Jessica's first experience hosting a sleep-over

Andrew decided he wanted to have a sleep-over for his 7th birthday.  This made Jessica a little nervous until I reminded her that both her and Eric had sleepover parties at about the same age and they were fine.  I offered to bring Lincoln home with me...which he was very happy about...and suggested she have a friend stay with her to help out.  She checked with Angie and she agreed to stay.  When making the invite list Andrew wanted to know why the girls couldn't spend the night but settled on having girls at the afternoon party and the boys stay overnight.   The invites went out and then Jess waited for the RSVPs to come in, wondering how many would be spending the night.  People don't seem to RSVP any more, either that or they wait until the last possible minute.  The party was 3-5:00 on Saturday and by 10am Saturday only a few had confirmed that they would be spending the night and two were Tiffany's and one was Angie's so Jessica figured she could handle that on her own and called Angie to tell her if she wanted to do something else she didn't have to stay.  Then between 11-1:00 the calls started coming in...."I hope it's not too late, he's decided he wants to stay".  Sure, why not? 

Lincoln is ready to go to Grandma's even before the party starts.  The first guests were Lauren, Allison & Marissa.  They always play so well together and they were able to have some play time before the other guests showed up.   3:00 and the kids start showing up.  Fisher was the first to arrive and Andrew was so excited. Then the next kid, and the next kid and before we knew it the house was full!!  Full and loud!  Lincoln asks again, "can we go now Grandma?!" Kids were every where; running around; upstairs, downstairs; pillow fights....pillow fights, is that how Logan's tooth got knocked out?  That's right, one of the boys lost a tooth during the party.  We put it in a baggie and put that in his goodie bag to take home....hoping maybe they'd forget about it. 

One of the boys comes to report to Jessica that one of the other little boys just said a cuss word and not just a cuss word, he said the "G-D" word.  Okay, there's no cussing in this house....at least not by kids.

It's hard to say when the party actually started.  There were kids running around on the main floor, in the basement, upstairs, downstairs...and then occasionally we'd find someone playing their DS and if we were lucky maybe a couple of them "hooked up" and were playing together. 

Lincoln's little face showed such disbelief when he went downstairs and saw his trian table with the track all tore apart.  All he could do was look at it, slowly put down what was in his hand and look at me and say "Grandma?!" in such a quiet voice of disbelief.  Ashtyn, Lauren and Allison helped us get the pieces back together again.  While working on the train I looked up to see one of the boys holding the dust mop out and spinning around in circles!  "STOP!!"  he did, he actually froze so I asked him, "do you do that at home?"  to which he said "no" and I said "and you don't do it here either, you might hurt someone".  He put the dust mop down and said "we don't even have a broom at our house."  Maybe he thought that made it okay. 

Surprisingly the time came to open presents.  Even more surprisingly we were able to get all the kids to gather in the living room while Andrew opened his gifts.  I won't say we got them to "sit" in the living room because keeping them seated proved to be a chore.  After the gifts were opened we started with the cake and ice cream.  The kids liked the DS cake, some had chocolate, some had white.  Some had ice cream and no cake some had cake and no ice cream and then there was the little "Diva" girl.  She gave very explicit instructions as to how her cake and ice cream should be on her plate...."What?!!"  It's cake and ice cream, take it and eat it girlie! 

At some point Uncle Eric & Bill escaped to go purchase an X-Box 360, or maybe that was just an excuse to get out of the house for a bit.  Ten minutes to 5:00 and Jessica is lining those that are leaving up at the door.  Might as well be ready when your ride gets here. 

The last party guests have left and now it's only those staying all night.  Lincoln is asking "Now Grandma?  Now can we go to your house?"  I think he's ready to get out of there.  Uncle Eric and Aunt Katie are ready to leave as well. Bill has decided there is no way he could leave Jess alone to handle the sleepover all by herself so he graciously offered to stay and help.  He was worried if he left her alone with the house full of boys she wouldn't have any hair on her head the next time he saw her.   

