Kuiper Kids

We had a great time taking care of the Kuiper Kids last week.  Our daughter, Kristin, delivered Emma (6), Claire (4) and Levi (1)  from Grand Rapids, MI, to our doorstep in their family van last Friday while Curt stayed back to work on house projects.  Kristin stayed in Des Moines until Sunday, when she traveled back to GR in my little Ford Focus to join Curt for a week of marital bliss WITHOUT young children.  Their family van, equiped with three car seats, Levi’s stroller, Claire’s bike and Emma’s razor, was left in DSM for Lloyd and I to experience a week of marital bliss WITH young children.  What a win-win situation! 

 This past Friday, refreshed and already missing their kids, Kristin and Curt drove the Focus back to Iowa to pick up their kids. They stayed with us until yesterday noon, in order to visit of course, but also to give their kids enough time to transition from grand-parents to parents. Definitely a transition, because as Emma put it, “Nana and Papa aren’t as serious as Mom and Dad, because Nana and Papa say yes more often”. 

Saying “Yes” is definitely a grand-parent’s perogative! We said it often, because there are so many things for kids to enjoy and learn,  and because  we (although Lloyd did have to work some partial days) were able to give them our full undivided attention for the week while we ignored other aspects of our lives. Now that our house is empty again, we’re able to pick up  where we left off when they came.  This mode of being with the kids is quite unlike full-time parenting, where everything needs to weave together on a steady full-time basis!

Emma, Claire, Levi and I went to the Science Center one day, but I forgot the camera. We went for numerous picnics to various parks and playgrounds, but each time I forgot the camera. In one of the parks, we ate our lunch way up on the top of a “slide fort”.  The only way to get Levi up there was for me to carry him and the lunch cooler and climb up a series of pole rungs to the high perch.  During the climb, I was more than thankful for all the strengthening exercises that Lloyd and I have been doing! On another day we went to Hobby Lobby without the camera again, and window shopped (includes touching things) for at least an hour.  The next day we betrayed our values and went to a McDonald’s with a playground for lunch, but again, no camera. Emma and Claire joined me during several of Levi’s afternoon naps in the art studio downstairs. I forgot the camera here too!  Emma and Claire absolutely loved using glass to express their creativity.  They each managed to make a small fused-glass bowl and a 4×6 picture frame without a single cut (rather unusual, because I usually get a small cut at least once during any glass project).  It was really fun to watch their excitement during this activity, as well as in the many play activities that they initiated on their own. I’m wondering now, why I didn’t have the camera with me more often, and can only guess that it’s because I was so engaged in activity with the kids and because there is alot to think about in packing a diaper bag and lunch and getting three kids out the door fully dressed and pottied.

However, I did manage to take quite a few pictures at home,  and I DID remember the camera on the day we went to Blank Park Zoo:

Train Ride at the Zoo. Claire suddenly got hungry on the train ride, so we opted to eat our sandwiches on the train. It turned out that Emma and Levi were rather hungry as well. By the time the train stopped, we were ready for string cheese on the next bench we saw.

Emma and Claire had a camel ride while Levi and I cheered them on.

Emma really loved feeding the birds. With 277 birds in a very contained area, and some of them able to "scratch", Claire preferred to cling quite closely to me. Levi, on the other hand, was wanting me to let him down on the "poopy"ground to crawl around. Abit of cross current for me to manage, with Levi wanting to "leave" and Claire wanting to "cleave". Emma loved the birds so much that we stayed there at least 20 minutes. I was glad to finally give my arms a rest by putting Levi back into his stroller which was parked outside the building.

Emma's feet

Claire relaxing on our deck the next morning.

Levi was such a happy little guy, even though he had cut a few new teeth by the time his parents came to DSM to pick him up.

Bath time in "the swimming pool" bath-tub (our jacuzzi)

Can you believe Levi is cutting molars here?

Thanks, Kristin and Curt for sharing your kids with us! We loved it, they loved it, and we’re pretty sure you loved it too.