The kids woke up far earlier than they should have this morning considering the time they went to bed. The problem with having them all in one room is the minute one of them is up, all of them are up. My MTP is usually the first one to open her eyes and she wakes GEP up and then inevitably MNP is woken up and GEP and MNP aren't normally happy about it. This morning we had the added layer of WTK added to the mix. Laura was concerned about him not getting enough sleep, but nothing, not even hell or high water was going to get that child back to sleep. So I sent Laura back to bed and took the four munchkins downstairs with me. MTP played with the boys for awhile, they were playing Hungry, Hungry, Hippos, but she soon bailed out in order to play with her Barbie house and then when she grew bored of that, she went to draw. Every time MTP comes over, I have more artwork than I know what to do with. In fact, yesterday, when she arrived she pulled out her school bag and gave me some of her school work even. Writing, drawing and coloring are just her thing. The boys on the other hand had a heated discussion about the rules of Hungry Hungry Hippos - GEP wanted to play one way, in the very orderly one marble at a time, by the rules, kind of way. WTK's idea was to just let all the marbles go at once as fast as you can and let all the hippos gooble them up. MNP didn't care about the rules as long as he won. It was an interesting interaction.
I let them watch some Phineas and Ferb on tv - the one show they all agree on and then I got them started making shamrocks. WTK wasn't interested in the least. Apparently he doesn't do crafts outside of school - so no shamrock for him. He sat on the couch and continued watching Phineas and Ferb while the other three and I painted and glued to make shamrocks. They dove in feet first and left with green hands. Poor Laura - it seems the only time WTK wants to do crafts is at school. He's such a little ornery one.
Kids were finally ready for breakfast so once again I sat them down in the kitchen and they helped me cook. I let them crack the eggs and mix the pancake batter. Unfortunately, they didn't get to turn their pancakes this morning because I had the heat up too high and the pancakes were getting done way too fast. I put green food coloring in the pancake batter to make them green - unfortunately it wasn't enough, but the kids still had a good time.
After breakfast was story time. I picked up a few books on St. Patrick at the library and we sat on the couch to read it. We had a long discussion about saints and God and then MNP told me that Jesus died by a crocodile. Now, I'm Catholic, his family is Baptist - but still, I've never heard of any such story. MNP told me, "Yeah, Jesus died by the crocodile and then came back to life." MTP saved me from my confusion. She said, "MNP, not a crocodile, the crucifix." Giggles abounded after that. It's amazing what kids' ears hear sometimes.
We got them dressed and shipped them out front. They spent a large amount of time blowing bubbles. All four of them running around the yard blowing and chasing bubbles. WTK liked to blow his bubbles directly on the sidewalk so that he'd get a very big bubble there that he could pop. By the time it was over, they were mostly a soapy, sudsy mess.
Didn't stop them from playing ball (we banned tackle football this morning - touch football only), doing cartwheels and just generally running around and having a good time.
(MNP watch your head!)
(I just love how he stuck his bubble stick thing in the belt buckle of his pants. So inventive, that child)
While we were out there, the mail carrier was making her way around the cul-de-sac. Since our mail box was blocked, I knew we weren't going to get mail so I ran down to the mail truck to collect the mail. GEP ran down with me and the mail carrier asked if he could come out in the street. She gave each of the kids a lollipop - they were the hardest lollipops to open, too. I eventually got some scissors to use. Unfortunately, I snipped GEP's a little too hard and cut right through the stick. He still ate it, but I made him sit with me while I did. I got some pretty cute pictures out of that.
(They look so grown up here - and I don't like it. I don't like it one bit.)
Laura tried to get WTK to pose with everyone else and you can kind of see them behind the kids in this picture - but it was no dice. He was done having his picture taken.
What he was interested in was going around the yard and picking up any kind of yard debris, like leaves and sticks and putting them in the recycling. That boy and his recycling, too much.
It was bath time next. Got them all set to take what GEP likes to call "daddy showers". No fooling around - we have to go.
Then it was off to see The Lorax. I thought the movie was cute and surprisingly except for one trip to the bathroom near the very end of the movie MNP got through it. GEP and MTP of course loved it. WTK thought it was good, but he didn't get to sit in the very front like he wanted. Maybe next time.
On our way out, each of the kids were given a tree to plant.
There's a mini golf course right across the street from the movies. I wasn't quite ready to go home yet so we headed there. Thankfully it wasn't crowded and all the kids could play by their own rules, which sometimes included just picking the ball up and putting it in the hole. Mike and Stew played and kept score. I'm not sure who won - I think it was Mike actually. I was on bathroom duty. I'd take one kid to the bathroom just to come back in time for one of the others to tell me that they had to go. They couldn't have all decided at the same time - nope, that would have been too easy.
We headed back to the house after mini golf. Since I drove MTP down to the movie theater, she rode back with Stew and I took the boys. She told me when she got back that she kept asking Uncle Stew "are we there yet." I was surprised to hear he kept telling her, "not yet," instead of "five more minutes" a la Nan. She told me that she did it to get on his nerves. It didn't work. We're still trying.
MTP and Stew picked up Little Ceasars on their way home. WTK devoured the breadsticks and all of the other kids like them as well. After dinner, WTK, Laura and Mike headed home. I got the other three ready for bed and they went without complaint. Right to sleep. Must have worn them out.
I know they wore me out. Stew and I finished the night with just a glimpse of the TV before we crashed ourselves.
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