Jessica sent Bill to get pizza; I think she's hoping eating dinner will calm everyone down.  Although Jessica and Bill thought this might be a time they could sit down and watch a little TV, just adults, they were wrong.  The oldest boy at the party came in to sit with them and told them "I think I'll hang out with you guys".  That was when they noticed his coughing and sneezing more, also that he wasn't even trying to cover his mouth.  They asked him if he was okay and he said "yeah, my throat hurts a little but I think it will be okay.  It's been hurting all day."
Bill looked at Jessica and said "that kid's going home".  That's when the detective mission kicked in and when Jessica realized this boy knew what they were doing and was going to try everything he could to avoid going home.  First he gives her two bogus phone numbers, then when she asks if he knows his address he tells her "1653".  Next that they live in a trailer court and when asked what it by where he lives he said "other trailers"....well, he is right on that one.  :)  Finally after 45 minutes or so of detective work they got a phone number for his mom.  When Jessica calls it the background noice was pretty loud so it was obvious she was out for the night.  When told that he was coughing a lot and complaining about a sore throat 'mom' said "yeah, he was complaining earlier today but we thought he'd be fine for the party".  Jessica said "well he's not" and 'mom' replied "you want me to come get him???" That would be a good idea. 

Jessica got the boys all laid down in the living room.  Andrew is so tired he can't sleep.  He'd wake up about every hour thrashing around and crying.  He kept saying he was tired but could not fall asleep.  She ended up having him go back to his bed so he didn't keep the others awake. 

It's 10:00pm and her phone rings.  It's one of the dads calling to inform Jessica that there should be a baggie with a small pill in it in his son's backpack.  He needs to take it first thing in the morning.....oh wait, there should be two pills he needs to take.  Well it's good they thought to let her know now!  Hopefully the baggie with the pills in it is still in his backpack. 

She goes out to the living room about 10:30pm to check on the boys and one of them is standing up.  He said, "I want to go home now".  Another one speaks up, "me, too".  "Ok!" Jessica says, "that works for me".  So she called their parents to come get them.   

Now it's down to 3 friends and one friend from school....ahhhh, that's more like it.  I bet Jessica was glad she specified they needed to be picked up by 9am the next day.

One thing is for sure.....the kids all worked off a lot of energy at Andrew's birthday party.  Well I guess maybe there's one more that's probably a 'sure thing',  I imagine Lincoln will have a hard time convincing Jessica to let him have a sleepover when he gets older. 

**funny, normally I would have all kinds of pictures to select from to add to this.  I realized later that the only pictures I'd taken were while Andrew was opening gifts. 

California 2010 - Brooke & Eddie's wedding

We're taking Andrew and Lincoln to California for Brooke & Eddie's wedding!  This is going to be so much fun, not only for them but for us.  I'm anxious for everyone to be together and to see the boy's faces as they experience this new adventure.  It's been probably 10 years since Bob has seen Jessica and Eric, Eddie's never met them and neither one has met Andrew, Lincoln or Katie. 

Sept. 16, 2010 - Our adventure begins...where did the afternoon go?  I took the day off so I had lots of time to finish things up then all of a sudden I had no time left.  Jerry & I left the house to go pick up Andrew from school then stop and pick up Lincoln.  We were running about 15 minutes late and school was letting out as we got there.  Andrew was not in his room...there wasn't anyone in there...I went down to the office and there he sat.  The first thing he said to me was "why are you late Grandma, you were supposed to pick me up in my room?"  As we hurried out the door I explained to him that I was running out of time and off we went to pick up Lincoln.  I hadn't picked Lincoln up yet this year so I wasn't sure where the 3 year old room was.  As I went looking for Lincoln's room, I asked a teacher that was in the hall if that was Lincoln's room and she said "I thought Lincoln's Grandma was coming to pick him up?"  I told her I was Grandma and she said she thought I was Jessica's sister.  =)  We headed to Bill's to meet Jessica, loaded her stuff in the truck and were on our way to the airport, stopping at McDonald's for dinner...why did we think we could eat & drink what we got?  A burger each and shared drinks would have been enough, oh well. 

