Some of y'all are lucky enough to have grandparents living nearby. Family dinner on Sundays, snuggles and movies when a fever keeps a kid home from school, the whole bit. I ENVY YOU.

Others of us have at least one set that live away. A visit with them entails planning, airfare, and furiously sweeping the cobwebs out from under the stove at midnight the night before they arrive because you know your mom will notice them within 5 seconds.

OK, OK. I digress.

When Johanna's dad and stepmom come to town, they bake. Grandma has that bottomless well of patience that only grandmothers seem to possess, and the girls love getting to sink their hands into some cookie dough (ok but honestly, who doesn't?)

But here's the thing. The girls are getting older, and a day will come when they don't wipe flour all over their dresses. Or they don't sneak licks of the butter/sugar when they think nobody's looking. Or they won't let dad help them scoop the peanut butter out of the jar. Or they just don't like to bake.

These rituals feel like they'll last forever, but how can we be sure?

Well, we're not sure -- so we had ourselves a fun, fast-paced, two-hour session to commemorate this darling little place in time. 

With cookies out of the way and the girls all sugared up, we trekked over to the playground for good old-fashioned fun -- and my favorite kind of family portrait.

Thanks for the fun, Johanna & Neil!

Blog: On long-distance grandmas.