Lori and I are definitely at that stage in life where grandchildren are a dominant topic among our circle of friends. How fun they are! How fast they’re growing!
Some friends have the convenience of living near their children’s children and see their little ones regularly, as many as three or more times a week. Overnight stays with the grandparents are common and so are family trips to the Oregon coast involving multiple households and generations.
Others, like us, don’t have that luxury. Visits to each other’s homes are fewer and far between when you’re separated by hundreds of miles or more than one time zone.
Last weekend, though, we grabbed the opportunity to spend four days and four nights in southern Oregon with Emalyn and Wesley, the children of our youngest son, Jordan, and his wife. Jamie. They live about 20-25 minutes northeast of Medford, just beyond the city of Eagle Point. We arrived Thursday afternoon after the customary 300-mile drive down I-5 and then east over to Oregon Hwy. 62.
(Jordan was in New York, finishing up work on his doctoral degree, so we missed him on this visit.)
Emmy is 7 years old and nearing the end of second grade. She is a bundle of energy, always planning the next two activities before we’re even finished with the one we’re doing. She’s a farm girl through and through, nearly always wearing a baseball cap, leggings and boots, and eager to show us what’s new on the property. Like her mom, she’s been raised around chickens, horses and geese, as well as dogs and cats. She knows how to drive an ATV and ride a horse, and loves helping her mom tend to little brother’s needs.
Wes is 16 months old. The last time I saw him was at Thanksgiving, when he was still crawling or being held in Mama’s arms. And now? He’s a walking, talking toddler, a constantly smiling redhead who warmed up to us a little more each day. By the time we left Monday morning, he was shouting “Noni!” and “Papa!”
It really is amazing how quickly our grandchildren grow up — and by “our” I mean everyone’s.
They come into this world with eyes closed, delicate in every respect; they get weighed and tested and handed off to their parents wrapped in a blanket like a human burrito. They sleep, eat, sleep, poop, sleep, cry, sleep, eat — endlessly repeating this cycle, utterly dependent — and before you know it, they’re smiling, laughing, grasping and learning their first words.
They learn to roll over, sit up, crawl, stand and take their first steps. Blink your eyes and all of a sudden they’re heading off to preschool, riding a bike or scooter, holding their favorite chickens, learning to read and developing their personalities.
It’s an amazing process. And in the case of these two young ones, they’ve been blessed to grow up in a loving home with a stay-at-home mom and a dedicated young father.
***
During our stay, we city slickers got another taste of the rural lifestyle. The young Redes live under the same roof as Jamie’s parents, who grew up in this area and are both still working.
We drive up a dirt-and-gravel driveway to reach the house, which is situated on more than 100 acres just off a two-lane state highway. Horses graze in a field across the pond from a pair of geese that are expecting a gosling or two any day now. Three roosters watch over a dozen hens, who produce the tastiest eggs you’d ever want to have.
The nearest neighbors are out of sight and nighttime brings a splendid show of stars against an inky-black sky.
Emmy kept us busy visiting with the chickens, playing board games, reading a new book and snuggling up as we watched her favorite videos.
On Friday, we took the kids on a long walk on a bike path flanking a golf course in Eagle Point while Jamie got a pedicure — a rare treat.
Saturday morning we got to see Emmy’s ballet class in action in Medford. We returned on Sunday to visit the Children’s Museum of Jackson County on a day when it was free admission and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival sent actors and other staffers to liven up the action.
The museum is a great resource, with interactive exhibits, do-it-yourself stations to build or decorate things, and lots of outdoor activities, including face-painting, climbing equipment and musical instruments. Kids could climb inside an ambulance, play in the sand or just have fun rolling down a small fake-grass hill.
For the youngest visitors, like Wes, there were areas where they could play safely with soft toys and furniture and meet a new friend or two. (View slideshow)
During the weekend, we also got to spend time with Jamie’s older sister, Beth, and her 11-year-old daughter, Lavender. (Nice that Emmy and Wes can see their aunt and cousins frequently. Beth has a teenage son, as well.)
Jamie’s parents, Jeff and Linda, took us to lunch at a great barbecue place in Shady Cove on Saturday and we indulged afterwards in ice cream cones served up at Phil’s Frosty, a community landmark housed in a bright pink building. Yours truly prepared albóndigas soup (Mexican meatball soup) for dinner Sunday that everyone loved.
That morning, Lori hung on in the back seat as Linda powered them up a steep hillside in her ATV. The view was spectacular, Lori said.
We slept soundly in the silence that a rural property provides, no doubt because we were tired at the end of each day from trying to keep up with the two munchkins. Fellow grandparents, you know what I’m talking about.
Monday morning, we rose early to walk Emmy to the bus stop, where she catches the same yellow school bus that her mom rode to the same elementary school up the highway.
Our long weekend was just the right amount of time. With Emmy out of school Friday, we had three full days to spend with her and little Wes before heading home.
As much as we appreciate the change of pace down there, we’re always glad to come back to Portland, with all the cyclists, dog-walkers, gardeners who share the streets and sidewalks in our leafy neighborhood. This summer, I hope, Jordan and Jamie can bring the family up for a visit in this part of the state. Gotta keep up with their growth!
Rough and Rede II 
Nothing is better than spending time with the grandkids! I’m so glad you were able to do that, and how fun to get to spend some time in the country as well.