Grandmonster Encounter...

I have not had a Hayden and Bailey encounter since the weekend before my surgery. Claude has been able to see and play with them several times but I have not because of stitches, weight restrictions for lifting, etc. I have been blessed to have several extended conversations with Master Hayden over the telephone. We ramble on about trains, sharks, St. John's pre-school, etc., etc. I truly enjoy talking to this little guy for as long as he wants to talk. But yesterday we went to the Marx home after cleaning the temple to pick up a microwave she was giving to Papa. We arrived during quiet time. We knocked on the door so that if the munchkins were asleep we wouldn't wake them. Then we quietly entered and headed to the family room to sit and wait for them to wake up. Andie was aware we arrived and went and got Master Hayden to come down the stairs. Now, bless Andie's heart, she had gone over in detail with Hayden the does and don't's with Ma when she came to visit. As I stood at the bottom of the stairs, Hayden came down very quietly holding Andie's hand. There is nothing like the sight of little kids eyes and smiles when you haven't seen them for a long time. Hayden and I just looked at each other for a what seemed long time. Now, normally he runs and jumps up and I grab him and he throws his arms and legs around me in a vice grip and we hug and snuggle with me standing and holding him for a long, long time. What were we to do now. I knew Andie had had her 'talk' with him. I knew my doctor had had his 'talk' with me (so had Claude and Papa and they were watching to see if I would be obedient!). So here we were at the bottom of the stairs looking at each other trying to figure out how we could handle this need to hug and yet need to be careful. I sat on the bottom stair and we did a gentle hug. Hayden began assuring me that we were NOT going to touch my tummy, and we WERE going to be gentle. Then he held my hand with his little soft hand and said, "I'll walk with you and help you walk carefully." I ask you, can it get sweeter than that?? I sat on a chair in the family room and Hayden began his verbalization of all things that run through that rapid motion brain of his. He had 4 willing adults ready to listen to his every word and we were each sitting in a different place so he was moving all over the room, hand and arms describing as well as all those words all the things of his little heart. Andie is doing a thing with green, yellow and red light foods. Green light foods you can eat all of whenever you want. Yellow light foods have a little nutrition and a lot of sugar so you can't have those without special permission and red light foods are really not good for you. These are only eaten after eating a really good meal. Now, if you have followed Hayden's growth, you know that eating is something that has required many hours of work. So having him know these things about green light foods and abiding and eating by these principles in a great step. So we played a game where we would name foods and he would tell us if they were green, yellow or red light foods. Guess what??? Dr. Pepper is a red light food. Hmmmmm.... Hayden also told Papa about the caterpillars his pre-school class has been watching change into butterflies. He says they are in the chrysalis stage now. Then Claude asked him if he knew how they got the name 'butterfly'. I'm sure Claude had a very witty comment to make as an answer for that question (you could see it in him eyes) but Hayden looked at him and said he knew how they got that name...God gave it to them. Well, we all laughed and Claude knew that whatever his witty response was, Hayden had out done him. Eventually Hayden and I went up to his room to see his train tracks that he has recently made to fill the floor of his bedroom. Then Miss Bailey woke up and we had lots of snuggles in the rocking chair in her room. Then down stairs to find that Pa she loves so much. Hayden and Andie had a surprise for Papa. Sunday was his 81st birthday. So Andie made him a special cake and committed Hayden to secrecy. Once Bailey was present we all headed to the dining room to enjoy a surprise for Papa birthday cake. Andie had made a cake in the shape of a guitar and frosted it like a guitar. Papa had Hayden help him blow out the candles after Hayden led us in a rousing rendition of 'Happy Birthday to You'. Bailey climbed up in my lap and helped me by eating the M&M's used as decoration for the neck of the guitar. Papa was very surprised. I was amazed once again at Andie's ability to make the right kind of cake for the occasion. Then we retired to the living room and Papa sat on the end of the sofa and stretched his legs out and fell asleep. Bailey was on the love seat with Claude playing and at some point realized Papa was asleep. She bounded that little body down and ran over to Papa and whacked him on the leg and said, "Wake up Papa, Wake up!!" It was so sudden and so quick it caught us off guard and we were all rolling with laughter. Papa thought we put her up to it but we assured him it was of her on design. On the drive home, we kept say, "Wake up Papa, Wake up!!" It was a great visit with the mini-Marx's. Thank you Andie for making such a wonderful cake for Papa. Thank you Hayden and Bailey for a couple of hours of entertainment and a lifetime of love.