somethingreal: nana time

my mom started off our august-o-family this summer. when the summer started we didn't know we were going to see any family... by the end we had seen them all!!! which is a big deal considering we span countries and continents... when erin crosses the ocean she has a limited amount of time and she likes us to cluster. she likes to group us so that she doesn't have to city hop. our house being in the 'center of it all' naturally wins. i am actually always amazed at how people do eventually find themselves visiting us... some more enthusiastically than others. ;)
so to get ready for all our company we got our best cuteness faces ready...

got fresh flowers at the farmers market

and the nana arrived with suitcases brimming and stories to tell of marv (the husband), mister (the dog), and the phoenix heat (the nemesis). my mama knows how to woo a grand baby. she tells funny stories and brings good random gifts and they stick to her like bear cubs to honey. she is good at babies. always has been.

the nana loves art. so while she was here we went to the museum.

they had a great little children's space for interactive art. that is grayson... being interactive... while uh-- thinking about art. :)

this was a spot where kids could practice doing their own art...

they were supposed to try and not pick their pencils up off the table and do something like this

we went out to the sculpture garden and stumbled upon a couple seriously making out. there was some for real kissing happening... we were the only other ones out there so i made a lot of noise, took our time coming down the ramp, said something loudly to my mom about babies and children and they were still all lost each other's souls... and mouths. when they did stop there was what looked like crying? and staring at her hand? and oh no-- we just totally busted up some one's engagement. nice.

so i f you are these people or know these people... sorry!

next time the museum should put up a little sign or something..

'engagement in process. kindly ignore french kissing. thank you.'

and while we are on the topic of strange and uncomfortable scenes at the museum.... um-- how hard is it to sculpt a sports bra while you're at it...? i take up offense for all women's basketball players when i say.. dude get the girl a bra. sheesh.

by the end grayson was really into the art.. and his art program. :)

most of the time we spent playing, watching movies, eating, music/dress up performances, swimming at the hotel pool and just being together... good times. i can not believe i didn't get a picture of nana reading the 1,734 books she read to the babies. she read in the car, before nap, after nap and ALL day long. good thing nana likes to read. :) there was only one incident that involved grayson and the hotel's fire alarm... but it got nana a room with a nice view so we won't hold it against him. ;)

please feel free to notice the crown moulding unfinished and unpainted in the living room. feel free to leave a comment scolding and shaming us in to finishing it since being nice and understanding hasn't worked for the last 2 years...! ;)

so for the second part of nana's week the auntie blew into town... just in time for mommy to be in bed for a day with a yucky flu bug. but the nana and the auntie took care of babies, made food, held down the fort and made sad motherly sounds for me... like only sissies and mommies can do. :)

nana apparently has kept everything i have ever touched in some sort of amazing secret stash of tangible memories. who knows how she has schlepped these things across state lines and through different house storage rooms/garages.... but i get a major kick out of seeing parts of my childhood preserved and popping out of her suitcase. it's like my own personal wax museum of my life. and who doesn't have a secret dream of that?? er.. nobody. ok.

lady bug sleeping bags: once a favorite of erin and i... now ready to encapsulate and insulate the current generation. fantastically good. :)

so .... the obligatory 'last day pictures' got awesome with some experimentation in channeling ourselves circa 1994-2000. mmmm.. that could get dangerous eh?? we kept it light and amusing ...see?

my favorite ---

me =15 year old lauren: 'as if i am not just going to take myself off grounded while you are blow drying your hair and call my friends'

mom = 'i'm exhausted of your shenanigans. i am sending you to the special ed study hall so you stop skipping class to go out to lunch in my car... without a license.'

erin=12 year old erin 'eeeeek! are you guys going to just keep fighting? if so then i am going to hole up in my room and look at all the pretty sunsets i have taped up all over my walls and just keep saying 'serenity now!'