We’re going to have a whole houseful of family this weekend – the first time in about six months since we’ve had the opportunity to spend some time together.

We missed the Blankenship family Christmas because of a scheduling conflict, so now Grandma Phoebe is coming to town to see Daniel. In addition, our two grandchildren will be visiting. I’m looking forward to having a four and five year-old running around the house.

Of course, when those little tikes come to visit, it’s not to see Gma or Papa. It’s to see the puppies. And quite honestly, the puppies don’t disappoint. They always seem to be on their best behavior when the grands are around.

Toby can be a little bit intimidating just because of his size. He’s as tall as the two grandchildren and weighs about 80 pounds. But when he’s sleeping on the floor, Eric and Ariel have found that he makes a great snuggle pillow.

He follows the kiddos around and watches everything they do. And he loves to run around and play ball in the backyard with them.

Buster on the other hand, with his little feather duster tail, seems to be the kids’ favorite. They chase him around the house and give him “pat-pats” and if they are lucky enough to catch him, hugs around the neck.

Buster is fairly good about all of this attention, and when it gets to be too much for him, he’s got a spot under the bed where no one can reach him. He also crawls up in my lap when he needs some soothing from all the attention.

So, we recently downsized and moved into a nice little bungalow. In fact, it was the home my parents lived in for many years. Even though it’s a bit smaller than our house of nearly 15 years, the floor plan is better arranged and much more conducive to hosting guests.

We have a nice little play area set up for the grands in the semi-finished basement, right next to a little nook where Larry has his office. I’m sure the kiddos will have fun exploring the place when they arrive this weekend.

This will likely be the last time the two kids visit alone because in another month, they will have a little baby brother joining their family. We’re excited to meet this new little life and get to know him.

In all the flurry of getting ready for visitors, I nearly forgot that it was Valentine’s Day today. I hurried out and got cards and treats for everyone. Larry asked me what I would like, and I thought for a minute, then decided the best gift was having a house filled with family gathered around.