My Chicago family arrived last Thursday and headed home Sunday afternoon. It was a busy, fun-filled visit that seemed to last only a blink of an eye. Time really does fly when you're having fun.
My little grandson, AJ, is fascinated by farm animals right now, and we're fortunate to have a couple of local farms where young children can get up close and personal with the livestock. Our first stop was Young's Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs. AJ fed the goats, sat on a tractor, rode a blue horse on the carousel, played on a kid-sized playground, and enjoyed some blue cotton-candy-flavored ice cream. By the time the day was over, he was completely worn out and fell asleep almost as soon as his mom buckled him into his car seat for the ride home.
The next day, while his mom attended a baby shower, Daddy, Grandpa, and Didi took AJ to Hidden Valley, another local farm filled with animals. He saw baby lambs, piglets, cows and calves, ducks, roosters, and chickens. He raced up and down the fence line from the lambs to the pigs, then to the ducks, the cows, and back again, repeating the route at least four times. Farm animals are definitely his "thing" right now, and seeing so many of them in one place was pure two-year-old heaven.
During his down time at our house, AJ's parents let him watch a couple Disney movies. Right now "golillas and efants" (gorillas and elephants), is one of his favorites. For the adults around AJ, this translates to "Tarzan." This animated movie came out in 1999. and wow, once again, how time does fly. Phil Collins wrote and performed the vocal songs. It's a wonderful sound track.
One of the songs in Tarzan is "You'll Be in My Heart." It's such a touching song about a mother's love for her baby. When AJ was born, the doctors quickly discovered he had a hole in his heart and when he was 2 1/2 months old he had open heart surgery to repair it. Todd and I were there to support the new parents during this scary time. When I held my little grandson after his surgery, in a private moment through tears I sang some of "You'll Be in My Heart" to him. To this day, that song still makes me cry.
Come stop your crying
It will be alright
Just take my hand
Hold it tight
I will protect you
From all around you
I will be here
Don't you cry
For one so small
You seem so strong
My arms will hold you
Keep you safe and warm
This bond between us
Can't be broken
I will be here, don't you cry
'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart
Always
What a precious time. AJ's smile at the wheel of the tractor says it all.
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