Our weekend actually started on Friday morning when Uncle K. rolled up the drive on his shiny motorcycle. My only bittersweet thoughts about the moments after he stopped are that I can’t adequately share the screaming, happy reaction of the children when they realized who it was. That 30 seconds of guessing while he got off the bike and took his helmet of were priceless. And the whooping and dashing for the door when they saw him even more so. That is the unconditional love of a child meeting a responsive heart.
(The 4th makes me sentimental more because its become the big “family” holiday for us than the meaning of the day itself.)
So we (the parents) managed to have a few moments of conversation with our dear friend (Uncle K.) interspersed between the many moments of chess, wii and rounds of “show and tell” by the boys. And chatter! Wow the boys had a lot to catch Uncle K. up on! It is funny to think how getting together has changed for the three of us (the adults). I remember vaguely the days of movies, dinner and deep conversations! It occurred to me after we (meaning the boys) let Uncle K. leave that we are cresting knowing each other for almost 15 years. So I’m thinking we can handle these years where star wars and legos top the conversational topics.
We sent Uncle K off to his own 4th plans just after my sister (Auntie P. and Uncle E.) and The Cousins rolled in the drive. Timing was just about perfect there. The boys love The Cousins visiting as much as Uncle K. visiting. Balancing the two is…interesting? With the quick transition nobody was sad.
The Cousins and the boys immediately launched into that invisible list of things I must do with my cousin they each have mentally created. We had chess games for some. GeoMag building for others. The olders went to find Gram and Gramps to say a private hello. Auntie P. and Uncle E. set up camp. You know actually I’m not certain where my own dear hubby was during this time!? I was inside getting kids settled and okaying various board games coming of the shelf. (The Cousins are very polite and generally check before getting things out.) There was a gentle roll into the crazy that is having seven kids in the house!
Saturday (the 4th) dawned rainy and dreary. We made the best of it with a tournament of wii and some small dashes outside between sprinkles. Cousin #4 helped me pick currants for a bit then went to play with the Boys. Cousin #1 and #2 hung out with Gramma. Cousin #3 and #5 played with the Boys most the day. That is pretty much how to day went clear up to fireworks time only add in some rotation of who is where and doing what.
Fireworks. Well ours were small and the neighbors’ were big. Had we known they were going to pop off a bunch we’d have just opted to watch theirs. We caught some of them and ours were fun for the kids. The bugs also made a dent into the length of time we could watch. At this point in the night we were getting tired (the adults) so my memory fuzzes but I think we dragged the kids towards beds and said something like “go to sleep!”
Sunday was a bigger family day with Great Grandma visiting. And the Sun came to play so the kids finally got in our bitty pool. There was freeze tag. And the big boys (the men) started working on our new shed. Me? I cooked. It was my day to take care of supper. So I put together chicken and biscuits. My biscuits where the usual flaming success. And my sister now wants to bop me on the head because her dear hubby won’t accept her hard, flat biscuits now that he’s had mine. Heh. heh. It was movie night so the evening was actually pretty quiet and towards that 10 o’clock hour we tossed out the “go to sleep” command again. (It only sort of works. There is a lot of helping into jammies and gentle shooing towards actual beds.) Then we gave ourselves the “go to sleep” command and sacked out before 11pm. Yes we are getting old (ha ha ha ha)
Monday was a work day for most everyone. So the boys and I were left with saying the big good-bye. The Cousins rolled out and five minutes later I have Lil’B at my elbow saying “I miss my cousins” and Jr. declaring he wishes they “could stay for everyday.”
Guess that means it was a successful weekend!
