Last weekend was a continuation of the cold spill that started in late December. On this evening's news it said that the Twin Cities average temps so far this month has been 0 degrees. So Friday night Jeanne and I agreed that we would hunker down for the weekend and wait out the cold. We would watch a little TV, take in a football game and just stay warm. That changed Friday evening when we received a call from a friend of ours who said they were in the Cities and wondered if we would be interested in coming over to their hotel and go swimming with her and the kids while Eric, her husband, was in a workshop.
Tammy and Eric had four kids until they decided to add two more to the mix by adopting two children from the Ukraine. Now they have six wonderful kids, ages 4 to 15. Ben and Sophie, the newest members of the family, came with physical problems effecting their legs and arms. Jeanne and I jumped at the chance to be surrogate grandparents, if only for the day.
On Saturday we packed up some cheese and crackers, lemonade for the kids and a bottle of wine for the older folks and off to the hotel we went.
Tammy's eldest daughter was waiting for us at the hotel and showed us where the family was staying. After a quick change, off to the pool we went. We sent the entire day at the pool, swimming with the children and filling them up, like good grandparents, with loads of cheese, crackers and "reindeer noses." It was three months since we had met Sophie and Ben at the airport as they arrived from the Ukraine. They could not speak any English but were not shy and had smiles as big as all outdoors. Wow! How things had changed in that short time.
While playing with them in the pool, Jeanne and I discovered that they understood most of what we were asking them to do and could even speak more then a little English. They may have problems with their muscles but their minds are sharp and they are inquisitive and just adorable. They both still have those broad smiles and just beamed as they learned to get around in the water. This was the first time either child had been in a swimming pool but they were acting like they had been swimming all their lives. After a day in the water, we packed it up and headed back to the room. Jeanne and I helped Tammy get the kids all dressed for their night out at dinner. It dawned on me later what a great help that must have been. Can you image how much time it must take to get four pre-schoolers dressed, two with limited ability to use their arms or legs? I can remember when my boys were pre-schoolers how long it took to get ready to leave the house.
We had a great time and look forward to any opportunity for us to be grandparents again.
it was an incredible help to have extra hands getting kids dressed. its good to have good friends. ironically after you left my cousin arrived just as we were leaving (but we didnt see her)and she waited around for us but we didnt come back so she went home. so you guys are the only family we saw that weekend.
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