Let me share a little bit of the 'fun' times we had. We arrived Tuesday evening. On Wednesday afternoon, we took the kids to the park for some fun. As soon as we get out of the car the four kids take off running for the fence. This is a fence around the ball field. They want to 'jump the fence'. I ask why and the response is "I don't know". So the twins get to the fence, climb the fence and jump down. Remington gets to the fence, climbs the fence, goes over the top, lowers himself part way then drops to the ground. Lily gets to the fence, gets on top and stops. I don't blame her - that fence is fairly tall, perhaps 8 feet. The boys taunt her, 'Come on, Lily, don't be a girl!' Billy says, 'I'll push you". He heads towards the fence and Lily jumps down.
Accident #1: she landed wrong. Poor kid, her foot is hurt. Grampa takes her back to the house, puts an ice bag on her foot, gives her an ibuprofen and she takes a nap. When she gets up we can tell the foot is swelling. Much discussion between us grandparents and Aunt Tarinda about what we should do. We finally come to the consensus to wrap it, ice it, elevate it and see how it looks the next day. It continues to swell but we decide it is a bad sprain and continue the aforementioned treatment. Not easy to keep her off the foot as she wants to hang out with the boys but we do our best.
Next morning, Tarinda has a meeting and we are left in charge of the kids and homework. Oh, did I mention that all four kids are home-schooled? Tarinda leaves a list for her boys and K.C. has given me a list for her two. I call them down and tell them to get homework done. Let's just say it's a good thing I don't home school them full-time. I have one needing assistance with multiplication. I turn around from helping Lily and one of the twins is gone. I help one with area and perimeter and when I look up Lily is gone. When questioned about where did the missing child go I am told "to the bathroom".
One twin is supposed to do a test and says he can't do it because this is a major test for the year and his computer doesn't work right and he will have to wait to do it. One twin tells me he is done. When questioned he says he cannot do his homework because his brother is on the computer and they only have one computer. Give me a break, I know you have more than one computer in the house. Go do the reading your mom put down. I am told that he already did his reading. Grampa says bring me your book and let's see if you can answer the questions I have. He is told I already answered them with my mom. I advise he needs to read two new chapters in his book. You are going to love this response. "I can't. We only have one book and one bookmark. I can't read ahead we have to stay together." He was advised to read ahead.
I consider that morning a success as the kids all had breakfast and brushed their teeth.
Homework done, the boys head down to the tree house fort. Aunt Charlie has come over and the adults are sitting on the sofa talking when Billy comes in breathless. "Come quick! Jimmy is hurt real bad. I left Remington with him." My response: "is this for real or are you just trying to trick me?" "No, he really is hurt. A tire fell on him." Me, "Where is he?" "At the tree fort." Me, "just how far away is this tree fort? Do I have to go very far?" I want to be certain that there is actual reason for me to make the trek to the fort.
We head towards the tree fort and as we get close enough I see Jimmy laying flat on the ground. Hmmmmm, maybe he really is hurt. We get over there and ask where he is hurt. It seems they tried to lift a small tire up into the tree and it fell down on his leg. He has a bruise. I ask why he is laying down flat on the ground. Response? "Well, I was sitting up but thought it might be better if I laid down." OK - we now have accident #2 here. Way to go, Grandma.
That afternoon we go to watch a Spring Training game. Poor Lily, still has a swollen foot that we are keeping wrapped. She has to hobble along. It's a long walk from the parking lot to the ball field. She is very slow. Our solution was that perhaps Grampa should give her a piggy back ride. He bends down and Lily tries to hop on his back. He wasn't ready and falls down - sitting on Lily's sore foot. She is hopping around going OW OW OW. Charlie and I are laughing pretty hard as we see Gary sitting on the ground. Finally we make it inside and position ourselves. It doesn't take long for most people around us to move farther away. Something about my family, four little kids, one teenage girl and two of the "Houston" girls together keeps people away. Everyone one of them is LOUD! We see that Grampa has deserted us too. Hmmmmm not a good sign.
Remington comes and tells me that his toe hurts. I ask what he did. He was running down the hill and kind of stubbed his toe but it bent backwards. Can we now say accident #3? It doesn't look to bad at this point. Kids are getting hungry for snacks and we realize that Gary has been gone an excessive amount of time. I finally have a "Gary sighting" across the field from us. After snacks and the game and an even wider area cleared around us the game is called during the 9th with a tie. Now to head back to the house.
When we arrive at the house, I look at Remington's foot again as he is starting to limp. Yep, it's starting to swell and is bruising. Great! We alternate ice packs between him and Lily. Lily wants to get a bandage to wrap his toe but I explain that won't work. I tell Billy that he better watch out, he's the only one not yet hurt.
Yes, we had a good visit. I managed to retain most of my sanity. The kids did hear the question several times, "What is wrong with you?" I didn't feel to bad about that as Tarinda told me she asks her boys that all the time. I think four kids so close together in age make for fun, hectic, memorable times.
One small note: I kept the percentage of injuries at only 75% for the little kids. Grand daughter Cady spent most of the time in her room thus she was safe from possible injury (unless she fell off the stool as she applied her makeup and did her hair). I'll save the rest of our trip for another blog.
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