We must be a sight...the stroller, car seat, booster seat, each pulling a rolling carry-on,  laptop bag, camera bag, the boys each with backpacks on their backs, blankets, puppy, Andrew pulling a rolling carry-on,neck pillows....oh yeah, and the two boys!  The people at the security gate in Cedar Rapids were awesome and very helpful.  The plane was small, two seats down one side and one on the other.  We ended up with 3 seats in the last row and one in the front - not sure how that happened.  Jess and the boys took the back three and I sat up front.  Jessica said as we were taking off Lincoln asked, "Are we going down yet?".  Then during the flight he said, "I wanna go home now."  They both did really good.  Lincoln enjoyed watching everything inside and out while Andrew checked out the emergency pamplet.  We got to Chicago 15 minutes early which was fine, our layover time was just right.  Although Jess might disagree.  When her and the boys went to the restroom, Andrew opened the door to the stall as she was getting up.  She has a nice little knot by her eye. 

We found they don't board people with small children first anymore, they just start with the front half of the plane and work their way back.  We are again...in the last row.  I think Jessica was about to cry trying to get down the isle between the seats with people on both sides, pulling a carry-on & carrying a pop, blanket & car seat.  We got settled and started out again.  The boys were still doing great.  Lincoln ended up falling asleep for 1.5 to 2 hours but he was awake for take off and landing.  He really seems to enjoy that part of the flights.  Andrew watched "Alice in Wonderland" for the in-flight movie, then he watched some "Tom & Jerry" and also played with Star Wars characters. 

Lincoln was wide awake by the time we were landing and a ball of energy as we headed to the car on the bus.   At 11:30pm we had two to pick from, both silver HHRs.  Got the car loaded and headed for the hotel.  As soon as we got in the room Andrew kicked his shoes off and climbed in the middle of the bed.  Lincoln was ready to stay up and wanted to play but it didn't take him long to zonk out once we shut the lights out and laid down.

Sept. 17, 2010 - I woke up early and laid in bed for awhile, didn't want to wake the boys.  When I did get up Jess was waking up so I hopped in the shower, then she got her shower and the boys were waking up so we went down for breakfast.  During one of the breakfast times we found out the boys like coffee so they each would get their own "decaf", watered down with some hot water, hazelnut creamer and splenda.  They felt like grown-ups drinking their coffee out of the coffee cups.  The boys and I found Grandma Skip and Kim's room while Jessica worked on her online course.  They had a two room suite and the boys really like bedroom as you could watch all the traffic out the window from there.  Andrew and I raced down the hallway to their room and back.  The dress I wore to Jessica's wedding is a perfect fit for Grandma Skip so she'll wear that to Brooke & Eddie's wedding.

We left the hotel to go check out the beach.  We weren't intending to get wet yet, maybe just our feet.  What we were thinking??!! 

Andrew LOVES the ocean!! 

Lincoln was a little leary but enjoyed running from the waves.  They ran and jumped and fell in the water.  Not just once but several times, not just a little but all the way up to their necks and more!  Lincoln not only fell in the waves but got caught while down and rolled over and over and was covered in sand.  Jessica had to take him up to the showers.  A nice lady walking back to her car after a morning jog saw him and brought Jessica a hand towel and a bottle of water from her car. 

 After cleaning off the sand we walked out on the Oceanside pier where we ran into Grandma Skip and Aunt Kim.  It was funny watching Lincoln try to walk on the "Troll Bridge" without stepping on the crack, he kept stepping over them on the way out.

  While we were on the pier Jessica noticed dolphins swimming off one side so I started clicking pictures.  I think there were 8 total coming up in groups of 2-4.  That was pretty cool considering it was the first time for all of us. 

 We left the pier and went to get lunch and then to Carlsbad beach to eat.  That's where we met up with Uncle Eric and Aunt Katie. 

 After we all ate we stopped at Kindred Journeys where Jess and I each bought some things.  Back to the hotel we go to for baths and clean dry cloths.  Friday evening we went to Pam and Bob's and then to the reception place to help set that up. The boys were getting tired about 10:00pm so we headed back to the hotel.   

