Stephanie and Tristan, married 10 years as of December 27 of last year, decided to revisit the land of their original honeymoon, London.  And they are throwing Paris in there, too.

We have the Kelley kids for 9 days.  Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

I actually had to write things on my calendar like:

• “Feed Gemma lunch” on my work days, though Steph and Tris assured me she would not let me forget.
• And “Take Gavin and Guni to school.”
• Then, “Pick Gavin and Guini up from school.”

I mean, I once had a houseful of 5 children, a pet or two and a husband to enthrall all at once.  And I like to say “I raised 5 kids and lived to tell about it.”  But nonetheless I am a little out of practice and Stephanie did make me four pages of important notes on the care and feeding of her babies while they are gone.

Nine days of fun in my forecast.

Before my alarm went off this morning, the sound of little feet tearing through the house signaled the day beginning.  I heard some one let Sandy-the-Dog out and she immediately began barking like crazy, which is terribly unacceptable at that time in the morning.  I had to smile because I awoke to being in my very own sit-com.

I came downstairs from my shower.

Dave was playing one of the scripture lullaby CDs on the surround-sound to set a nice, scriptural foundation for the morning and made me some coffee.  Guini was vacuuming away happily, Gavin was playing a basketball game on my iPod, with all its’ bells and whistles and Gemma had donned a sailor-style sundress, little anklets and her tap shoes and was dancing brightly across the kitchen tile in the rays of early-morning sun.

One generation will praise His works to another and declare His mighty acts.  Psalm 145.4

There is a surge of vitality pulsing through this house, our home.  There is something children bring to the rhythm of life’s days that you won’t know to miss until it has passed.  For when they are young, the minutes and hours and days of “Where is my backpack?” and papers that need to be signed for teachers and “I can’t find my other shoe” seem to stretch on endlessly.  But there does come an end.

This isn’t a melancholy post about kids growing up.  This is a post to celebrate the time of life I am in, which is one that can appreciate, in a way I couldn’t have 20 years ago, that life goes fast and it is fun and good.  And children are messy and a little unpredictable and they sort of dictate existence while they are around and that is good for all of us.

Yesterday Gemma looked dreamily into the distance and said, “Mommy and daddy are far away.  We live here now.”

And for a few days, they do.  So for a few days, I live here now, too.

I’m a lucky Nonna.