Oh, but I love those kids! The big two and their little guys. The two young families. Each day more, as I discover new little permutations on personality traits that are so familiar to me, yet always sprouting totally delightful new ideas, new ways of moving through the day!
Yeah, it was great to have them all together here. It's always great, but somehow, as I get older, it just gets greater.
Even though the day got off to a very early start. Too early! I woke up at 4 and tried to check off in my head all that I wanted to do for today's family brunch at the farmhouse. And it struck me that there's a lot on that list, and they're all coming on the early side, and, too, I wanted to bake, and my younger girl wanted to visit my mother in the hospital with me before our get together. I realized I needed to be up before my usual morning wake up hour. By 4:30 I was in the shower and a few minutes later I was up chasing the cats out and setting the table. And mixing the batter for this rhubarb cake. (Lilac and lily-of-the-valley, as well as the rhubarb, supplied by farmette lands)
A very quick walk outside, to admire those early rays of sunlight as they play with the flowers and grasses.
It's going to be a beautiful day!
Most of prep work done, I set out to pick up daughter. Our visit to the hospital is a bit of a bust because my mother had been grumpy this morning and so the staff helped her ease her displeasure with some calming meds. This zonked her out, so we saw my sleeping mother. Ah well, my daughter said it was important to stop by anyway, since she is not up here (from Chicago) so often and, well, my mother is 100 so opportunities for seeing each other are rare.
From there, we drive to pick up bakery items from Madison Sourdough (of course! my predictable favorite bread and croissant bakery in Madison), and then at Tati's Cafe in the new development to stock up on caffeine (and while there, we may as well drive by Steffi's House, because my girl is curious about stuff like that) and finally home, to the farmhouse, where just after 10:30 everyone gathers.
It's funny -- in my after-school care for the big two Madison kids, no one wants to play outside. Max five minutes and they clamor to come in. Today, at least four of the grandkids are itching to find dandelion puffs, to scamper away from adults across farmette fields. Well fine, it is a gorgeous day, but can you please pause for a photo?
Thank you!
(so many violets to pick...)
(so many mowed trails to follow!)
I chase them further, to do a two family photo. This is important to me, and they know it, and everyone works hard to make it happen. Sure, it's tough to get nine people, with five of them under the age 10, to look their best in a group shot, but I think this one turned out okay!
This is when the bacon turned rather crispy in the oven, due to neglect.
(meanwhile, the big girls beg for hose time... I never say no to hose time... true, someone always gets wet, but still, it's worth it!)
No matter. Some people are fine with extra crispy bacon and other have plenty of other foods to choose from. Cheeper eggs with garden chives, some garden asparagus, some tomatoes, bakery items, cheeses, fruits. I do not ever forget how fortunate we are with our food selections.
(on the table: the violets picked by all the kids)
Brunch:
And after, the big kids want to go out once again. The youngest one, Juniper, goes along for a tiny bit, but it's getting awfully close to her nap and there are still toys inside she hasn't explored. She stays out long enough for one of the dads to take a photo that properly belongs to Mother's Day, so I'll post it, but in a week.
(the kids, minus Juniper, escaping from the call of the adults!)
In the early afternoon, the youngest family heads southeast and the other guys head northwest. Me, I stay home to tidy, and to think sweet thoughts about these people that I love so very, very much! I had them all with me and it was grand!
