The Great Sleepover!

Last week I told you all that our nephew & niece, Caleb & Madison, would be having their first sleepover at our house.  I was super excited.  I think they were happy about it too.

I'll admit that I was a little worried they would be bored.  I have been the impromptu baby sitter on several occasions & after the homework was done I was at a total loss for activities.  It has become glaringly obvious that we need more games & G rated movies.

Beth dropped the kids off & we decided what would be good for dinner.  I decided to try to be as much of a 'yes' auntie as possible.  I'm not sure why, but my inclination is to say 'no' a lot.  As we discussed dinner my 'yes' mentality was tested right away.  The kids (& their uncle, too) confessed that although they loved stuffed crust pizza from The Hut, they all preferred breadsticks from Little Caesar's.  What to do, what to do?  Well there was only one thing to do - call The Hut & order pizza.  Load up in the car with Maddie leaving the guys to watch sports stuff & play video games.  Go get breadsticks from Caesar & then pick up the pizza from The Hut.  Easier than cooking?  I'm not sure, but it was good!

After dinner we left Mike home (nursing his confounded sinuses) & went to DQ for a little dessert.  Very close to the DQ is a fabulous city park.  Beth & I joke about how our parents took us to DQ when we were kids & then we would drive through the park.  Not once did we get out & play & burn any DQ calories.  After Cal & Mad & I had our treats in hand we headed to the park to play.  And play we did.  I was running around the playground in my flip flops playing tag.  It was so fun.  And I didn't feel too stupid playing as an adult because there were a bunch of teenagers there doing the same thing.  Interestingly enough, we all ran around together & no one got in anyone's way & several groups of crazies were playing tag at the same time with no problems.  That has to be a playground miracle. 

 After we tired ourselves out running around playing tag, Cal & Mad had to show me a new corner of the park they had explored with Beth earlier in the week.  We had to cross this little concrete bridge over a creek.  My flip flopped feet got all wet but it was worth it. 

So far, so good.  We were all having a great time.  Then I made a couple of Rookie Mistakes.

Have any of you heard of the movie "Hachi"?  It's about a man & his dog.  I knew it was sad.  I warned the kids.  But Grandma had said it was a good movie & they wanted to watch it - Rookie Mistake #1.  So we got the couch bed all pulled out, made it up, put on our jammies, brushed our teeth, & camped out for the movie.  About halfway into the movie Mad elbows me & tells me that she has hives all over her arms & they are making her crazy.  Mad can be a bit dramatic so I make a phone call to Beth.  Evidently Mad gets hives intermittently in the spring; it's allergy related.  All she needs is some Benedryl gel.  Rookie Mistake #2 - we have practically no OTC meds of any kind.  Therefore, no Benedryl gel on hand.  I decide to go to a nearby grocery store & pick some up.  Mike is already asleep because he had to work the next day.  Mad insists she needs to go with me so I will know the right stuff to get.  Cal doesn't want to leave the movie although we all have some anxiety because we know the sad part is coming.
Rookie Mistake #3 - Mad & I go to the grocery store & leave Cal watching the movie.  We get back no more than 20 minutes later & Cal is visibly upset.  The movie has taken that sad turn & he is just overwrought.  I turn the movie off, give many hugs & cuddles good night & we all turn in.

I am happy to report that the next day I did not commit any Rookie Mistakes.  And Cal is not scarred for life.

 We spent a leisurely morning packing their stuff up (Cal is a creative packer, sticking most of his stuff inside his pillowcase - smart kid!) & getting some breakfast.  Then we headed back to their house to pick Beth & Coco up to do a little local hiking.

 It was such good times.  It was a lovely day - sunny, warm, a little breezy, & birdsong filled.  We had a great hike through the woods telling stories, finding little flowers, & even spotting a few butterflies. 

And we found this fabulous snake tree.  Isn't it curious?  It has definitely learned to adapt to get the sunlight it needs!

We all ate lunch together & ended the sleep over on a high note.  I'm thinking that in spite of the Rookie Mistakes future sleep overs will definitely be in the plans.  I gotta start scheming on how we can work out a similar deal for our out-of-town nephews & nieces.  It could be tricky because once the grandparents have them, they don't want to let go!