A Week of Mini's...

Our Summer custom is to pick up one of the Mini's on Sunday afternoon and keep them till Wednesday. On Wednesday we make an exchange and pick up the other Mini till Saturday. This last week was Mini Week at the Christensen home.

We picked up Hayden Sunday afternoon. Andie needed some more cut off her hair so we did that before scooping up the boy and bringing him home with us. As we prepared to leave the Marx home, Hayden asked Michael for another cookie. Michael assured him he could have one but Michael got to pick it out. Hayden looked at me and as dead pan as can be said, "Only God can help me now!" 

When we got to our home, Hayden set up his stuff in the guest bedroom and in the red chair in the living room. We had a quiet Sunday evening. One of the things that pleased us was Hayden's eating. He has never been a big eater. We always watch to be sure he consumes enough nutritional food each day. This time he ate well and a bit more often. I would pop Andie a text so she knew her boy was eating well. We commented on Jake staying so very thin until he turned 8 years old. Then a switch flipped and he suddenly changed. This was in connection with a growing taller phase. We wondered if Hayden was at that point in his 13th year. Andie also pointed out that he got his braces the Wednesday before and his mouth had hurt till he didn't want to eat. Now he we getting used to them and he was ready to eat and catch up a bit. Whatever the reason, we had plenty of the things he could eat and that he liked and he did eat the good things before having any of the junk things. And it was good to see him enjoy food like that. 

Monday we started the day with a 'staining' lesson. Hayden has all the Pinewood Derby cars and trophies from his Cub Scout days. Andie purchased three shelves for them to be displayed on in his bedroom. They wanted them stained to match his bedroom furniture. Hayden assured Andie that her dad had a staining table and stain in his basement. Hayden was right. Claude purchased the natural stain before Hayden came as he didn't have that particular color. He gave Hayden an old t-shirt to wear and they headed to the workshop in the basement. 

Get Ready...

Get Set...

Go...

Monday afternoon we took Hayden to Lexington to see the Incredibles 2 movie.  As life would have it, someone posted this on Facebook. These are actually Princess Bride characters dressed as Incredible characters. Princess Bride is a favorite movie in our family. Funny meme playing on those two movies. Hayden enjoyed the movie.  

After the movie we drove back to Georgetown as we had a few items to pick up at the grocery store. We drove through Chick-fil-A and picked up dinner to take home. While placing our order at the drive-thru, these comments were heard... Sandi: She takes to fast. Hard to understand her. Claude: I can't listen that fast. Sometimes I don't listen at all. Hayden (from the back seat): Men in a nutshell! Claude: I have to train him!!

The interesting thing that evening was watching Hayden brush his teeth. He has braces and they come with a special toothbrush that works with an app on his cell phone. I mean really!! He mounts the cell phone in a bracket on the mirror lined up with his face. As he brushes it registers how long he brushes and where he brushes. Very interesting age in which we live.

Had a sweet moment when I told Hayden good night. He looked at me and said, "Will you sing me Soft Kitty?" I assured him I would....and I did. Then he drifted off to sleep.

Tuesday Hayden went in with me to visit with Papa. We went to Walmart first. I wanted to take Papa some watermelon. He loves watermelon and it is something he will not get on the nursing home menu. We found a small container of melon all ready cut up. We also found a Lego set for Hayden to put together. This is a tradition with his summer sleepover. We visited with Papa and he tried to eat the watermelon but it didn't work very well. He used to do this all the time at his apartment in the summer. I will buy a watermelon and cut it up and then blend it into juice. Then I'll take Papa watermelon juice next. That will work for sure.

When we came home Hayden put together his Lego set. He does this so quickly it is always amazing to watch. I asked Hayden if he thought he would ever grow out of Lego's. He told me they are not something you grow out of. He will keep them forever. Good to know.

Wednesday morning was spent pulling things back together to make the exchange with him and Bailey. We would drive to Shelbyville and meet Andie and Bailey at 1pm. It turned out to be a little after 1 before Andie and Bailey arrived. We all enjoyed a nice lunch at Cracker Barrel.

