Heading Home

 All good things must come to an end, including our :quarication." Spending time with my Mom for the past week and a half has been wonderful and exactly what my soul needed to rejuvenate before cyber school begins. Robby and Timmy loved playing with their cousins. Although our adventures were more limited this year, I know that they made strong memories to last.

Yesterday was a day full of appointments and back to school prep. While my Mom took my youngest nephew to the dentist, Tiffany and Jacob went to meet with their new guidance counselors. They both came home elated with their new schedules and a palpable enthusiasm for their new school adventure. 

In the evening I took the Crew to the mall (socially distanced) to buy some new school clothes. Thankfully they all love the styles and colors at Hollister (a store that is apparently catered to the modern teen). It certainly made shopping easy!  Three full shopping bags later, their school clothes shopping was complete.  

To finish off our quarication, I held an epic game night with the Cousin Crew. We stayed up late playing various card, trivia and truth or dare games. Eventually I lost steam and went to bed, but by looking at the house this morning the Crew pulled an all-nighter. All of the chip bags are empty, water glasses are all over the house and the living room is a mess.  

After everybody restores my Mom's house to its pre-visit state, I'll be packing up and heading home. Leaving is always sad, but I also know it is time to get back to reality.  

Chill Day

 After an exciting night hunting ghosts, most of the kids slept into the early afternoon. Robby was up early because he had his RPG WWII class, an activity that he will wake up from even the deepest sleep to attend. Timmy was also up early because he didn't go on the ghost hunt and, as he told me, it was a happy day to wake up early. 

In the afternoon I helped my niece and nephews work through the welcome video packets from their new schools. They are switching to public school this year and it is safe to say that their nerves are on high alert. I know that they will do great, but I'm also trying to do everything I can to ease their concerns and to make this an exciting transition. Change is hard, but it is especially difficult when you are a teenager.  

After a relatively lazy day at home, the evening was spent with water guns, water balloons and the slip n' slide. I love hearing the laughter through the air as they play. Timmy was especially excited to play with his cousins in water. In his mind, his cousins and water play create the perfect combination for fun.

Ghost Hunters

While Timmy spent his afternoon gleefully washing Nana's car, I took the older cousins to the bowling alley. Timmy was invited to come bowl with the Crew but, once he saw the hose and a bucket of suds, he was excited to stay home and get wet. It took him nearly three hours, but part of my Mom's car is now sparkling clean. He loves playing in water!

When the sun went down and Timmy went to bed the big cousins hopped into my car and we headed out on another adventure. This time we went ghost hunting. Last year we went on a ghost tour, this year I thought it would be fun to up the ante by using the equipment to try to track down  and communicate with the paranormal. 

I wish I had filmed the kids' reactions when they learned that they were going to use the equipment that the "real" ghost hunters use. Dedicated viewers of all of the paranormal hunting shows, they definitely knew more about the various detectors, scanners and communicators than me. I probably should have brushed up on the technology before our adventure, but I didn't really get to use the equipment. My role was more of a supporter, which was fine with me.

They had a blast running through the abandoned haunted Civil War field hospital, eagerly following the beeps and lights from their detectors. I'm an admitted cynic but I did my best to keep my skepticism at bay as the kids enthusiasm grew exponentially with each detection. The kids were completely convinced that ghosts were present and were dedicated to their task of communication. I was impressed with their teamwork as they worked together to try to coax the ghosts into interactions. Even though I'm sure that there is a more logical explanation, I was a tad freaked out when random words were heard through our "spirit box" when the kids started to try to talk to a ghost. 

Hearing the voice and having a quasi conversation was, without a doubt, the highlight of their night. I just thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them. I love that a bunch of teenagers still want to hang out with their old Aunt!

iFly fun

I packed up all of the kids, including Timmy, and took them on an epic adventure over the weekend.  We went to iFly, an indoor sky diving tunnel. All of them were ecstatic, especially my little Hamlet. He has been dreaming of flying ever since he has learned to talk. 

