Keepin' Up With the Mini's...

Andie was a huge help to me in checking on Papa so Claude and I could go to Michigan. I was with him Thursday morning. He was set to go through the weekend. However, Andie came over Sunday afternoon so they could be with him in the afternoon. That only meant two days without someone close by. It gave me huge relief and, with my calls to check on him, he did fine. 

The Mini's are on Fall Break from school. This means a visit to Ma and Pa's home for a few days. 

Sunday, the Mini's entertained Papa with things that bring them joy and he shared some of his photo albums with them. They are the happy owners of a hermit crab each. Their neighbors are on vacation and the Marx family is also watching the neighbor's hermit crabs. They carried in their hermit crabs for Papa's amazement and enjoyment. One escaped and Hayden found him quickly. They also tried to give Papa some lessons in the use of a tablet. Every Sunday I give Papa a chocolate shake. He is diabetic and we have cut out his sugar so this treat is especially fun for him. The Mini's took him a chocolate shake. 

Claude and I got home from Michigan while the Mini's were with Papa. We unpacked and I took a quick rest since I was coming down with a cold. The Mini's were happy to find us at home when they arrived. We had a brief visit before Claude and I went to the Lexington Opera House to see Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell.

This was a really, really good concert for me. I had to keep a cough drop in the roof of my mouth the entire concert to keep from coughing. But I came to understand why I love listening to Emmylou Harris sing. She started out by telling us she and Rodney were going to sing lots of very sad, slow songs. Then it dawned on me, I love that mellow music. I remembered a snow storm one Christmas in Maryland where Andie and I stayed up all night working on a puzzle and listening to all her James Taylor cassette tapes. She was making a list of the songs I wanted a copy of.  After a bit she looked up at me and said, "I notice a trend here." Then we both realized I loved the slow songs, the ones with lots of good harmony to sing along. That is what Emmylou was going to do. They did fast stuff as well and it was all good. It was their last performance of their tour and they came back for a long encore. She said it was hard to quit playing. Great concert.

Monday we found a movie the kids wanted to see at the theater, Transylvania Hotel 2.  It wouldn't start until 5pm. Claude had a couple of things to do in town in the morning. So we snuggled up and enjoyed some family time. I sent Junie a picture of Hayden cuddled up in the beautiful afghan she made for me while I was in Japan. The kids loved curling up in this new bundle of family warmth. Just wanted her to know the joy this gift was bringing to multiple generations.

When Claude got home the kids gave him his birthday gift. His birthday was October 4th but they had not seen him until this last week. It was a bottle of some special cooking sauce and two basting brushes which they kids had painted on the handles. Then they had time to play while he tried to rest on the floor. Hayden was the photographer and Bailey provided his cover. We had a nice snack of apples and peanut butter and some peach slices. 

The plan was to go to Culver's for dinner and then to the theater to see the movie. We got to and inside Culver's. Then we realized the Mini's weren't really ready for dinner. So, we decided to have dessert first and then the movie and dinner after the movie. We are nothing if not flexible. Everyone ordered an ice cream treat and we found a corner table to spend a little time in.

The kids enjoyed popcorn and their movie. Love sitting by Hayden. He just belly laughs at the parts he finds funny. Such fun to enjoy a movie with a 10 year old boy. 

When we got home, Claude popped some pizzas in the oven and the girls opened Bailey's kitten puzzle (550 pieces) and set to work putting the puzzle together. We didn't get it finished that night but got a lot done on it.

Tuesday Evan's Orchard was open. We decided to go around 2pm so that any school field trips would be over and it would not be so crowded. This was a very good decision and the kids had great fun playing. 

The Mini's were there at the beginning of the summer.  Bailey missed the petting zoo portion and that was where she headed first. She went back again before the end of our visit to Evan's Orchard. The girl should be a veterinarian or something. She just loves animals. She carefully gathered the grain that had fallen to the ground outside the goats pens and fed it to them. 

The corn bin was a huge hit as it was earlier in the summer. Hayden loves being covered in the corn. Andie obliged and he laid that way for the longest time. This is good for adults because there is a place to sit along the sides and a cover overhead to protect you from the sun. It is truly a win-win situation. 

After a while Claude and Bailey joined us and Bailey also wanted to be covered. The kids eventually uncovered themselves and then went into imagination mode with the toys in the corn bin. Fun to watch their little minds work. Wrestling was done. Grampa tossed corn on them while they played. Great fun.

Before we left we found the place set up for a photo-op and took advantage of the moment. 

We got home and the Mini's got their showers. Then the girls finished the puzzle. I am so very happy this child loves to make puzzles. It is something I really enjoy and I love having that time with her and Andie. 

Wednesday morning was the time the Mini's would pack up and head back to LaGrange. This was when Bailey decided she should practice 'cranking' Gramma. A 'crank' is a practical joke. I found this on the breakfast table and was so happy. We purchased Kid's Meals for the kids at Burger King. It came in a bucket and the lid to the bucket had instructions for drawing a zombie (Whatever this interest is in zombies can go away any time!!) and a dog. The note had a picture of the dog with the words "Hayden did this" underneath. Call me gullible. Write it across my forehead. I called Andie to come see what Hayden did. Writing is not something he enjoys. He will do lots of things by typing but using a pencil or pen he just does not do. So, I was extremely impressed with this artwork. Hayden heard his name and looked and it and said, "I didn't do that!"  Then Bailey started to snicker. She did it and signed that Hayden did it to 'crank' Gramma. She got me. She was very happy with her efforts. 

It was a great visit, even with me having a cold. Love these Mini's and that they want to take their time off to visit us. Love my family.