Grandpa and William were the first to surface, and only because Keenan called to let us know he had eventually arrived at Courtney and Garrett’s house, after a very long day of flying and little to no sleep en route to Detroit last night, since he ended up in the jump seat. We definitely felt bad for him, given that we had all slept almost the entire day.
After the call, Grandpa sat outside with William on the driveway, while William painted his pottery sea creatures, one of his birthday gifts.
Grandma surfaced close to 1400, with Brooke and the twins waking up around 1430. By then we all needed some fresh air; something a walk to the park resolved, although it was actually very windy!
However, we all woke to the good news that Keenan had secured Salt Lake City as his base again, which will make his commute so much easier and allow him to be at home more often. While New York and Detroit were good initial options, which allowed him to obtain his Captaincy, Salt Lake City was always his first choice.
After a delicious “build-your-own-tacos” night for dinner, and a pre-dinner treat, all of which was delicious, again thanks to Brooke, William tried out his rollerblades, then roller-skates. Thankfully Grandpa was able to change the wheels, before we all settled down for a movie, sadly without Keenan and Capri, who were both away. However, it was only William who fell asleep on this occasion, but the rest of us still had the audacity to be back in bed by 2200, yawning our heads off!
After breakfast, Elaine enjoyed a nice long chat to her mom, which was interspersed with great-granny chatting to the boys, then chatting to Brooke and Keenan; the wonders of modern technology! What would we do without video calling in this world of ours!
Then, while Roy and Keenan disappeared to the shops, Brooke jumped in the pool with the kids and Elaine went for her walk; a little later than planned and, therefore, a little hotter than she would have preferred, but the blossoming spring flowers made for a very pleasant walk nonetheless.
Before we knew it and after some fun chalk drawing on the driveway, it was time for the next round of partying to celebrate William’s birthday; his birthday party with his friends and cousins at Fat Cats, an entertainment complex housing an arcade, mini golf, bowling, glow golf, movie theatres and party rooms. It certainly was a fun place for the kids, but definitely Elaine’s worst nightmare, given the noise, flashing lights and crowds. Fortunately her and Roy were able to sit in the relative quiet of the party room once everyone set off to enjoy the arcade and mini golf. It wasn’t long before the cool evening breeze had set in, which allowed us to sit outside until the party came to a close.
Back at home with some friends who had returned to the house too, William opened all his gifts and what a spoilt boy he was.
Fortunately, the evening passed quickly because we were taking Keenan to the airport for his flight back to Detroit, making for a very late night for everyone. It was definitely sad to see him go after enjoying a wonderful 10 days together and lovely to see him first hand in his Captain’s outfit, but he’ll be back by the end of the month. There’ll be plenty to keep us busy in the interim, no doubt!
After the school run, Grandma needed a little walk and the twins needed to work off some of their energy, as they seemed to be just as excited about William’s birthday as William was.
So, off Grandma and Grandpa set, with the twins on their scooters, to the community park again, but this time, to the splash fountains for another fun morning in the sun. Soaking wet and exhausted we knew we had achieved our objective when the twins asked to go home!
When Brooke and Keenan returned from the grocery store with all the ingredients required for the “build-your-own-pizza” night, Brooke and Grandma baked the cup cakes. Grandma had barely frosted them, though, when the birthday boy arrived home from school and, with that, the party began, including popping the champagne corks.
Once William had opened all his cards and gifts, his candles were lit and we all sang Happy Birthday to him, before everyone enjoyed their cup cake. Scrumptious!
Afterwards Grandpa helped William build his new race track, while Grandma and Brooke watched the next few episodes of Santa Clarita Diet, although Grandma spent more time hiding under her blanket whenever the gory scenes came on (which was most of the time), much to Brooke’s amusement. Our binge watching was interrupted, thankfully, when Brooke’s sister popped in to see the birthday boy.
By then it was dinner time and time to build the pizzas, starting with the grandsons, who did a great job of building and eating theirs. Next up was the adults turn, resulting in very tasty pizzas too. It was a fun day of celebrating this very special little man, which ended in Grandma and Grandpa’s bed for a bedtime story, read by William, from one of his new books and what a great job he did!
