Our play-date with Elizabeth, Robert, Colleen

While friends Patrick and Cate Coleman are attending to the final details of packing up their home in Virginia and making their final road trip to Minnesota, their children are hanging out here with Nonna and Da Coleman. We thought we would stop by this evening and get the five kids together for a play-date and provide perhaps a little reprieve for the grandparents.

We got to the elder Colemans' home a little after 7:00. The kids were really happy to see each other. It's been only a few months since they were last together, so no one forgot who anyone was. For our time together, we decided to walk down to the lake to feed a couple of bags' worth of bread Nonna gave us. Elizabeth and I talked all the way to the lake. She was telling me about the book she got at the library this morning. She is about halfway done already. I was so impressed. Robert and Cate ran all the way to the lake together. Max and Colleen stayed more or less with Kyle.

Once at the lake, it didn't take long for all the bread to disappear. All of the kids were giggling and laughing, bright-eyed watching the fish jump out of the water and the ducks fighting for the crumbs.After the last crumbs were done, we walked up to the park. Everyone played really nicely together. Obviously, they didn't want to leave when it was time.

Robert was running down the hill and stumbled slightly. He got up and brushed himself off. No blood, no scuffs, no worries. I gave him a little hug and then he wanted to hold my hand for a little bit. Colleen wanted to be carried, so I got her up on my shoulders. Max got envious and so he went up on Kyle's shoulders. Eventually Robert caught up with Cate and, same as before, ran ahead of us. As you can imagine, they were both disappointed when we denied them a trolley ride.

Once back at Nonna and Da's house, Nonna served ice cream and some interesting "lace" cookies she made. They were really good! We visited for a while--until about 8:40 and then we took off.

I know at one point one of the Coleman kids were sad that we were leaving and said, "don't go!" But Nonna replied, "It's okay. You'll play with them again. This will be forever!"

Amen to that!