Great Grandpa and Great Grandma "in the big city."

When Joshua was younger and we visited my grandparents in San Antonio, he'd say:

"Are we going to visit the grandparents in the big city?"

My grandparents live in a very nice retirement community exclusively reserved for retired military personnel. They are comfortably established in a high rise condo, and have amenities well suited for the "gracefully aging." (Did I mention they've been married 68 years? I know...incredible!) In addition to the high rise, there are small patio homes, but the kids always look for the "big city," as we come over a certain rise on I-10 west, because the ARC (Army Retirement Community) does resemble a "city," albeit a small one from a distance.

We got to San Antonio about lunchtime on Saturday. We spend a few minutes in the great grandparents' apartment before going downstairs to the dining room for lunch. It's always a bit nerve wracking in their apartment because it is small and full of pretty nick-knacks they've collected over the years. The kids were pretty good though, and didn't knock over or break anything-- even Gabriel was content to play with the bag of toys we brought for him instead of his great-grandparents' pretty baubles.

The dining room is another place that is a bit stressful because we usually have to wait a bit for our food to come, and the kids don't want to sit still for too long. There is a nice balcony with a view of the pond, so we'd periodically take the kids for a short walk in between courses. Yes, we have courses at the ARC. Lunch and dinner consist of a soup, salad, dinner, and dessert course. We just aren't used to eating like that...but the kids look forward to dessert; and always order vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

David took the oldest kids to the Children's Museum that afternoon while Gabriel took a nap and I had some time with my grandparents. It's much better to have good conversation with two senior citizens (one with hearing aids) without 4 kids competing for your attention. My grandma is 89, and my grandpa is 88. I think I even had to admit to myself that they really are slowing down. About 2 months ago, my grandma fell, (which has happened before), and she didn't break any bones, but when I saw her this weekend, she was stooped over much more than ever before, and seemed to have aged more than I've ever noticed before. It made me sober, and realize she really was very frail now. Except for a few distance uncles, I haven't lost any of my close relatives. But that time period may not last much longer.

When the crew came back from the museum (no pics b/c David didn't take any...sorry!), we went to mass in the chapel right off the main lobby of the high-rise. Everyone is always happy to see little kids at the ARC, and even more delighted to see children at mass. Rebecca pitched a temper tantrum (that thankfully went unnoticed by the senior crowd-- not by mom!), but other than that, mass went smoothly.

While my grandparents are easy going in many ways, they aren't used to having kids around, and I'm sure their nerves were frazzled more than once. We went swimming at the ARC's indoor pool, and Gabriel fell coming down the steps into the water...I caught him, but I think my grandpa had a minor heart attack.

Here are some pics--believe it or not, Joshua refused to go swimming. He'd forgotten his swim suit (he'd hung it up to dry after his swim lesson on Friday, and it didn't make it into his suitcase). Boy, was he upset. David threw him in the water anyway with regular shorts on to try and get him in, and he just ended up getting madder! Everyone else stayed in the water for over an hour-- and BTW, it's as warm as a bathtub (b/c of all the old folk :-).

Christina tipped over in her chair at breakfast on Sunday...she was fine, but as the chair went down, it clipped the bottom brace of the chair behind her, and it broke off completely! I didn't even know what to say...and when I finally found my voice, I apologized profusely to my grandparents and the dining staff who came rushing over. I think we were all just glad Christina was all right. I am pretty sure 24 hours of our family is all my grandparents can handle!

After breakfast on Sunday, and the dip in the pool, we showered, packed up, and had one last visit with my grandparents in their apartment. I'd told Rebecca to be sure to hold my grandma's arm whenever we were walking anywhere, and she cheerfully was her support the whole visit...I was really proud of her. I'd started to feel the symptoms of the stomach bug (that had already hit Gabriel and the girls), so I really wasn't paying attention as we pulled away from the ARC. Later, David asked:

"Did you see your grandpa's face as we drove away?"

I said, "No, what was the matter?"

David said, "Your grandpa looked a little emotional, I saw his chin trembling just a bit."

"Oh..."

I didn't know what to say after that. I know my grandpa has become frustrated with his memory and other age related problems over the last few years. I think he's starting to see the "light at the end of the tunnel," (his words, not mine) and it must be worrisome for him to see my grandma the way she is.

Still, the kids had a great, time, and my grandparents kept saying how happy they were to see us, and they appreciated the effort we put out to visit them (even though it's really not difficult for us). The kids definitely didn't want to go home...Christina was especially sad to go. We probably shouldn't take too long to visit them again. I am so thankful they are still "alive and kicking."