Aunt Peggy's Sunsational Summer of Fun kicked off with a magical adventure. I woke up the big cousins and had them put on their official Cousin Crew summer tie-dye shirts before heading out on our first big adventure of the summer. They were barraging me with questions and pleas for hints as I drove to our mysterious destination. Per tradition, nobody was allowed to know where we were going.
Part one of our adventure began when we arrived at a massive all-you-can-eat buffet. The kids were gluttonous, devouring the smorgasbord and engaging in an ice cream eating challenge. Because Timmy isn't safe around buffets because of his allergies, he stayed with my Mom for the first part of our adventure. My Mom and Timmy joined us for part 2- a magic show.
The kids have never before experienced a magic show, and I knew it was the perfect adventure to kick off our summer. Timmy was excited to be part of the action, and it was fun to have my mom join us as well. Because it was a smaller show, some of the kids were called to stage to help the magician.
The first to the stage was Timmy, who experienced a severe case of stage fright. My typically busy, outgoing and entertaining little Hamlet stood on stage like a terrified little tree. He completely froze under the lights, refusing to move and too scared to help the magician with his trick. Timmy was so scared he even refused to accept the gift the magician offered him to thank him for his assistance. Thankfully the audience chuckled through the scene and Timmy unintentionally stole the show.
After Timmy came back to his seat, Robby and Jacob were called to stage. Both boys were delighted to help saw a woman in half. Being able to participate and help with the trick was probably the highlight of the show for the boys.
Timmy became bored with the show during the second act so I ended up walking through the lobby with him. Even though he abandoned the adventure early, it was fun having everybody together for our adventure.
With the sun shining and the temperatures in the mid 70's, I could find no excuses to not take the kiddos to the park when they came to me with the request. While Timmy was delighted to play and climb at the playground, the big kids took off with my cell phone in hand in search of Geocaches. After only finding one treasure after 45 minutes of hunting, the playground was declared and dud and we moved to the playground in the next town.
I didn't really see the older kids much during the afternoon. When we arrived at the second playground the Crew grabbed a few bottles of water and headed off with my phone in hand. Timmy was delighted to run and play with new buddies until they returned- nearly 2 hours later. If it weren't for the gnats loving to circle my head, it would have been a perfect day to be outside.
Last night we created our traditional summer Cousin Crew tie-dyed shorts, which will be worn during our adventures. I was concerned that the kids are getting to an age where they would no longer want to wear matching shirts so I didn't bring up the suggestion. However, they ended up coming to me after dinner, asking to make their shirts.
It's a good thing that we made shirts last night because I have our first Aunt Peggy Adventure planned for today. Stay tuned for more details in tomorrow's blog!
Well, I suppose the laundry and the house clutter can wait. Yesterday morning Robby and Timmy asked to go visit their Nana (my Mom) and the Cousin Crew. With little hesitation, we packed up the car and headed back to Pennsylvania for a few days. I have a feeling that the trip between states will be traveled frequently during summer vacation.
The Cousin Crew were outside and filling water balloons when we arrived. Timmy and Robby bolted out of the car and an hour-long battle ensued. Only when more than 500 balloons were tossed and everybody was covered with water, grass clippings and mud, was the battle considered a draw.
The rest of the afternoon was spent playing outside, riding bikes and just being silly. Timmy was on Cloud 9 riding bikes with all of the big kids. I have a feeling it is going to be difficult to convince Hamlet to return to Virginia with me.
In the evening we went for ice cream and I played card games with the Cousin Crew downstairs. I absolutely adore hearing the house resonating with squeals of laughter and uncontrollable giggling. It looks like our Sunsational Summer has begun!
After walking in excess of 20k miles every day at the airshow, my leg desperately needed a break. It is almost as if the universe recognized my pain because I woke up yesterday to dreary skies and steady rain. It was the perfect day to take Timmy to his favorite indoor playground, where he could run and play with other kids while I sat and rested in the parent's lounge.
