Double trouble

Mutt and Jeff (No, it's Brock and Isaac)

When Marc and I went to visit his daughter Erin and her children this past weekend, we noticed she looked just a touch less merry than in visits before.
She's a hard-working mom with 2-year-old twin boys and a precocious little girl just turning 7.
(That was the main reason for the visit, to bring Ellie her birthday present.)
She'd had a hard few weeks with her husband working later than usual most nights and gone most of the recent weekends for church activities. She was worn down.
Erin mentioned that Brian was currently on the Snake River with the ward Young Women, something he loves to do — something Erin loves too but can't do as much with her young brood.
She said Brian was taking Ellie on the river on Labor Day but she couldn't go because someone had to stay with the boys and she couldn't think of anyone crazy enough to do that.

Grandpa, what's to worry?

Marc and I looked at each other. We weren't doing anything spectacular on Labor Day and we were always looking for ways to connect better with the grandkids who aren't as close as the ones in Utah County.
We offered to take them.
Erin was amazed and somewhat shocked.
She said she'd talk it over with Brian and pretty soon a plan was hatched.
They would bring us the boys Sunday afternoon, stay for dinner and leave just after bedtime.
Monday we would meet halfway at Marc's eldest daughter's home in Weber County to hand them off.
So we spent a fairly busy day yesterday with the little lads doing all sorts of things.
We journeyed up to the Alpine Splash Pad to stand in the puddles and chase balls into the water.
We carefully fed the horse across the road some carrots without fingers for dessert.
They drove all around the neighborhood in the little car with Brock or Isaac pushing down on the gas and Marc steering from the side. (His back kinda hurts now.)
We hauled them around in the wagon and then they hauled each other around. (Brock had a much harder time pulling Isaac than Isaac did Brock as Brock is about 10 pounds lighter than his brother.)

Isaac and the H20

We made meals and took baths and got them to bed (after about 15 tries ending with a fierce-faced grandma chasing them down the hall "for the last time, guys!")

Brock is unfazed

We refereed sword fights and sand battles. We prevented bloodshed and mayhem.
We kept the food off the floor, the sand out of the face for the most part and the valuables way up high.
The worst that happened were a couple of water and juice spills, one as we were heading up to Weber after Brock was "done" and we didn't get the bottle from him quickly enough.

Man, this is hard. Brock pulling Isaac

We learned to be quick about what we did and to stay alert. We never assumed quiet was good.
It was the best of times...