Time Flies

“Time flies when you’re having fun” was something my parents often said, and I said it to my children too; usually in irony when the “fun” was really a hectic schedule or something not so fun that needed to be done.   This time I can honestly say that time does fly when we’re having fun.  The last few months, along with the next few to come, have been filled with more family opportunities than will most likely happen for a while.  After returning back from Arizona and the birth of our 10^th grandchild, Garrett Kauffman, David & Jessica’s son, we were blessed to have Taylor bring his fiancé, Kate Garlick, to New York for a visit.  It was wonderful to get to know her better.  We feel so blessed that he has found someone grounded in the gospel as well as an all around intelligent and enjoyable person.  Taylor often told me on the phone that he loved to make Kate happy and I can see why.  We too enjoyed seeing her beautiful smile and hearing her laugh.  We are looking forward to their upcoming marriage on June 25th.

Not long after Taylor and Kate left us Lindsey and Adam along with Alina and Anna came for a visit.  This was the first time one of our toddler grandchildren has been here and it was a true test to see if we had what we needed to keep her entertained and happy.  (I’ve decided that we may need to get a few more toys before we have any other preschoolers come our way.)  So it was a good thing we were not in the apartment too much anyway.  My favorite times were at the Met’s game, the carrousel ride, the subway rides, Central Park, the ferry ride, the zoo . . . . Ok, I loved it ALL.  I found it rather enjoyable when I volunteered to take Anna while Lindsey, Adam and Alina rented bikes and rode around Central Park.  It was a beautiful day, and I decided I would rather carry Anna in the Bjorn and push Adam’s backpack in the stroller.  When a 55-year-old woman is carrying a baby in a Bjorn in Central Park, she gets some very interesting looks from people.  First, people would usually look at how cute Anna is and then their eyes would drift up to my face and this quizzical look of, “Could she really be the mother or is she the nanny?” would come across their face.  Central Park is a great place to people watch and I felt like I contributed to the entertainment a little.