Camp Kang

My grandparents are really proud of the Marilyn Monroe thing they have. She sings to you when you press a button. Willow was obsessed with it as well. So the only three people in the house that liked this object were the three people who couldn't understand what Marilyn was actually saying. What a disturbing decoration. 

After we'd gotten over jet lag for the most part, we drove to my grandparents home in Wisconsin. It's about a 5-7 hour journey depending on traffic/weather/pitstops. Willow had a love-hate relationship with her car seat. She also thought that Tommy's blond friend who came along was her dad and got really embarrassed when she realized it wasn't Adam. She's still shy around Tommy's friend because of her past humiliation!

It was a short visit. Only about 24 hours long, but because of all our various schedules, that was the longest we were able to stay. Harmonee and Hadabagee were pretty sad to see us go--and were begging for us to stay longer. They look more and more forlorn each time we leave them.

Willow must have pressed the button ten times during breakfast.

My grandfather also had an injury that he should have gone to the doctor for. He either fell off the four-wheeler, or the ATV fell on top of him. I wasn't sure what he was saying exactly, but he was so sore a week after the incident that he couldn't even fill his car's gas tank by himself. His neck, back, arm, hip, and leg were all hurting him. But he is so stubborn, and probably intimidated by the medical care here, that he refused to go to the doctor with my mom.

One of Willow's top breakfast choices is scrambled eggs. She likes to say "eggs" in the morning to get me out of bed.

Willow also liked her great-grandparents' massage chair. She would sit there and enjoy a massage like she was an old woman. I didn't realize she liked back rubs so much.

Harmonee brought her around the room when we first arrived and pointed at each figurine saying "no touchee" about each object. Later, Willow went around the rooms and pointed at all the statues saying "no, no, no!"

Even though our visit was short, it was probably better that way. There were too many things for Willow to break everywhere and I felt a lot of anxiety while we were there.

Willow even noticed a few pictures of her dad around her great-grandparents' house. She was excited to see Adam's face, even in far-out Wisconsin.

The yard ornaments increase in number each time I visit. I wish I could say that these pictures show all of them. But no...this is only a small percentage. The creepiest one of all is a santa clause that is positioned inside a shed so that he is looking out the window. It feels like he's watching you, and that he'll attack on Christmas Eve. It's a Doctor Who episode.

Picture on the right: you can see Emma holding Willow, and Tommy and Cole. They were hitting golf balls out into the field. I guess there were about 5 foxes over there as well and Willow thought that they were dogs.

My grandfather likes to make various cut outs. He's a productive individual.

It was very rainy and wet during our whole stay. Willow only took one ride on the four-wheeler because of the weather. It was cold too! Probably in the 50's. The first few weeks of our stay in America were quite chilly, overcast, and wet. Only recently has the weather warmed up. We didn't really pack for cold weather!

Here's Willow freaking out because she just noticed there's a bag of twix bars on the counter. 

And here is a perk of being a tall baby. 

Victory for Willow. Failure for mommy. Eating another twix bar. 

Tommy playing games on his smart phone. 

Reading another apocalyptic book. 

Ok, other than the jolly bear statue in this picture, what do you notice? Yes, it's a dead humming bird that my grandfather found. At one point, he brought it in the house and put it on the kitchen counter. Tommy picked it up thinking it was a figurine and freaked out when he realized it was once a living creature. Humming birds are very fine and intricate birds--so amazing and delicate in their design.

Picture of my grandfather when he was a very young man. 

My grandfather's Bible, glasses, and tv remotes. He had about a dozen pair of reading glasses on various tables in the basement. I guess it makes it easier to fine a pair if they are everywhere. 

I hope that we will be able to visit them again before we return to China. Every time I visit them, I feel as though it might be the last time I see them. They always stuff money in my hands. This time it was $100 to buy Willow a decent coat they said. Ever practical, born from decades of surviving extreme circumstances.

~julie