Grandkids are a Great Help

Kayleigh, Emily and Lala have been visiting this week. Lala went home on Friday; Emily and Kayleigh go home tonight. They have been a big help to me. They picked and snapped beans, helped pick tomatoes, and took care of all the dogs we've had around here. (Our two, Emmie and Kayleigh's Bella, and Lala's Tinker Bell.)

Today Emmie, Kayleigh and Reyes pureed a ton of tomatoes so I can make ketchup (my first attempt. Wish me luck.) Each one had a job -- Reyes turned the crank on the juicer, Kayleigh pushed the tomatoes down into the hopper and Emily kept them supplied with sliced tomatoes. I was at the sink, slicing. I could hardly keep up with them.

They were gracious enough to do this before they headed for the city swimming pool for their last swim before the girls went home. They didn't seem to mind. Emmie piped up, "I like this. This is even funner than swimming!" The other two immediately growled, "Bite your tongue, Emmie!"

The kids are off to the pool now and I have the largest amount of puree ever to turn into ketchup and tomato sauce. I do believe I planted way too many Roma tomatoes. The Big Boy tomatoes are finally starting to produce. I have put up six pints of diced tomatoes and have enough ripe to do it again. I'm also getting to enjoy fresh sliced tomatoes at every meal. YUM.

The kids have been very patient with road trips. Thursday we had lots of places to go -- including two meetings in Garnett. They entertained themselves quietly, even when it had to be totally boring. Tinker Bell was content as long as she was on Lala's lap. (Click on the picture for a close up so you can find the dog on Lala's lap.)

On Friday we took Jen to downtown Kansas City for a job interview because she had car trouble. While she was in the interview, the kids, Tinker Bell and I explored the park in downtown KC. We met a lady from Madrid, Spain , her 3-yr. old son and their Schnauzer puppy at the park. She and her family had flown to New York, rented a car and are driving to California as their summer vacation. She said she hadn't realized how much energy a three year old could have until this one had to be cooped up in a car all day. Her little boy ran away from her two or three times and my four enjoyed corraling him. The girls had to ooh and ahh over her puppy, too.

When I told her Reyes was Mexican, she spoke to him in Spanish. He was able to understand a little of what she said, but didn't have the vocabulary to say much. Reyes enjoyed the fountain more. He spotted a Coke can floating in the water and dubbed it the SS Coke. He was sad when the SS Coke sank, never to be seen again.

They had a great time at the park. Tink was as easy going as the day before -- as long as Lala was within hearing or smelling distance. It is hard to be a blind daschund. Jen, by the way, had a good interview. We have our finger's crossed that she gets the job.

Papa Jones' Pizza

We have been hosting four grandchildren for the last few weeks. Lala and Reyes from Texas and Kayleigh and Emily from Indiana. They have been having a blast, but the house is bursting at the seams -- particularly at bedtime. We've been stacking them like cord wood to get them sleeping places! Lala has the daybed; Reyes has the trundle that stores under it. Emmy sleeps on the couch and Kayleigh takes the air mattress. After a couple of nights of the air mattress, she decided to share the daybed with Lala. That looked less comfortable to me, but for them it was a slumber party.

The kids have learned to drive the riding mower and help Grandpa mow. They walk the three blocks to the swimming pool for an afternoon's fun in the water. Of course Grandpa takes them to the local library for programs and books to read. Sometimes we let them play computer games on our computers. One of their big collaborations was an all cousin band called "New Girls on the Block" who sang a newly composed song for us on July 4. Reyes was an "honorary girl" for the occasion.

And where am I? I'm the working stiff in this family. I'm on the road doing library visits and other consultant work.

Reyes found the suitcase of my old comics. It's on it's third round of kids now. My brother's children and my children read them, and now my grandchildren are reading them. I never knew when I was running over to Dewey's Sundries with my pocketful of dimes that I was buying comics for my grandkids to read!

Lala loves the garden. She and Kayleigh have picked lettuce for salads twice. Lala wants the tomatoes and corn to get here nearly as much as Pat does.

Last Thursday when they were cycling through the shower to get the chlorine off after swimming, I began stirring up pizza dough.

"What are you making, Iris?" (The Indiana grandkids learned to call me Iris when Pat and I were dating.)

"We're going to make pizza tonight."

"Make pizza? We just call Papa John's." 

"There's no Papa John's around here. The best you'll get is your Grandpa showing you how to put a pizza together. He used to run a pizza parlor when he was in Oregon." 

"Oh! Our's will be Papa JONES Pizza."

Reyes decided to make pepperoni, hamburger and black olive pizza. Kayleigh made pepperoni. About the time their pizzas went into the oven, I remembered to grab my camera.

The first step in pizza making is to fit the dough to the pan. Emmy had a gentle hand with the pizza roller.
Grandpa explained the best way to add pizza sauce was with a pastry brush. 

Cheese made the next layer.
finished by crumbling the cooked hamburger on the top.

Emily was gentle with the pizza roller, but she had a good, heavy hand with the cheese. Leave it to a cheese pizza lover to know that the more cheese, the better!

The best part, though was the eating.