Sept. 18, 2010 - **Wedding day for Brooke and Eddie!**  I got up early to go down and get on the treadmill for a while, when I was done Jessica went down.  After that Andrew was ready to head down to Uncle Eric & Aunt Katie's room to tell them we were heading down for breakfast.  After breakfast we went out for a little more time at the beach and another walk out on the pier.  Lincoln got his 'Ring Pop' today, he was happy.  Andrew decided on a magnet for the refrigerator. 
After hanging out at the beach for a while we decided to head back to the hotel so the boys can get a nap and be refreshed for the wedding this evening.  Pam told us to be at the garden where the wedding is to take place an hour before the wedding for pictures....she forgot to let us know there was a change in plans so we were there early.  Brooke and Eddie were still having pictures taken.

The garden was beautiful, humming birds were flying around

in the bushes behind the arch while Brooke and Eddie were

saying their vows. The wedding was beautiful, the day,

the garden, the bride and groom....it was all beautiful.  

We headed to the park where the reception is being held.  The views are beautiful from up on this hillside.  Wow!!  Eddie has a big family!    Andrew and Lincoln are excited to be able to get 'champagne', the sparkling grape juice kind. 

Lincoln wants to dance and dance and dance.  He sure does love music and dancing with Mommy.  Around 10:00 or so the boys are getting tired after a long, busy day so we head back to the hotel...after all, it is midnight for us.   

Sept 19, 2010 - After breakfast we headed out on another adventure with Eric & Katie.  We started our day at Kobey, surprisingly the boys enjoyed that.  Andrew liked looking for deals. We ran into Grandma Skip and Aunt Kim while there. 

From there we went to Point Loma.  The morning was really overcast be we got some awesome pictures.

    After going through the lighthouse and spending some time there we headed to La Jolla to the Children's Pool. 

That was interesting for the boys, they enjoyed seeing the seals laying around, especially the young ones. 

After that we went to Mount Soledad which was beautiful, as always.  The views are breathtaking.

Leaving  there we decided to head to Pam & Bob's while Brooke & Eddie opened gifts.  Eric & Katie decided to continue their adventure. 

  

Sept 20, 2010 - Last day in California, we decided to check out early and make one last stop at the beach and Kindred Journeys before we head to the airport.  We got to the beach as a surfer was getting ready to head out in the waves.  The boys were interested, especially Lincoln.  He let us take a few pictures of Lincoln standing by him.  I took lots of pictures of Jess and the boys along the beach with the waves splashing in the background.  Of course being at the beach again the boys would much rather run and play with the waves.  We did roll their pants up and let them play a little more.  After that we changed their cloths and headed to Kindred Journeys. 

Aunt Pam was opening the store and demonstrated a couple Native American noise makers for the boys.  They were pretty interested so she gave them each one....Jessica said "thanks!"  Pam also gave them each a crystal. 

Time to head to the airport and drop the car off.  Finding a gas station in the area was not as easy as we thought it would be but we finally found one.  Dropped the car off and loaded on to the bus to the airport.  The boys look so cute walking through the airport with their backpacks on and Andrew pulling luggage.  Check in was interesting again but the security people were a lot of help, even some other passengers helped us out.  Thanks!  We were a little luckier on this flight.  We weren't back as far on the plane, Andrew and I were right over the wing.  Jessica and Lincoln were two rows in front of Andrew and I but it worked  out okay, Lincoln liked peeking back at us  Andrew played his Leapster, no movie on this flight.  On the way back we connected in Dallas/Ft. Worth.  That went pretty smoothly, at least Jessica didn't get hit in the head with the door this time.  The plane we were on for the flight heading to Cedar Rapids was like the one to Chicago, two seats on one side and one on the other.  This time Jessica sat in the front and I sat in the back with the boys....yes, again we were in the last row and the first row.  I'm still not sure how that happened.  

All and all it was a great trip.  The boys did awesome.  Lincoln's first time flying and Andrew's that he was old enough to remember.  It was great seeing everyone even if it was only for a few days.  I can't wait to take the boys back out to California and be able to spend more time.  I'm sure Andrew will remind me that we said we'd go to Legoland the next time.  =)