt his brother.

After showing off the untidy but well-shaded yard (our eight maple trees are really gorgeous), we gave L. an early birthday present - a tub of Duplo (over sized) Lego. It went over well, and we all played with it for awhile. When, A., who is the speediest 18-month-old I have ever seen, got restless, we decided to go to a nearby park that had lots of playground equipment.

To say it was hot that afternoon would be a gross understatement. It was at least 90 degrees with humidity to match. But that didn't slow A. down one little bit.

With their parents watching closely, the boys clambered around the various equipment, mostly to go down the slides. I stayed off the the play sets but took pictures of the kids on them. Nephew L. just got orthotics in his shoes and is still learning how to walk in them, but he managed to get around fairly well when he took it slow. His little brother was practically a blur and never got tired, even when the rest of us were done in.

We took a little break after the park, with Dan and I getting cleaned up at home and my sister and family checking into their hotel. We met up later for dinner at the Outback. We managed to get a corner booth, which was a good thing because that way, Nephew A. couldn't run around the restaurant (his brother was too tired for that).

After a slightly chaotic but delicious supper, we went back to the hotel room so the adults could chat and the kids could possibly wind down. While my sister and I got caught up on family gossip and such, Nephew L. decided Dan was pretty cool and sat in his lap for about half an hour, putting an empty bowl on his uncle's head like a hat and replacing it every time it fell off. Nephew A. played the 18-month-old's version of Hide and Seek in the room.

Two hours later, Dan and I headed back to the house so they could call it a night. We made plans to have them come by in the morning before they headed off to the Black Hills. Because of my digestive issues, I could not lie down right away and had to stay up until around 1:30am despite being incredibly wiped out.

They came around about 10:00 (I think) on Sunday morning. We chatted and played with the Lego some more. By this time, L. was really getting the hang of how to put the pieces together, and he and A. made some impressive stuff.

My sister decided they needed to get on the road about noon, so we said our goodbyes. I was surprised that the boys seemed a little sad to leave. I hope that we can manage to get together again sometime soon.

Dan headed out to run errands, and I zonked out on the couch within minutes, waking up an hour and a half later when he returned home with groceries. I had planned to get some stuff I needed at Walgreens, but by late afternoon it was clear I wasn't up to roaming around a store, so Dan went for me. I dozed off again, awakened by a call from my mother-in-law asking if we were getting together for dinner. In all the hubbub of my sister's arrival, Dan had forgotten to tell me that his cousin was passing through town Sunday evening.

So I managed to prop up my eyelids long enough to go back out again. I had met Dan's cousin once before at some family function, but had never actually had a conversation with him. He was in the process of moving from Calgary to Bloomington for a teaching position and stopped in Sioux Falls just long enough for dinner with us.

We went back home right after we ate, and I was nodding off on the couch again by 8:30. Needless to say, I didn't make it to water therapy today, and Dan had to drag me out of bed at 12:30 in the afternoon during his lunch break. I feel pummeled and drained of blood even now.

But it was worth it.