Tonight, however, the grandsons tucked Grandma into bed, while the other adults enjoyed another movie night. It had been a very long day, but when Grandma climbed into her bed, she did so with a smile on her face and a very happy heart; we had eventually fulfilled our promise to be with William on his birthday and what a perfect celebration it was!
Since William and Capri still had school and Roy had skipped his early morning exercise walk with Brooke, after the school run, Grandma and Grandpa took the twins on a “walk” (aka on their scooters), which took us to one of the community parks. Not only was the park in full bloom with the spring flowers, but it had a really lovely swimming pool and picnic area, as well as a rather high climbing contraption, something Carter decided to climb, almost to the top. It was touch and go as to whether or not Grandpa was going to have to get him down, but some encouragement avoided the necessity for a rescue mission, thankfully. Brayden had also braved the ropes, but to a height that was, at least, within arm’s reach of Grandpa. After that, it was on to the swings. Of course, it was Carter who wanted Grandpa to push him higher and higher, while Brayden decided he’d rather use his legs after a few initial pushes by Grandpa. It’s amazing to see some of the differences already evident in their personalities at the tender age of five.
By the time we got back home, we were all in desperate need of a cold drink because the cool morning had turned very hot all of a sudden.
Back at home, Brooke sorted out the dinner menu for the rest of the week, before her and Elaine headed to the grocery store. That was Roy’s cue to enjoy an afternoon nap; clearly all his playing had caught up with him. Elaine, on the other hand, had meant to nap, but spent her time catching up on social media instead; definitely not the best use of her time, then hanging out with William when he got home from school.
By the time dinner time rolled around, Brooke and Keenan’s friend, Colin, had arrived to meet us and to join the family for dinner; a delicious homemade pasta dish, complements of Brooke.
Our day was topped off, as usual, with a movie, after the grandsons were read their bedtime story, Peter Pan, by Grandma and tucked into bed. Things were improving somewhat on the movie front, since three out of the four of us managed to stay awake right to the end; it was only Roy who snored on the sofa on this occasion.
Today the school run was a little later without Capri at home this week. That meant we all enjoyed a little sleep-in before Grandma made breakfast for William and a lighter breakfast for the twins, since they were joining the adults for a brunch at Snooze, in downtown Gilbert, and what a feast that was, enjoyed under the trees on their patio. It was close to noon by the time we all rolled out of there, after which it was time to go gift shopping for William’s big day.
Once we got home, all the presents were wrapped, following which Brooke gave Elaine a manicure and a pedicure, while Grandpa entertained the twins. It had been years since Elaine had had her nails painted, but she loved her pink sparkle polish. It was definitely a lovely treat for Grandma! Thank you Brooke, who did a very professional job indeed.
Once William got home from school, Grandma and Grandpa sat in the shade of the back garden while the grandsons enjoyed the rest of the late afternoon playing basketball, at times with Grandpa, then jumped in the swimming pool to cool off.
The bedtime story tonight was the Lion King, and William did an excellent job at helping Grandma read the story, before the boys were all tucked into their beds.
Then, after waiting up to ensure the grandsons were sound asleep, Grandma crept quietly into William’s room to decorate his bed with balloons, only to discover all three children where in William’s double bed; the twins had obviously wanted to be with their big brother when he woke up on his special day! Just the cutest!
It was dinner time before Elaine surfaced, just in time to enjoy some fresh air in the back garden as the sun dipped below the horizon and Roy and Keenan returned home with a family favourite for dinner; Panda Express. Yummy! After not having it for more than 3 years, it went down like a treat!
After a hard day of playing, the grandsons crashed too, as did Brooke, so Elaine, Roy, Keenan and Capri settled down to watch a movie. However, it wasn’t long before Roy and Keenan were snoring too! By the end of this holiday, there’s a slim chance that we might all stay awake to watch an entire movie!
Today Roy was up at sunrise to enjoy his early morning exercise walk, then returned to take Elaine on a shorter walk, since she needed to stretch her legs, while enjoying the cooler part of the day, after being indoors for most of yesterday.
