Audrey and I ventured to Illinois today to spend the day with Nana (my mom) and Papa (my dad). Papa’s birthday was today and my Oma and Opa (my grandparents) were having dinner for him. For all non-German speaking folks, Oma and Opa are German for Grandma and Grandpa. My husband is out of town on business so I made the lovely 1 hr 20 min drive by myself. It’s not that it’s a long drive, but it’s a drive that you really have to pay attention to. Most of the route is through the Kettle Moraine forest, and to me, that means deer. I am petrified of hitting a deer so I apologize to the driver’s behind me; I typically don’t drive 5 miles UNDER the speed limit.
Today was a fine family affair. My brother, Alex, was sent home from nursing clinicals today because he wasn’t feeling well at the hospital. Somewhere in that sentence, I detect irony. So while Audrey played tea party and gave Nana’s stuffed animals a ride on the rocking horse, Alex, my mom, and I discussed politics. We’re a very passionate family and even though we agree on almost everything political, we still feel the need to raise our voices when discussing the issues. Audrey must think we’re nuts. My mom is becoming the ultimate political guru. Got a question about a candidate or this year’s election in general? Ask my mom, I guarantee a completely un-bias answer (total sarcasm intended). We also talked baseball as we so often hope to do around this time of year. When the Cubs have an excellent chance at the playoffs, we are the most die-hard fans you’ll ever meet. When they’re not having a great year, well, there’s always next.
A day at Nana and Papa’s, by definition, means a lot of spoiling will be involved. Spoiling in the “Another cupcake? Okay, but only if you just eat the frosting” sense. My poor Oma slaved over a hot stove all day to make two roasts, her famous German potato dumplings, and countless other sides, only to have her dinner completely ignored by her great-granddaughter. I know Oma really only cares about seeing Audrey and isn’t the least bit offended by the lack of consumption, but it would have been nice for Audrey to at least TRY the dumpling she helped make.
Going to Nana and Papa’s also means that Audrey is sure to learn something new. Today it was a song involving the word “diarrhea”. I won’t go in to any further detail only that I hope and pray that she forgets all the words by the time she goes back to school in the morning. At least I’ll have a good defense if her teacher pulls me aside at the end of the day. “I didn’t teach her that. It was her Nana.”
Overall, it was a great day. I love spending time with my family and I know that Audrey does too. She’s so lucky to have her great-grandparents (and one additional great-grandfather from my side and a great-grandmother from my husband’s side) as part of her life. She is loved and adored and spoiled, and that’s just the way it should be.