To Grandma and Grandpa’s House We Go

We haven’t taken the children to visit Grandma and Grandpa Wilding since last spring. While Jennifer was pregnant, she just wanted to stay home. We usually go down to visit every few months. The children kept asking us when we were going to Grandma’s. A trip to Utah Valley was long overdue. Jennifer’s parents hadn’t even seen baby Emma.

Jennifer and Emma had their six-week checkup in Layton on Wednesday, so we decided to take the whole family on a little vacation. Everyone was excited to go. They got to skip school, be spoiled a little, eat fantastic food, and have fun at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Our children aren’t the only ones who feel this way. There always seems to be a treat and something yummy in Grandma’s kitchen.

We woke up early, had family devotional, ate breakfast, and were ready to leave early Tuesday morning. The children were anxious to get on the road, but they had to wait for Jared to get home from milking. He milks cows from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. When he finally came home, everyone gave him a grand welcome. With excitement, they encouraged him to shower and quickly get ready.

Jared expressed that he’s never seen his family so excited to see him. He commented that he often walks in almost unnoticed. This morning was different. Everyone noticed and was happy to see him come home.

We piled in our 15-passenger van and headed for Grandma’s. We were only in the van for two hours, but Joseph needed two potty breaks along the way. When we arrived, we brought in our bags and talked about where everyone was going to sleep. It’s amazing that no one is staying at Grandma and Grandpa’s right now. Almost everyone has used their house as a temporary residence at one time or another. All the bedrooms were available.

Grandma and Grandpa prepared a wonderful lunch for the hungry crew. It was delicious, and most of us had seconds. Grandma’s food is one of the highlights of every visit. The family gets to eat things we normally don’t eat at home, and there’s always enough. When they know we’re coming, Grandma sends Grandpa to the store to buy a lot of food.

I don’t know why we need to come all the way down to Grandma’s to watch movies, but somehow it just seems different. The children usually watch “Fireproof” at least once because we don’t have this movie, and it’s one of their favorites.

They enjoy playing games inside and having fun outside. The younger children can spend hours in the sand box, swinging on swings, and riding bikes. It turned out to be winter wonderland, so they didn’t play outside as much as they usually do.

At Grandma’s house, it seems like a holiday with food and fun. Cold breakfast cereal, pancakes, all you can eat buffet, movies with popcorn, and special treats. Even though we aren’t at home, everyone is still expected to pitch in and help keep the house clean. We don’t want to be a big burden and wear out our welcome.

With 40 grandchildren and 20+ great grandchildren, Grandma and Grandpa’s house is a crossroads. We often see many family members while we’re visiting.

Loa came over to visit, but we were on our afternoon walk. She drove around the neighborhood looking for us. She found us when we were just about home. We visited before she had to head off to work.

We said good-bye to Loa not even realizing what time it was. We were late for dinner, and everyone was waiting to eat. Grandma sent Eleni and one of the children to look for us. When Grandma says we’re going to eat at 5:30 p.m., she means it. We’re lucky Grandma doesn’t hold a grudge because we weren’t very responsible.

During the evening, we visited with many family members that stopped by. We had the privilege of meeting two new additions to our extended family. Michelle invited her fiancé, Sawyer, to come meet our family. They are getting married in April. Later that evening, Cody came by with his fiancée, Madeline. They plan to be married in May. Congratulations to both!

John Wilding must have had a great evening because he came in with a sparkle in his eye and a spring to his step. After putting the children to bed, we stayed up well past midnight talking to John and Eleni. One of our favorite things to do when we get together with family members is to talk about ideas, thoughts, and experiences. Lots of fun but very little sleep!

The children woke up early and helped Grandma and Grandpa with breakfast. When we heard the noise, we decided to do our parental duty and get up and help. We enjoyed talking, reminiscing, listening to stories about when Grandpa and Grandma were young, and hearing about what two 84-year-olds do to stay young and active.

They are writing their life histories. Grandma is writing a children’s book for the grand children and great-grand children. Grandpa is writing articles on health and nutrition. He has a lot to offer in this area. He’s always discovering ways to improve their health. Grandma lost 50 pounds since we’ve seen her. It’s exciting, and she feels better.

We had a wonderful visit and the children are already asking us when we can go back. A day, a night, and a day was the ideal length of time to stay. If we stay too long, our large family can tend to be a little overwhelming. It worked out perfect. We were welcomed and loved.

Thank You Grandma and Grandpa