This past weekend, I was treated by a visit from my brother Eric and his wife Tonya who brought their family to Denver over spring break.. Not having any kids of my own, I was a bit lost for ideas about how to make the visit fun for his children.  I live in a ninety-seven year old bungalow in a very quiet part of town.  There are very few families with kids in our neighborhood since the older homes typically don’t have enough space to meet the needs of a modern family. Since I am not around kids very much, keeping up with the latest trends is a bit tough. What games are popular, which flavor of beverage is best, and what TV show is “so last year”. I guess I am just getting old.

March weather in Colorado can be anything.  But fortunately it was warm, so the thought of grilling popped into my head. What kid won’t eat a cheeseburger or a hot dog? I know, right?  So a picnic it was.

I was introduced to all the latest games and technologies that the kids are currently interested in, and caught up on the happenings with school. The young ladies, Makayla, Rachael, and Sierra, turned my sidewalk into a mural of chalk mountains, rainbows, and unicorns, while my nephew Jacob and I had a bit of our own fun creating a crime scene for CSI Denver: What’s Cooking?

When it was time to eat everyone dug right in.  At the table, my dinner got the biggest compliment I could have imagined, when the conversation I was having with my brother was interrupted by young Jacob with ” Dad…….This is the best cheeseburger I have ever had”.  Success!