JENTZSCH: Nonnie and Poppi

After a week at the beach with Mom and Dad, we met Daddy in Eugene and drove to Nonnie and Poppi's house. It was sooooo good to see them. I love that every time I go to their house it's the same. It's the same house from when I was a kid. I made chocolates at Christmas in that house and the same pictures on the walls that I loved then are still there now. Particularly one of all my cousins when I was 7 and a painting of my grandmother when she was very young. I always thought she was soooo beautiful and loved to look at that picture. Somehow I discovered for the first time that a lot of the paintings on her wall were painted by my grandmother! I had no idea she had such talent. Even more I couldn't believe that I just didn't know it! The kids (particularly the boys) had the most amazing time roaming around the garage with my Grandpa, looking at all the tools and things their Poppi has made. It was so great to watch and see them so excited about everything he was showing them and telling them. I missed most of it, but the bits and pieces I saw of them were just so priceless and precious. I wish I had videos of it. I wish so much we could see them more. One day a year is not even close to enough! I miss them and love them and I'm glad my kids have gotten to know them.

Somehow a bee-bee gun was brought out and everyone had a shoot at some cans. It really freaked me out. It did not look like a natural thing to have my 2 year old shooting a gun. It's possible he was 3. His birthday was that month.

Grandpa telling stories.

It's sooooo pretty there.

The kids had fun on the swing set and teeter totter. That was sweet too because it's the EXACT one I grew up with! I swung on those swings and jumped up and down with friends on that teeter totter. It was so sweet to watch. They had a lot of fun on it.

Brighton

Marius

Scarlet

Grandma always cooks us a good meal. I think this time it was hotdogs for the kids and burgers for the adults. Some good ol' ice cream at the end.

Poppi always filming.

Poppi is still learning and working at his piano skills. Pretty impressive for a guy in his 80's.

Scarlet playing Grandpa's violin. It was fun, in Grandpa's office I looked at all the pictures and there were the greatest pictures of he and Grandma when they were very young and I LOVED looking at them! I just love looking at pictures and seeing people's lives. Even now, 7 months has passed since I last wrote and I feel such relief and enjoyment in writing all this! I'm so glad I'm getting it down- even if I'm missing details. I know I'll be glad to read this later.

Brighton, particularly, had the time of his life at Nonnie and Poppi's. We had never seen Brighton so happy in our entire lives. It was so incredible and enjoyable to watch. We just couldn't believe the side of Brighton we were seeing. We were determined it had to be the open landscape to run around and be free. The fresh air and being completely surrounded by nature. It was incredible to watch him.