I worried that Timmy would be scared, but his bravery shined throughout the experience. He happily donned the flight suit and the helmet. Patiently waiting his turn between Tiffany and Robby, he kept declaring "I want to do that" each time somebody flew. 

When his time finally arrived, he approached the tunnel without apprehension. His smile was so bright that I swear I could see it through his helmet shield. I couldn't hear him because of the fans, but I'm certain that he was giggling throughout the flight. 

After everybody had their introductory flight, the instructor brought each participant back into the tunnel to experience a high-flight with an acrobatic element. Robby and Jared were nervous but cautiously agreed. Tiffany, Jacob and Timmy eagerly jumped at the chance to soar higher. 

Timmy's acrobatic flight could be described in one word: adorable. The instructor scooped him under one arm, had Timmy extend both arms out like Superman and they flew around the tunnel. The flight left a permanent smile on my little super hero's face!

 

 

Timmy flying

Robby flying

 

Laid Back Fun

 Yesterday was a day of rest for the Cousin Crew. Everybody was tired after the marathon drive to visit the cemetery. It turns out that ten hours in the car is exhausting for everybody, not just the driver.  

I wanted to keep the day relatively calm but I still wanted to have some fun. We opted to go bowling, which is always a fun activity for everybody. The bowling alley owners went to such impressive efforts to create a safe environment that I am happy to make several trips with the kids.

Adventure Time

Yesterday the Cousin Crew (minus Timmy) piled into our rented mini van and headed west. I was cautiously optimistic about the drive. I knew that we would be safe, but I worried that the kids would easily become bored and start bickering.  To my surprise, the opposite happened.

Not only were the kids not bored during our 9 hour drive (round-trip), but they laughed, told stories and played games the entire way. The van was filled with giggles and roaring laughter throughout the drive. With the exception of when we pulled up to the cemetery, the kids were giddy and never stopped laughing. Even though it was a long drive, the fact that the kids were having so much fun definitely made it enjoyable.

I approached the cemetery with dread. The last time I visited my Dad was when his headstone was unveiled three years ago. I was disgusted by the stone that his widow picked out for him. Proudly proclaiming her name on his stone, with little mention of any other relationship in his life. was in poor taste and hurt us deeply.

To my absolute delight, it turns out that I wasn't the only one who was horrified by the original stone. Sometime in the past three years, my Dad's stone received an upgrade. Her name and wording remains, but underneath "LOVING FATHER, GRANDFATHER, AND BROTHER" is etched in black. My Dad was so much more than a husband, and I'm thrilled that his stone is now more reflective. The mystery engraver remains a mystery, although I have a suspicion as to the identity. (I know that it was not his widow.)

While the Cousin Crew was cruising in a van, Timmy was having an adventure of his own. He went with my sister and her new husband's house to swim and play for the day.  He lifted weights (a favorite activity), swam in the pool, played in a lake and rode a horse. He was smiling from ear-to-ear in every photo I received and I could tell that he had a phenomenal adventure of his own. 

Long Drive Day

Yesterday was relatively laid back. After playing outside for most of the night, the Cousins didn't wake up until early afternoon. When everybody was finally awake I took the kids to shop for school supplies. Never a coveted activity, but they had fun because they were doing it together. 

This year we had another shopper on our list. Timmy is enrolled in kindergarten (gulp). While the big kids gathered their notebooks, backpacks and folders, Timmy and I selected crayons, colored pencils and glue sticks. Because all classes are virtual this year we took an educated guess as to what would be needed. I probably could have waited until classes started, but I wanted to try to build school days excitement for Timmy.

Last night the Cousin Crew painted rocks to leave on Candy Papaw's grave. Despite asking for years, they haven't yet seen my Dad's headstone. Today we are making the long drive to Butler so that the kids can "visit" their Candy Papaw. I am sure that they will have a good time on the drive, but the cemetery is sure to be an emotional experience.  They all miss him dearly.