Paw-paw & Mimi

I woke a couple times early Saturday still very sleepy. That was surprising given my early bedtime and good behavior. All totaled, I slept more than ten hours. By the time I found my way to the kitchen and the coffee pot it was nearly 8:30am. After starting the day’s coffee I checked in with work all the while I completed my sit-ups. I decided to give my shoulder a break and skip the 50-40 piece.

Ykraps and I took our Saturday morning walk at a more leisurely pace than usual. I felt really good. It was foggy this morning. Back home I sipped coffee while seeing what my on-call work day held in store. Early on, at least, it didn’t look too bad. Bella was first to join me downstairs. But it wasn’t long before everyone else was up and milling about, too. Some time around 9:45am I left for a run. It was an enjoyable run. I finished listening to CD #4 of The Third Jesus. Time went fast.

Back at home Mindy was already preparing to leave for choir practice. She had made arrangements to stop at Ashley’s too. While there, she planned on seeing if she could bring Olivia home for a while. That pleased me much. Mindy left just before 11am. The kids were both really good. I bounced between work and personal stuff. I was able to do some photo editing all the while keeping things at work running smoothly. Mindy phoned sometime after noon to let me know that she’d talked with Ashley and that Olivia would be coming over but not until later in the evening. Ashley & her mother were going to Bingo, so Mindy & I would be playing with Olivia. That sounded great. Mindy asked about lunch. I recommended El Vaquero since I knew there was a new one open right around the corner there in Grove City. Mindy thought that sounded good too.

She arrived home a short time later. I had already managed a shower while the kids played quietly. We all sat and ate our lunch together. It was delicious. Mindy got to cleaning while took to reading and ultimately napping in the living room. I must’ve read & slept for about two hours. By the time I woke, Rene was over for a short visit. We were expecting her. Also stopping over were Jake & Makayla, the neighbors kids. Rene seemed stoked about her coming trip to PA to visit relatives. We gave her back the DVD she let us borrow, Super Bad! We made loose plans to do dinner once she’s back. She didn’t stay too long. She hadn’t yet packed but was planning to leave in the morning. Yikes!

We phoned Ash around 5pm to see when she might be bringing Olivia over. She confirmed direction to our house from Grove City. Geesh, Ash! What, no sense of direct? She’d be bringing Lil’ Rocky along too. By 6:30pm we had a house full - six kids. All the cleaning that Mindy did earlier was already difficult to detect. I remained surprisingly calm through the chaos. Olivia kept me busy, too. You can’t let her out of your sight for a second.

Mindy & I both were charmed by her rapidly developing verbal skills. Equally, she seems to understand our verbal communication to a greater degree than most 17 month olds. She even asks simple questions and identifies people by their name. Very cute! She has a voracious appetite as well.

The neighbors, Jake & Makayla went home after dinner. Mindy then gave the remaining four baths. Olivia went first, but Bella got in with her. I got a couple cute pictures. By the time everyone was done with their baths Mindy suggested Olivia be put to bed. She looked a little tired clinging to Mindy, but I was certain that she’d throw a big ol’ lengthy fit. Sure enough, once Mindy put her down she cried painfully loud. At the same time, I escaped to brush my teeth. Not 15 seconds later the crying stopped. Olivia had already conceded to sleep. Wow!

We all went downstairs where the kids watched a Veggie Tales DVD while I worked a little more. Mindy put Jacob & Bella to bed around 8:30pm. We allowed Rocky to stay up with us knowing that Ashley was coming to retrieve him shortly. Besides, if we put him in bed with one of the kids he would most likely have kept them awake. So, choosing th lesser of two evils, he sat at the kitchen table talking with me. He made me a couple drawings all the while we chatted. Eventually, he talked me into popping some corn. Knowing it a gamble, I did it anyway. Sure enough, Bella smelt it and asked to join us. We permitted it since, after all, it was a weekend. The two of them shared with me two bags of popcorn and also made their share of noise. Let’s face it, Rocky doesn’t know quiet.

Ashley must’ve shown up near 9:00 or 9:30pm. Mindy, already anticipated her arrival, had gone to fetch Olivia from her sleep. Mindy & Olivia came down just as Ashley walked in. Olivia was quiet and non-reactionary, just as she often is shortly after waking. Ashley said that her mother was in the car and that she needed to go. We hugged all goodbye then closed the door.

Mindy & I stayed up for another hour or two before calling it a night.