Mothers and Grandmothers

Earlier this month Emmett and I got to make an unplanned trip out West to Victor, Idaho to stay with Grandma Moulton for a few days while she recovered from surgery and transitioned to being home again.  It was really wonderful to spend quality time at Grandma's.  I loved chatting with her, cooking for her, eating meals with her, helping her when needed (which wasn't all that often), watching movies and The Price is Right with her.  The days were calm and quiet; our routine was simple.  I'm so grateful for the opportunity to visit her.  She is wonderful and I love her much.  Here are a few nostalgic thoughts I recorded while I was there:

I can't remember the last time I stayed overnight at this house.  It must have been when Grandpa was on hospice and Clark and I came to help care for him.  That was over three years ago, maybe four.  Even then, that trip was only one night, maybe two.  Much of the house has been updated and remodeled from the house I remember as a child, but as I've stayed her for the last four days, I see various remnants of my old memories.  The old metal, unused kitchen tools in the kitchen drawers, the closet next to the kitchen, the dust pan that Grandpa made (I wish I had one--it's amazing.  Doesn't leave behind a trace of dirt).  Up the stairs, next to the scary attic door (I opened it just for old-times sake), you can see hints of the old red shag carpet peaking through the new, traditional taupe.  Over the years, someone has painted over the raindrop wall paper in the bathroom, remodeled the entry way closet that used to hold hundreds of coats, dug out the giant trees where we used to play; but no one has taken away the squeaking of the staircase or the smell of crisp, valley air in the spring.  Cool mornings and evenings that make you happy to snuggle under the bed covers (how I miss that in North Carolina!). The kid-size tin kitchen has long been gone from the upstairs, but the angled ceiling and built-in book cubbies haven't changed.  A few flies still line the window bedroom window sills, old furniture is tucked away in the bedrooms.  In the bathroom, the big tub is the same (rubber plug and all), as is the old mirror that opens up into a medicine cabinet.  On a shelf above the toilet is a glass jar holding shimmery ivory bath balls (remember those?) next to a crafted wooden doll with her long curly locks.  I remember making a similar one.  The water in all the faucets still runs as cold as ice for a good couple of minutes before warming up.  Old photographs of family and the farm hang throughout the house.  I want copies of every single one.  Almost everything else hanging on the walls is a picture or painting of the Tetons or one of Grandpa's barns (grandpa's and great grandpa's).  I want those too.  :)
I feel nostalgic looking at and walking around the old farm.  I see the once busy milking barn, now abandoned, filled with old leftovers from the farm, junk and rusting tools.  The empty space where the brown barn once stood.  I remember dad telling me stories of his boyhood adventures in that barn--climbing up to the very top of the roof.  The chicken coop is empty; there are no horses in the "barn that was built in a day."  Only a few stacks of hay are under the large hay shelter we used to ride circles around on horses and the four-wheeler.  The wind blows and a loose piece of tin clanks against the metal roof as I point out to Emmett a pair of crows, a few birds and the one horse (Travis's) in the nearby corral. I think about walking to the end of the road, just for old time's sake.  Maybe I'll drive it instead...
Who knows when I'll be back here and actually be able to  stay for a few days again.  It's a luxury I haven't had in so many years.  It's gone by too fast.  I would've liked more time to soak in all the memories and all the things I love about being in the country.  There is something about it that makes me feel a sense of home and a sense of pride.  

Here Emmett is trying his hand at using my great-grandpa's walker.  Emmett was a great source of entertainment for Grandma.  He did all his tricks and was a very happy, good boy.  It was interesting to see how with each day his confidence grew and he dared to explore a new room.  There was relatively little he could get into at Grandma-Great's (unlike Grandma's), and he just played and played.  I only had to fish a few plant leaves out of his mouth.  :)  He wasn't remotely interested in the stairs until the last five minutes of our stay, when he managed to successfully get up but not down two steps.  Oh, well.  He faired better than I did on those stairs as a child...granted, I was walking down them hands (and head) first on my stomach at the time...

The other great thing about being in the Valley was being able to see Phil, Jerai, Boyd and Brewer.  We got to stop by and visit for a little while each day, and they all came over for dinner one night at Grandma's.  I was trilled to finally be able to hold Brewer.  He is so sweet and has a darling little smile.  

Emmett and I were able to coordinate our schedule to spend a few days in Provo.  It was fun that it happened to correspond with Mother's Day.  I can't express how lucky I am to be a mom and to have such an amazing mom.  We snapped a few pre-church pictures in my parents' amazing yard.

One of the highlights of the visit was Emmett's first ride on the four-wheeler with Pop-Pop to feed the cows.  I think Emmett had a pretty good time, but I'm pretty sure my dad was the most excited of the two.  I think he quite enjoys his role as grandpa.  

Quin, Beth and I spent some quality sibling time together on our DQ run.  Most memorable was our Michael Buble sing-a-long on the way home.  Makes me smile every time I think about it.

Clark's family didn't know we were in town, so we had fun showing up on Mother's Day evening to "face-time" in person.  Everyone was pretty excited about it, and Emmett had a great time being loved by the Schmutz fam.

This photo isn't the greatest quality, but it does show just how much fun Emmett was having while playing with his Aunt Celia. 

My trip also happened to correspond with Lindsey's visit.  I was happy to be able to attend her little Maggie's baby blessing and a girls night with some of my long-time girlfriends. 

I also managed to get in a trip to Ripple's.  It had been years since I had eaten at this local burger/shake joint and it was awesome.

Clark was so good to let us go on this week-and-a-half long trip without complaining.  I know it's hard to be away from Emmett for so long.  Thanks to technology, we were able to facetime nearly everyday which was really nice.  

Another thing that was both freeing and annoying on this trip was that I left my cell phone in North Carolina.  I ended up buying a trackphone for cheap at Target for essential calls, but overall I had no calls or texts to make or return.  I also had no phone numbers, which got a little complicated at times when I actually needed to get a hold of someone.  

Lastly, on the way home from Driggs, I dropped in on my Grandma and Grandpa Monson, who had just gotten back from their trip to Israel the day before.   It was great to see them.  I'm a lucky girl to have such amazing grandparents in my life.