Timmy cheered when we turned into the parking lot and saw all of the cars. Apparently, a lot of other parents/ nannies had a similar idea, because the place was packed! Timmy ran inside, tossed his boots and took off running into the climbing structures. It didn't take him long to join a group of buddies. (I wish it was as easy for me to make friends, but I suppose that is a topic for a different blog.)
My little explorer ran, played, climbed and jumped for four hours, emerging from the structures only to grab a french fry or a drink of water. While he was having fun and playing hard, I was able to slip off my prosthesis, prop up my leg and relax. Yesterday was definitely a win-win!
This morning my leg feels good and I am ready to tackle the world. Well, if not the world then at least the mountain of laundry in the corner of our bedroom. (It is amazing how a weekend away can create so much laundry, but again I digress.) Hopefully, I'll be able to get everything back in order and reorganized, because Scott's summer vacation starts on Friday. My life, including the house, always become chaotic during school vacations, so I would at least like to start with a semblance of organization.
We had a wonderful weekend traveling back in time. The weather was gorgeous, providing us with blue skies and warm (but not oppressively hot) temperatures. We tackled the World War II weekend even on all three days. Even though the vendors and reenactors remained the same, each day provided us with a unique and different experience.
Friday Robby had the enthusiasm typically reserved for Christmas morning as we drove towards the event. Although I was sad to leave Timmy behind, I knew that he was going to have a blast playing with his cousins and swimming with his Nana. The event is so special to Robby that Scott and I decided that he deserved to have some dedicated time to enjoy the experience without the stress of a little brother.
After walking through the sprawling event for the afternoon, we headed to our hotel to relax before going to Robby's favorite Italian restaurant. After decompressing and tiring out in the hotel pool, we headed to bed. I wanted to go to bed early because I knew that Saturday was going to be busy.
We woke up early, went to breakfast and got dressed for the show. Robby convinced me to accompany him in costume this year. I felt a little silly at first, but I quickly got into the spirit of the weekend. Robby looked quite dapper in his flight suit, but unfortunately, the temperatures quickly rose so he swapped out the fatigues for shorts and a t-shirt.
Wearing a dress is not conducive to spending a day at an airshow. Between sitting on the grass and climbing in out of our planes and tanks, I was constantly fumbling with my outfit. Any unintentional peep shows that I may have provided when climbing down from a tank were quickly morphed by my major wardrobe malfunction during lunchtime.
While Robby and Scott were watching (another) military skirmish, I donned the backpack and headed to pick up some lunch from our favorite vendor. The walk was long to the food trucks, but I was happy to be away from the sounds of the gunfire and the smell of the smoke. After standing in line for nearly 30 minutes, I finally ordered and received the food. I grabbed our bucket of chicken and fries and headed back across the airport grounds to find Robby and Scott.
Because I was wearing a costume, coupled with the fact that my prosthesis was visible, I didn't give the stares a second thought. I was on a mission to deliver the food, so I walked at a fairly good clip the length of two football fields to the "homefront" where the boys were waiting for me. I was about three feet away from delivering the food a lady tapped me on the shoulder to tell me that my dress was tucked up under my backpack.
I was mortified! As soon as I reached behind me, I realized that I had mooned the entire airshow in my quest for food. It wasn't even a quarter or a half moon. The back of my dress was completely wedged under my backpack, and my Rosie the Riveter bum was on full display for all to see. By the time I realized the wardrobe malfunction there was nothing that I could do, so I acquiesced backpack duty and continued with our day.
After the event on Saturday we headed to meet my Mom to pick up Timmy. He was so excited to see us and was chomping at the bit to go see planes and tanks. We woke up early on Sunday and headed to the third and final day of the show.
Timmy's enthusiasm was short lived. After 30 minutes he began to get fussy and asked to leave. I did my best to entertain him while Scott and Robby finished with some last minute sightseeing and shopping. By early afternoon we were in the car headed home, and our annual World War II weekend had come to close. We had a great time, even if it did include an unintentional full moon!
