Spring Break 2015 - Days 8 & 9 - Family

Friday & Saturday, April 3 & 4, 2015

We spent these days with Jenrie and the kids -- Spidey, Princess P, C-Man, and Miss M. We didn't do a lot, just hung out and visited. The kids all jumped on the trampoline. We walked to a playground by the school on Friday and the older boys played soccer while Princess P and C-Man climbed around on the playground stuff. Hubby stayed home with Miss M. We just ordered pizza for dinner, and Hubby and the three older boys when ice skating after dinner. Jenrie dropped them off as Hubby wouldn't have been able to get on base without her. I stayed at home with the three youngest. I got them all in the bathtub and clean, and then got them all in bed. I felt very accomplished! ;)

 

Saturday morning we went to IHOP -- Jenrie's request. She doesn't go out to eat because it would be a major ordeal to do so alone with all four kids. We had a nice late breakfast with no incidents and then headed home. We gave the kids their Easter baskets from us and then we blew bubbles in the backyard for awhile. Hubby and I stayed with all of the kids while Jenrie went to get the oil changed in her car and ran to the store. When she got home, we took a bunch of pictures of all of the kids together and thenwe made dinner and Skyped with Uncle Hooter. That was really nice!! He will be home in about three weeks. WOO HOO!! After dinner, we packed up and headed home. :(  We wanted a day to recover before Hubby and I had to go back to work.

It was a great vacation, and a bonus to be able to spend some time with family at the end of it. :)

Keeper Boy's Hawaiian Adventure, Day 33

I don't have a lot to update because I don't get a lot of updates. I know the kids love having Keeper Boy there, and Gma Geri says she thinks Jenrie is going to miss having Keeper Boy there, too. But Keeper Boy himself has not been the best at keeping in touch by phone, by text, by email, or by Facebook. Sigh. I guess this is what I have to look forward to when he goes off to college... information blackout!

I do know that they spent five days on the Big Island over Hubby's and my birthday weekend and that they saw and did a lot in those five days. Uncle Hooter posted a lot of awesome photos on Facebook from that mini-vacation.


And, I got a video over the weekend of Keeper Boy and Spidey at some sort of water park running around inside what looked like giant hamster wheels in the water. Very amusing, and very tiring for them, I'm sure. Looked like they were having a blast!

I know Keeper Boy has taken surfing lessons twice, learned to use a push lawn mower, learned to change diapers (though I don't know that he's yet actually changed one), not gotten any better about using deodorant, is still lying about using soap/shampoo in the shower, and bought everyone pizza for dinner last Friday  night.

I guess that's something...

Keeper Boy's Hawaiian Adventure - Day 7

Day 7 - 6/26/12

We talked to Keeper Boy on FaceTime last night for a little while. It was quite an adventure with Spidey and CJ reaching for the iPod and such. We got disconnected a few times during the conversation. :)

But Keeper Boy looks good. He says he's wearing his retainer, showering, taking his meds, and keeping his room picked up. Jenrie concurred. ;-P He's watched the kids a few times already while Jenrie has run out to the commissary, and he keeps them entertained while she makes dinner. He's also serving as an able partner for Uncle Hooter to play X-box games that he normally has no one to play with. ;-P

Hubby's uncle, aunt, and two of their grandchildren are currently in Hawaii and Keeper Boy is going to go hang with them for the next couple of days, I guess. The grandchildren are around Keeper Boy's age. They are going to do the Remembrance Tour at Pearl Harbor tomorrow morning and then do all the war monuments and memorials that we did last summer when we were there. He is going to stay with them at their condo tomorrow night.

Other than that, nothing new. He seemed totally comfortable there and the kids seemed completely comfortable with him. Spidey was hanging all over him, just like a little brother. :) Keeper Boy and Spidey are the same age spread at Hubby and Uncle Hooter, so I think it's been funny for Uncle Hooter to watch the interaction from the perspective of an adult.

Heard...

Got this email from my sister-in-law on Sunday after the Ohio State/Penn State football game... regarding my nephew (Spidey). BTW, my sister-in-law is an OSU alum, and my brother-in-law is a big OSU fan, too.

