A few weeks ago, I had the wonderful pleasure of spending 10 days with my niece and nephew while my mom had some free time to go on vacation. I was excited to spend some time in Richmond, and of course, to spend some quality time with the kids.
My niece and nephew are the cutest little people. I love hearing their stories, watching them play together, and laugh. My nephew, who is the youngest, is always trying to do what his older sister can. He has absolutely no fear. So what she does, he wants to do. Although my niece is a little more hesitant she is always ready to swing from the monkey bars or climb high on the jungle gym. She loves being the big sister and showing him what to do. I hope they stay this close as they grow up.
Over the course of my visit, I took the kids to many different playgrounds. They showed me a few of their favorites, and I showed them a new one that they loved. They are little monkeys and climbed all over the obstacles, swings, and monkey bars. They love Ninja Warrior, and I feel like they themselves are little warriors!
We ate dinner as a family almost every night. It is then when we heard the kids’ stories of how their day went at school and what they did. They usually had something to say about school, their teacher, or a friend, and they loved telling their dad about their afternoon at the playground.
It was a perfect vacation for me. It was a little sad not having Babcia there (what they called Gram). The kids loved their great-grandmother so much and loved helping her. Although they thought she was as slow as a turtle, they would always volunteer to take her hand and help her steady herself up the stairs and into the house. In earlier days, they loved going in and waking her up, too. “Babcia, it’s time to get up!” is what they would say. Then they would help make her eggs and a piece of toast. We would all have breakfast together, and they would try to persuade her to eat when she was just sitting there staring into space.
We all missed Babcia and our traditions of waking her up, helping her into the house, and going to get ice cream. My nephew had great insight and just made my heart melt. We talked a little about Babcia, and he said “Did Babcia like dogs?”, I said, “Yes, she did.” He said then she must be up in Heaven playing with Phoenix. (Phoenix was his Pops dog that passed away a few years ago.) He said, “I bet mom is playing with Phoenix, too.” And, “I am glad they can all be together.” Oh, my sweet baby boy. How precious.
I am sure you all have nieces, nephews, sons, daughters, or cousins who say the most precious things at the right time. Or in some cases the most embarrassing thing at the wrong time! But these two kids have the biggest hearts and the sharpest minds. Through all the pain and loss that they have suffered, they have rebounded. They love each other and know they are loved by all around them. They seem to know that life is short and to not take it for granted. They love to laugh and have fun.
Although I want them to stay these ages forever, I am excited to see what is in store for them in the future. What will they become? What passion will they find? How can I influence them to be kind, loving human beings? I try not to stress or worry about the otherworldly influences on them or wonder if they will make the right decisions. For now, I will continue loving them and encouraging them to be strong and inspiring.