I've decided to divide our extended weekend in Illinois into two posts so that a) people acutally finish reading the thing and b) I can get a nap in this afternoon!
Rob came home an hour early on Friday (thank you, dear) and so we were able to start our adventure earlier than planned. The kids and I had spent our morning attempting to stay alive (the kids made that part pretty hard on themselves) and cleaning so that we didn't come home to a dirty house. We at least got the living and dining rooms done, but I still had to do dishes when I returned. (Mom--I heard that!) Rob packed up the car while I made two quick phone calls and we were off....to run a few errands. Matthew kept asking if we were going to Grandma's yet. "No, dear, we have to go to MBBC/the bank/Wal-Mart/Arby's..." and by the time we were on the road, he had fallen asleep! He woke up around Milton and said, "When are we going to Grandma's?" not realizing that we were on our way! Ben slept a little longer than Matthew, so Rob and I had a nice time to ourselves for a bit. Our trip went well with no unusual events occuring (except that we kept passing the same speed boat about twenty times).
We got to Rob's parents' home around 6pm, so we made good time. His mom had white chicken chili waiting for us, which is one of Matthew's favorite meals, but he was too excited to eat much of it. We had a nice evening of visiting, until it was time to go to bed. Between the three of us that tried to keep the boys in their beds, it took two hours for those monkeys to calm down enough to sleep. Problem one was that Ben was in a toddler bed instead of his crib, so he kept getting out just because he could. Problem two is that we all stayed upstairs. The boys are used to going to sleep upstairs while Mommy and Daddy go downstairs. Rob and I didn't figure that one out until we were on the way home on Tuesday.
Anyway, the kids did eventally sleep and I headed for a nice shower. We did some laundry (Ben's binkie was overdue for a washing) and headed to bed. I haven't slept well for weeks and that night was no different. In the morning, Grandma made snowman pancakes for the kids, which they loved, and bacon (yummy!) for the rest of us. We had a good morning and Rob and I even ran out to Target for a few moments to find our traditional first picture outfit for Anna. Both boys were in blue Winnie-the-Pooh onesies for their first picture so we needed a pink one for Anna. They didn't have them in 0-3 month size, so we got her a sleeper instead. It's still cute!
Around 10:30, Rob's brother, sister-in-law and nephew came over and we call cooed over Baby Jamie. Matthew held him for a little bit, but dropped him onto the chair once Jamie started to wiggle. We packed up the adults and children and went to Ming's Chinese Buffet for lunch. It was very yummy and I love feeding the kids at a buffet b/c they usually eat alot. Matthew comes up with me now to make his own selections. He did get a nasty brownie and his comment was, "Mommy, that brownie wasn't even good!" I was just about ready to get up for more food when the clan decided to leave. I guess that's what happens when you're a very sloooooww eater. At least I didn't gorge myself like some guys I know that ate with us that day (**cough, cough** Rob and Andy **cough**)!
We went back to open presents and I am amazed by how patient Matthew was. Melissa needed to feed the baby and Matthew was perfectly fine with it all. Then the rip-fest began. I must say, I have much less time to enjoy my own gifts when I'm dealing with the kids. Rob and I went through them last night making comments like, "I didn't know you got that?" and "Where did that gift come from?" I won't list all of the presents, but Matthew received some cool toy power tools that he loves. He also got finger paints, and I can't wait to try them out. Ben received a garage with ramp (which Matthew loves) and a shape sorter. He likes to put in the shapes, but I'm trying to teach him how to do it without him getting completely "bent out of shape." They received many nice things and it's been fun to see them bounce from toy to toy this morning. Rob and I were particullarly fond of the Barnes and Noble gift cards, the generous gift his aunt and uncle, and I liked my book from my mother-in-law: a busy mom's devotional.
After presents, I had just about had enough of the day. I didn't quite feel human anymore, so I went down for a nap. I got up in time for the appetizer supper (go figure) and the boys played for a bit more. Ben was so tired that he went to bed at 6:45. We let Matthew stay up to watch The Santa Clause with us and then he went to bed. Unfortunately, Ben kept waking up screaming. Rob took him out while I got Matthew to sleep, and then we both worked on Ben. He would not be consoled. I think he was just too worn out. He woke up two more times in the night, doing the same thing. It was like having an infant all over again. Poor little guy...he just can't skip a nap!
We went to church the next morning and Matthew decided to stay with us. He did pretty well in the service but was constantly on my lap. I took him out with about 15 minutes left and we walked around. We went past the nursery and Ben spotted us, so I had to pick him up. We went into the auditorium afterwards and the boys took that chance to run around. Thanks to Uncle Mike for peeling Ben off the stage. We left for Chili's (Matthew said, "We already went to a restaurant!") for lunch, which was good, but the kids were being crazy, especially Matthew. We visited Rob's grandparents after lunch and had a nice time, but the kids, as Great-Grandpa Jim put it, seemed to have taken onrey pills that morning. They were totally wound up and ran everywhere, getting into everything! We left after an hour to pack up our things and head to our next destination: The Fulkersons. I'll talk about that later.
Rob's one regret from that time is that he didn't spend more time with his three grandparents. He loves visiting with them, but it never feels like enough time to him. At least he got some time during this visit because at Thanksgiving, he barely got to see them let alone talk to them.
Tomorrow (or later tonight) I'll put up the next half of our journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment