derek.knorr Seems like it’s been a year or two since we made it back for Grandpa Don’s branding weekend. Charity stayed back in Ashland for a girls weekend with Aunt Ana, Ember, and Vivienne, while the rest of us were up at Grandma and Grandpa’s place.
It was a rainy day, as it seems to be most years. All the kids were in the barn helping to herd and organize the calves. I was shocked to see Trevor right in the pen, telling Owen how to push cattle through the chute. He even commented to Derek, “Dad, I think this is the dirtiest I’ve ever been.” We decided that in just a few years’ time, Grandpa really is going to have some serious good help from those grandkids.
Derek ran the chute, Jarrod worked the hot irons, Kolby did the castrating and vaccinations and helped with dehorning as needed, and Tamra kept the syringes filled.
I even got in on the action, herding cattle with a four-wheeler–that’s as close as I get.
Uncle Kolby brought Apache and Sandy along for the kids to lead and ride. The horses are always a big hit.
And then, the highlight of the trip home–because leaving is never easy–was Owen and Caitlyn coming to stay for a few days. We had options here: we left on Sunday and would be seeing Tamra and Kolby again the next Tuesday for Grandma Shirley’s memorial….a whole nine sleeps away from home. If that proved to be too much, then Grandma was coming to Lincoln later in the week and could take them home on Thursday. We walked in the door Sunday evening and we weren’t there more than five minutes before Owen told me, “Aunt Jennifer, I’ve decided that I’ll be ready to go with Grandma when she comes on Thursday.” And so began poor Owen’s stay with us.
The next day, Jarrod and Christiana had a refinance closing and so their three spent the afternoon with us and Erich and Ember stayed on for a sleepover. Eight kids made for a lively evening but they all did great. Ember gave me a line to remember as she was exploring the boys’ closet and flipping through Trevor’s hanging clothes, “You have a lot, a lot, a lot of kids. I don’t know how you even handle them….My mom, she can’t even handle one.”
The next day things got worse for Owen. Every once in a while he would get super quiet and you just knew the homesick was setting in super hard. The poor kid cried every day and told me several times that he would be ready to go with Grandma. The only time he said he was glad to be here was when his mom told him that if he was at home, he’d be doing the math worksheets the school had sent along for summer learning. When Thursday finally arrived he shared several times that he was going to tell Grandma the fastest way home and that she should go that way. And I don’t know how many times he shared with me, “I sure hope Grandma shows up early.” Thankfully she was about an hour earlier than she’d hoped to be. They loaded up and made it home in time to see their dad on his birthday.
Fun time with good kids. First time is always the hardest. Next time will be easier for the kids, I think.
