Labor Day Grandkids Sleepover

Timeline:
6:30 PM - Children begin to arrive. Parents stay to chat but a few minutes, then are joyfully off again.
7:00 PM - Old fashion BINGO begins on the dining table with Grandpa calling the numbers. We yell "BINGO" until everyone has blackout. There is some negotiation concerning prizes. Toby has fun sliding the red tabs on his card back and forth.
7:50 PM - The double feature begins. "Beauty and the Beast" plays in the back bedroom on the old combo TV & VCR. Ruby and Toby land on their tummies on the bed opting for animation. "Fly Away Home" plays on the DVD in the grandparents room. TJ and Heather prop themselves up on every pillow they can find and soon learn about 'imprinting.' By the end of Fly Away, all four grandchildren are attempting to fly by jumping on grandma's bed. Finally, the geese have landed.
9:30 PM - Jammies have been donned (except for Ruby who arrived in her Disney nightgown, which is normal) and beds assigned. Nighttime books are selected. The boys in the grandkids' room dutifully go to sleep as requested. Girls in middle bedroom, not so easy. See previous post. I bribe them with their morning surprise, fairy dolls. Instead of promptly falling asleep, they play with their dolls.
10:10 PM - I insist they go to sleep. Watery eyes, but obediently try.
10:20 PM - I blog. I still hear voices. I go to bed anyway.
Midnight - I awake to "HELLO, is anybody there." I answer Ruby in the hall. She comes to the side of my bed and says, "I just can't quit thinking about my mom." I pull her into bed. She remembers she needs her blanket which she fetches and then promptly falls asleep on my side of the bed. I attempt to fall back asleep but now feel trapped in my own space, beautiful girl on my left (who might demand a late night return home if I awaken her) and big Glen on my right. I fidget.
12:53 AM - Glen can tolerate my "restless leg" syndrome no longer and moves to family room sofa. I promptly scoot over and fall asleep.
6:30 AM - "GRANDMA, GRANDMA, get me out!" I scramble up remembering he no longer wears diapers to bed. Toby uses the potty. TJ joins us in the kitchen. Glen continues to sleep on the sofa.
7:00 AM - Grandpa and Toby go out to water. The girls sleep on.
7:30 AM - I offer breakfast and then a morning swim. TJ takes me up on it. Toby ignores offers of food. He also turns down the swim and continues to help Grandpa.
8:00 AM - Heather awakes and discovers she has not packed a swimsuit. We improvise.
8:10 AM - We swim and make lots of noise outside my bedroom window.
8:30 AM or so - Ruby hears our noise and joins us in the back yard. The bubble fun begins. Grandpa has purchased bubble blasters which create bubbles within a large bubble. Cool!




How many bubbles can land in your pool before you have foaming problems?

Heather models her suit:
pink underwear + thrift store shirt mutilated by Nathan and retrieved from bag for DI + plus 2 large rubber bands (one at the shoulder and one at the hip) = a styling swim costume

Toby using flower gathering basket for rock gathering, not always pleasing Grandpa with rocks' new location.

Toby disappears and reappears with "breakfast!"

TJ after swim. Do you all remember when you had a "smoothie daddy" right in your own kitchen who always started with orange juice in the blender?

Heather's fairy dolls. There were four and she and Ruby knew right away which two they wanted. Thank goodness they weren't the two the other one wanted!

Ruby's fairy dolls. And then it was on to using nature to make fairy homes. Which doll looks best in this home?


According to "Arthur" (and Heather) the best way to use a bug catcher is to fill it with lovely flowers and leaves and wait for them to come to you. Luckily, there were enough butterflies fluttering by to make it seem entirely possible.

10:00 AM - Glen decides to leave on errands with TJ. Grandma demands that all boys get to go. (Build a fairy house, watch Toby dismantle a fairy house.)

Now its just us girls, Grandma prepares a special brunch: Fairy toast points with cinnamon/sugar and Fairy sized orange wedges served with milk in rainbow glasses with pink straws.
11:00 AM - The girls decide the temperature has risen far enough that they need a break inside. The fairy dolls are introduced to Janae's old cabbage patch dolls. There may have been an altercation for I soon had to restitch fairy wings. At least the male dolls were allowed to remain in the room!

11:30 AM - Grandpa and boys return with Krispy Kreme doughnuts covered with sprinkles (which rhymes with wrinkles)! He also brings the hats to wear while eating them (milk also required.) Ruby declines hat. How can you justify wearing a Krispy Kreme hat when you have refused to wear your pre-school graduation mortar board? He also got a deal on bubble juice at Walmart. Again, how many bubbles can you blow over a swimming pool before it begins to foam?

Shorty after Noon children are retrieved by mom and aunt, Susan. It was fun! and exhausting!