Breakfast was the usual “feeding frenzy”, so once that was out of the way, preparations for a fun day out began in earnest; we were meeting Brooke’s sister and her four children at the local splash pad for some fun in the sun and, considering the temperatures reached 42C, it was the perfect day for it!
It’s fair to say, the children had a blast, while the adults enjoyed the picnic lunch and cold beverages in the shade of our readymade pergola, although the ladies did cool off from time to time in the water.
You would have thought that everyone had had enough of water and sun by the time we got home, but no; into the pool everyone went; first the grandchildren with Grandpa, then the rest of the adults! Guess no one will be awake long enough to watch a movie tonight!
With all the morning duties completed, the fun usually begins. Yesterday’s outing was lunch at the Creek Side Taco Shack, an outdoor area, with beach sand, where the twins enjoyed playing in the sand with their buckets and spades, while the adults enjoyed a few cold beverages, followed by a delicious taco lunch.
By the time we got home, though, both Grandma and Grandpa needed an afternoon nap, following which we joined the family in the swimming pool.
Dinner was complements of Chez Roy, who’s meal went down like a treat with the family. It was so sweet when Brayden suggested, on a countdown from five, that we all need to say: “Thank you Grandpa for our dinner!” Just the cutest!
William also showed us the Discovery Channel Exploratory Engine him and his Dad had built together, which, not only showed the inner workings of an engine in finite detail, but showed the spark plugs lightening up as they fired and showed the pistons moving up and down. What a great way to demonstrate the workings of an engine to a child. It was brilliant and seeing his little face light up with pride was priceless!
Once all the boys were showered and tucked into bed, a treat for Grandma every night, the adults enjoyed a movie night. It’s fair to say, though, there was definitely more snoring on that sofa than watching a movie!
Today was a little less adventurous, since Roy and Keenan had a COVID-19 antibody test done, while Elaine had her second Moderna booster. By the time we got home, it was lunchtime and time for Brooke to head off to Costco, but it didn’t take long for Grandma to find her bed after everyone’s tummies had been filled; the twins have amazing appetites.
Our day ended with a “Happy Family Movie Night”, but getting eight people, plus the dog and one of the cats, on the sofa was certainly a squeeze. By the time the movie was over, though, Grandma was jammed between two sleeping babes and Grandpa, Keenan and Brayden were snoring too!
Once the house emptied out, with Roy joining Keenan on the school run, Elaine returned to bed and, apparently while she slept, Roy and Keenan had returned and set off again with the twins to the Apple store. Fortunately by the time they returned a second time, Elaine had surfaced and had unpacked. By then, however, it was time to collect William from school and head to the grocery store. So, divided to conquer, Roy, Brooke and Keenan set off, while Elaine enjoyed a movie with the twins, followed by lunch. They are amazing eaters and devoured their lunch of salami, tomatoes, baby carrots with ranch dressing and a bowl of strawberries each.
When William got home, the boys asked Grandma to join them in their play room to watch them play their TV games, hiding from Grandpa when they heard him coming, so they could jump out and scare him.
It wasn’t long after that before Capri arrived home too, so her and Grandma spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying a nice long chat while everyone else “hung out” on the driveway with the neighbours to keep an eye on the neighbourhood kids playing together. William also demonstrated his skills on his dirt bike, which, we have to admit, were very impressive; worryingly so! However, receiving his drawing of our favourite sea “animal” and his little note: “I love you so much Grandma and Grandpa”, simply melted our hearts!
Dinner was another feast; boneless ribs cooked in the smoker, sautéed potatoes and a selection of salads, but little Carter, who had fallen asleep earlier, was still too exhausted from all the excitement that he went straight to bed, leaving William and Brayden to hear Grandma’s bedtime story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, following which William told Grandma and Brayden his bedtime story, “The Three Little Pigs” and Brayden sang “Incy Wincy Spider” and, with that, they were tucked into bed.
Since Grandpa had fallen fast asleep as well, Grandma joined Brooke and Keenan in the heated swimming pool for a little while, before sleep got the better of her too and, with that, another fun-filled day came to a close.