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After watching the OSU/Penn State game with Penn State friends, [Spidey] insisted he was a Penn State fan. [Spidey's dad] told him he had to go live with them if he was going to be a Penn State fan. He disappeared for awhile and I found him at their house (just down the street). He had packed a bag, complete with a couple school shirts, underwear, pull ups, pajamas, his Cowboys jersey [a hand me down from his cousin, J-Mav], his fishing vest, and some pop tarts!! He also had his robe and his sleeping bag. He is too funny!!!!

Heard...

We called Uncle Hooter, Jenrie, and Spidey last night as this morning they boarded a plane to their new home (for the next three years) in Hawaii. While J-Mav was talking to Spidey, Spidey said something along the lines of:

"You can come over and play with me if your mom and dad say it's okay. We can go on the beach and make sand castles."

As though Hawaii is right down the street. I wish!!

Heard...

This was relayed from my sister-in-law (Jenrie), through my husband, so it's probably not verbatim, but the effect is there...

Pre-school teacher: What is your full name?

Adorable nephew: Well, my REAL name is Peter Parker. But if I'm lost or need help, I'm supposed to say that my name is [Adorable Nephew's first, middle, and last names].

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Back story: I guess they've been working in pre-school on knowing pertinent information about themselves so if they ever find themselves lost or in trouble, they can give that information to the police officer or adult who can help them. However, for awhile now, Adorable Nephew has been insistent that he is Peter Parker (or sometimes, Spiderman, depending on the situation, I guess). Jenrie was starting to worry that if anything ever DID happen to Adorable Nephew, that he'd tell the police officer or adult that his name is Peter Parker! So she's been having these talks with him about why he needs to say his given name instead of Peter Parker when asked what his name is. Thus the gem retold above...

Even Spiderman needs his mama

As it turns out, I am related to Spiderman! To be more specific, my three-year-old nephew (JGS) is convinced that he is "Pidey" (or Peter Parker, depending on his mood), although since leaving our house he is also quite into being Superman. But this post is about Pidey...

Pidey arrived at our house with his mom (Jenrie), his dog (S-dog), and his grandma (my MIL; Hubby's mom) the Monday night before Christmas. They stayed with us until the morning of the 28th and it was a wonderful week of family and fun.

As he is enamored with his older cousins (J-Mav and Keeper Boy), if any of us needed Pidey to do something, it was generally enough to ask J-Mav and/or Keeper Boy to do the same thing, and Pidey would imitate. Mission accomplished.

On some occasions, however, that didn't work with Pidey. On the other hand, statements like these did often work to distract him from potential meltdowns or accomplish tasks:
"Drink your Spidey Milk so you get big and strong."
"Use your Spidey Webs to help clean up."
"[J-Mav] and [Keeper Boy] are getting THEIR jammies on..."
"You need to go to sleep so you can get up when [J-Mav] and [Keeper Boy] get up!"

But there was one monumental force working against us all that even special Spidey powers couldn't overcome. Fatigue. Pidey is at that stage dreaded by parents everywhere: he's not really napping anymore, but he kinda still needs a nap, but if he takes a nap he doesn't go to bed at a good time, and so on. When Pidey was tired (a) it was very easy to tell, and (b) there was nothing to really be done about it. As his aunt and uncle (and not his parents), these events did provide many moments of amusement for Hubby and I.

When Pidey has hit the wall, most conversations with him are much the same. Following is a paraphrased example from a trip to Red Robin one night while they were here. Note: Pidey's lines are are verbatim. The rest is paraphrased.

Hubby: Hey [Spidey], how's your dinner?
Pidey [said in a somewhat whiney, somewhat sing-songy voice while looking away from whomever is speaking to him]: Mama
Hubby: You aren't going to finish eating?
Pidey: Mama
Me: How come you won't talk to Uncle [Hubby]?
Pidey: Mama
Hubby: I'm going to have to come over there and tickle you again.
Pidey: Mama

And on and on. It really was amusing. It was helpful in knowing when he had hit his wall though. No questions on that one.

I think I'll try that the next time I'm asked for something and I'm just too tired.

"Mama."

Think it'll work with the kids?