After depositing our little charge (see previous post) into the arms of her loving parents, we headed for the airport and a quick trip to speak at an unusual venue with eighty people in Minneapolis at a gorgeous furniture store. Somehow they managed to arrange chairs and couches in the owner’s beautiful store so we could talk with some fascinating people who are entrepreneurs about the importance of relationships over achievements and how crucial it is to “Leave a Legacy.”
Before the event we made a quick stop at a fascinating a Swedish Museum…..since Richard is thoroughly Swedish. This was the home of a Swedish immigrant who became a newpaper magnate in the early history of Minneapolis:
We made a quick stop at the biggest mall in the world, The Mall of America which was complete with an amusement part with many varieties of roller coasters and a stunning aquarium.
And then we were off the real fun! Shawni and Dave had left for a week in Costa Rica and we flew to AZ to take over for the babysitters for a few days until they returned. What a difference a few years make in the lives of children! To go from the 24/7 care of a 13-month-old to five kids from six to fifteen was about as different as life can get! Both fun. Just totally different!
Luckily we landed there the night before Valentine’s Day so I got to put out the Valentine morning breakfast surprises! Shawni had left notes, special plates and little cups with a little candy for everyone since they were going to miss being with the kids on that special day.
Lucy was especially excited about her non-candy gift!
We had pink pancakes and everybody was all smiles, even though it was 6:30 a.m.!
The night before we had helped Claire make her valentines for her class and Josh helped Grace make some cookies for her class:
Grace and Claire had so much fun creating their “Valentine Lips”!
Being were sucked into the whirlwind of the world of five kids from teenagers who are immersed in volleyball and tennis (and homework) at the high school to friends galore in the house on Friday afternoon and trampoline dancing to the music of Annie was incredibly fun!
Suddenly three meals a day became very important and the wild comings and goings and emergencies and giggling was delicious. I have to admit that we slept well at night!
When Shawni and Dave arrived we had that night and the next morning to do a quick catch-up and dash over to see the demolition of their “new” house. Even though it was sad to see much of it coming down, it was exciting to see what it will become!
After a quick visit to Josh and the Pothier’s church meetings, we headed for the airport, filled with love for our darling Arizona family and our staward son Josh. I must admit that we were also pretty happy to go back to the freedom of our own responsibilities!
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