I was delighted when Anna Himes called on Thursday that their family would be able to visit us that Sunday, March 23, 2014, after Sunday School. Their schedule gets very busy in Spring, and this week suited all of us.

After dinner Leela and I went to our apartment for a little one-on-one time while the rest enjoyed a more leisurely dinner. I showed her our new TV, and that is where Ryan and Molly also spent some time before their 2 PM swim. It also gave Al and Mike an opportunity for some engineers talk.

The children can now swim independently, and Leela can get along without a vest. Ryan has his head under water almost as much as above, and Molly swims very well, too, but they still enjoy a romp with Daddy. Anna and I had a good chat about their ski trip last month and all the rest of the family are doing.

About 3:30 they assembled for another hour of fun and refreshments in our apartment.

Molly and Leela had brought their cats, Snowball and Snowman, and introduced them to Al.

The girls got interested in the puzzles that they had left behind on their visit last month, and Ryan is never far from his iPod.

Anna enjoys looking at the pictures she and others in the family send me for my Pictorial Record of the Best Family, and Mike is ready to help the girls when needed. Al was still finishing his nap, but I wakened him before they had to leave about 4:30 for their trip back to Macungie. This time there was no snow storm to slow their return, and I basked again in the after glow of a wonderful time together.

David and Janet Best got tired of Rochester, NY temperatures below zero, decided  to head south on Friday, March 8, 2014, and arrived at Willow Valley about 2:30 PM. Their plans for the following week began with dinner in Baltimore, MD that evening, and then a stop in Virginia Beach, returning next Sunday to Rochester.

Al and I got a chance to hear details of Matt’s adventures in Utah the past week, and his trailer without running water or electricity but a solar panel to charge his iPhone. He has Saturday and Sunday off and expected to spend some time in a motel and get a good shower.  He seems to be enjoying his experiences, and will be leaving March 15 to begin a leisurely southern route home.

Nancy and Gary Bennett arrived for their usual 4 PM Happy Hour with us before Friday night dinner.

It was fun to be together and hear all about their busy lives. Elly and John enjoyed a trip to  Texas last weekend to a formal company event, a relief from Washington, DC snow.

On Saturday Suzy and Meghan Talarowski arrived about 2 PM with 11 week old Amelia. Andy is busy studying for his last actuarial exam next month, and Fran had work to catch up for his teaching job at Springfield High School. There is nothing I like better than holding new babies, and I had a wonderful time. She loves to stand, make sounds, and smiles easily.

We decided to order take outs rather than go to the dining room, and that worked out well.

Amelia needs lots of changes, and can be appeased with walking or a change of holder when she gets fussy.

Meghan starts her new job with OLIN in center city Philly on March 31, and will be able to nurse her at a day care at noon nearby. She also plans to start renovations in their first floor bath room before that time, so she will be a very busy Mother. It is good that Suzy and Fran live nearby and can do for them what my parents did for us when our children were little.

It was a wonderful family weekend being together, and Al and I both enjoyed our glimpse into the life of the newest generation.