Weekend Shenanigans

The end of last week and this past weekend were so much fun! Andrew’s 10-year-old niece Lizzy stayed with us all by herself and it was so great getting to know her a little better at this age. Ten is one of my very favorite ages– the average age of the kids I used to counsel back before I had children of my own, so it was very heartwarming to be around her and realize that she is just on the cusp of so many changes, and still capable of being enamored by grown ups (in this case, Andrew).

Milo thinks Lizzy walks on water, so he was up to all sorts of tricks in an attempt to impress her. The two of them often walked ahead or behind the rest of the group to discuss more serious matters. At the same time, Lizzy was tremendously tender and helpful with Oliver and Emil, who also idolize her. Emil constantly wanted to hold her hand and continually told her (while calling her “Izzy” instead of Lizzy for some reason), “You’re the BEST!” Oliver mainly just felt left out, as he is stuck in the middle and felt particularly sad when Andrew took Lizzy and Milo to Six Flags (Milo’s very first big amusement park trip). We decided Oliver and Emil were too young, as they wouldn’t be tall enough (or crazy enough) to ride most of the rides. Instead, I took them on a special date to the zoo, where we rode the train, got an ice cream, and even picked out a stuffed animal. It was all for nought; Oliver spent most of the day crying and carrying on and asking when Lizzy and Milo would be back, and saying how unfair it all was. Poor guy. Sometimes even lots of hugs and kisses can’t ease the pain of being a middle child. It’s a rough go sometimes. The few days went really well other than that little hitch. We went to the pool, played in a nearby creek and playground, went out for pizza and a root beer float, then bowling (more on that tomorrow), went out to breakfast one morning, and the kids all played very well together. On Saturday, we prepped all day for a huge going away party for our dear friends and neighbors who are moving at the end of this week. It was a wonderful celebration but so hard to say good-bye. It’s never easy to watch someone (or in this case, five someones) walk away, especially when they are such great community people. To say we will miss them is a huge understatement — they have become like family to us over the past five years.
Saying good-bye to Lizzy was also hard on the boys, particularly Emil, who slept late and awoke to an empty house asking, “Where’s Izzy?” as soon as he opened his eyes. So Lizzy, if you’re reading this, Emil says he misses you and you’re… THE BEST! And I say, come back anytime, we love you!