Two Handsome Hunks, One Beautiful Babe and an Unbelievably Gracious Grandma

Now that I have recovered from my childless trip to the Midwest I am raising my glass to toast good friends, a visit with my beloved (and dearly missed) Wisconsin family, and my Mother… who so willingly got on a plane and offered up her precious time and parental talent to love my children for a week so Roger and I could take a much anticipated adult-only vacation to Madison.


When the invitation to my dear friend Colleen’s wedding arrived in the mail I hesitated asking my Mom to watch my two handsome boys and one beautiful babe. I mean, after all, my Mom has not parented two small children or even teenagers for over 15 years now. And to be honest the Gronke children are a force to be reckoned with. It just so happens that they often exhibit challenging behavior resulting from normal childhood phases, typical for their respective ages. Riley’s the easy one (if you don’t count having three friends over who keep you up all night as they battle it out on the XBOX). Hope has the world and its ways all figured out and she’s not afraid to tell you how it is (in a less than pleasant manner). And clumsy Nico consistently finds trouble and destruction (even within the confines of his crib rails) - and he often demonstrates his persistence with a propensity for temper tantrums that can send any sane adult into a temper tantrum of their own. I knew my children would undoubtedly be fine – my kids are quite independent and my mother is paranoid so there was no doubt my children were safe and happy. I worried more for my mother’s sanity after dealing with their defiant behavior, constant demands for attention or ear piercing temper tantrums. Hence my call for help to my dear Portland sisters to come relieve my Mother of all the insanity at the Gronke household with a brief visit during her stay.

But my Mother was honored, despite the fact I’m sure she was utterly worn out and breathed an enormous sigh of relief when she pulled into the airport to catch a flight home.

Many memories were created on this trip all made possible by my Mom’s generosity and many self portraits were fashioned courtesy of some cabernet. To view the entire collection of self portraits in Madison/Chicago click here: http://midnightmarvel.shutterfly.com/

While the vacation was one that will forever be etched in my memory with visions of good times, great friends, an adopted family separated only by distance (although the distance doesn’t hinder our unconditional family ties), and loads of laughter, I sure did miss these two handsome boys and one beautiful babe (age appropriate behavior and all).

I am incredibly grateful for lifelong friends, my adopted Midwest family, my wonderful Portland sisters, my gracious Mother and my independent children who didn’t skip a beat when we left them in the remarkably loving hands of Grandma for a quick little vacation.