Monday Monday 8.25.2008

Happy Monday,

Maggie and I just finished off weekend number 1 in a series of weekends to be spent at our house in PA. For this weekend’s festivities, Scott and Jessica Ellsworth came down from Rochester with their two kids: Mary Grace (1.5 yrs old) and Ella (3 months old). There is something to be said for having your children fully raised and into college by the time you reach the age of 45.

Scott, Jessica, and the two kids made for an exciting weekend in PA when taking into account that the children brought a whole other dimension into our lives. Maggie and I rarely interact with many people under the age of 22 from day to day, so having two babies roaming around our 863 square foot home made for a sudden change in pace. Mary Grace has boomed since we last saw her now having the extensive vocabulary of 5-6 words including “Mama,” “Dada,” “Hi,” “Ella,” and “all done.” I say 5-6 words because I’m not entirely sure whether “all done” should be classified as one word, two words, or maybe it might even be a phrase.

Utilizing both the swimming pool and the lake, we brought the element of water to Mary Grace in full force. The pool stairs were like a miniature roller coaster as we all monitored Mary Grace climb in and out of the pool time and time again. She never wanted to get any deeper than her knees, but every now and then she would topple over into the water giving us all a little scare. At one point, Scotty dove to save her and almost couldn’t bring himself back up. . .we all just sat there and watched him nearly drown.

Once the little ones went to sleep, we played games and ate junk food. Maggie’s niece, mother, and father came over to play a 7 person game of Mexican Train. . . .Scott and Jess thoroughly enjoyed the game and commented on how they would be purchasing it shortly. . . I can’t believe how quickly this game is spreading.

I’m sure Scott and Jess would agree that we had an otherwise uneventful couple of days just enjoying the peace and quiet away from cell phones and internet.

I’m sorry folks, but there is nothing new to report on the engagement or the wedding.

If you’re looking for me over the next couple of weeks, I plan to be sitting in front of the TV watching CNN’s coverage of the Democratic and Republican Conventions. I’m not sure what’s on tap for the GOP, but the DNC has quite a roster of speakers (both of the Clintons, Gore, Obama, Biden).

Have a Good Week,

Ryan