We just had two wonderful weeks in Orlando babysitting Basil (nearly 4) and Levi (21 months). I don’t know how their nanny Chris can do it alone every day; we have to double-team the boys. They are lively, smart, and loads of fun. Gramps is one of their favorite people; he played with them almost constantly and walked them in the double stroller on his daily two mile walks. That usually had to be in the morning because the weather was unbearably hot much of the time.
Basil was our little helper with Levi who is entering the terrible twos. The plants along the garage wall had been discarded, so Basil picked out new flowers and helped us plant them.
Wekiwa Springs State Park is our home most winters when we camp-host there, so it felt like home-coming to go for a day—walking the campground, hiking trails with the boys in the jogging stroller, and swimming in the springs. Levi loves water; he screamed “No!” when we tried to get him out.
Leu Gardens is just around the corner from Tara’s house, so we walked a couple hours there too one day. The boys managed to get very wet in one of the fountains. I let Basil use my camera; he took 176 pictures. A few turned out very well. (Levi’s scabbed nose was from one of many trips and falls.)
You just have not seen sports until you have watched a soccer game of 3 and 4 year-olds. Sometimes there were five players in the goal watching the ball come, but most of the time the ball simply missed the goal. Sometimes they tried to get the ball into the goal of the next game over.
Basil about to take the ball.
Tara and Stephen have always taken the boys for a walk around the neighborhood after dinner. Basil made us line up on the white line at stop signs while he checked if a car was coming. He took this picture.
We went on a family field trip to Sarasota our last weekend there to the Ringling Circus Museum and the beach. Basil and his daddy both loved the big Ringling family train car named the Wisconsin. The Ringlings were from Baraboo after all. Basil took the picture of Tara and me with one of the circus wagons. It is a wonderful place—allow a whole day if you go.
Banyon trees are amazing with the roots coming down from the lateral branches.
The boys loved the surf on the beach.
The boys loved the surf on the beach.
I have a new name: Jeamma. Levi couldn’t say Grandma, but one day Jeamma came out of his mouth. Maybe he heard Don and Stephen calling me Jean. Jeamma stuck; they both call me that now. Next winter we will work on Gramps. That one is harder to say.
We miss them already.