Then we were off to Georgetown. The timing of this exchange allowed me to take Bailey to visit Papa on the way home and to play the DVD for the residents. Claude had a 4pm meeting followed by a 6pm meeting. So we were all back to Georgetown in time to take care of business. Miss B had cross country practice in the morning and was worn out. She enjoyed the ride back to Georgetown like this...

After the nursing home, Bailey and I went to Walmart. She had requested two meals during her time with us, chili dogs and chicken quesadillas. We needed hot dog buns and tortillas. We also purchased pumpkin seeds and a candy that Bailey was sure she needed. 

When we got to the house, Bailey set up her stuff in the guest room. She was all about finding something to eat. I showed her what we had available and she opted for the tuna salad followed by many other things, like Pringles chips. The girl loves Pringles chips.

Then Bailey was off to play the piano. She was recently given a cell phone. She enters Middle School in August and received the cell phone as her brother did when he entered Middle School. Bailey put an app on her phone to learn to play the piano. She explained to me she had told herself she would be 'all over the piano' when she got to our home. This is a good thing and she hurried to the basement and started to practice with her app. The app features a staff of music with one note at a time showing. A musical piece is played as the staff moves across the top of the cell phone screen. There is a keyboard on the bottom half of the screen. As the note comes to the left edge of the screen you are to hit it on the keyboard part of the screen in time with the music. Really a cute app. Bailey did it repeatedly with the cell phone. Then she moved to playing the piano keys instead of the keyboard on the cell phone. I left her doing this while I did the load of laundry she brought with her. 

After a good while of Bailey playing the piano that way, we looked in my music drawer and found a beginning piano lesson book. I quickly tried to share the most important things about playing to my ADHD grandmonster as she put her hands on the piano keyboard and played the pieces from the book. We moved fast enough to keep her interest and to have her motivated to try some on her own. She played at that for a good while. 

Each day we also had her do a run on the treadmill. She would miss two days of cross country practice with the team. So it was important for her to get some workout at home. Claude took her down and educated her about the treadmill and the emergency shut off. She set up her phone to play a video or to play music. And she was off for her run. Friday while she ran she was singing at the top of her lungs. I spent the time at my laptop in my sewing room marveling at her inhibitions. She takes life with gusto.

Both kids watch some Big Bang Theory while they visited this time. Bailey needed to be in costume for it though. She remembered her Grampa had Bazinga socks. We found them in his sock drawer and she wore them the entire time she has visited with us.

Bailey also came with her own project for Pa to help her with. She had a wooden board with hooks and a bird feeder that were already painted. She wanted them repainted. The board with hooks needed to be painted white so she could paint over that the the bird feeder needed to be painted yellow. Her Grampa set her up in the workshop and helped her get these things done. This also allowed Claude time to finish putting sealer on Hayden's project to finish it up. 

I purchased a puzzle that I thought Bailey would enjoy making with me over the time she was with us. Puzzles were something we had previously really enjoyed doing together. She really wasn't interested so I put it together. It was only 300 pieces and went together very easily. 

At one point I was sitting on the love seat in the living room and Bailey was watching television and bouncing around. She landed on the top of the back of the love seat. Then I heard our girl start to purr. I looked up at her and she looked at me and said, "I am a cat. If it fit...I sit!" Oh my. 

Bailey opted to stay at the house both days she was with us. She really wanted Kentucky Fried chicken or KFC as it is now known. Friday, I went in to visit with Papa and brought it home for her. She was quite content to stay home and paint some more with her Grampa. She was happy to get her KFC when I returned home. 

Today is Saturday. We will take Bailey back to Shelbyville this morning. She has to go the the Middle School this afternoon with her parents to register for school. 

We loved having the Mini's for a week. We realize how old we are getting and how set in our ways in our home with just the two of us we have gotten. Grateful the Mini's want to come and that they have a good time on their little vacation visits. It is very different than when they were little ones and came. They are growing into young adults. Hayden's voice is changing and he has a proverbial mustache. Bailey is taller and filling out into a young woman. How we have enjoyed watching them grow and being close enough to enjoy it all these years. Grand parenting is fun!