Woke before everyone. Was quietly typing on my laptop, when my nephew peered around the corner. I asked him if he needed a cuddle and he folded himself onto my lap (a much better fit than my own girls) and we whispered about what the day might hold. He told me about his mates at kindy and his new teacher and what they do during the day.
When the girls woke up David migrated to them. Baby Emmett woke and I fetched him from his cot before he woke his parents. I thought he might be disappointed that I wasn’t him mummy, but he sat on my lap and gurgled – I love babies at this age. Eventually Bearhands joined us and Emmett chose his uncle. I made David the first of three breakfasts.
After bacon and eggs, Anthony saddled the horses for one last ride before we headed home. This time the Big Sister started posting the trot!
After the rides, we gave David his early birthday present – a green wagon with pneumatic tyres. He climbed straight in and requested Nan pull him. It was then that I realised I’d made a rod for the adults’ backs. Ant pulled the wagon up the hill using a lasso and his roping horse. Bearhands made the obligatory “horse power” dad jokes.
Then we said our goodbyes and made promises to visit again soon. The girls were sad and tired and cranky on the car ride home. Everyone’s spirits perked up a bit when Bearhands stopped for KFC at the midway point.
When we got home, Bearhands and I got straight out of the car and into the tractors. The harvester behaved and my tender knee held up to the clutch in the forklift.
Dinner was chicken kiev with green beans and carrots. We tried inducements (birthday parties, trips to the movies) to get the Little Sister to sleep in her own room. Our efforts proved unsuccessful and in the early hours of the morning she wound up on our floor again.
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