A Minecraft Sleepover Party

 Getting ready for a party for 6 eight year old boys has a very different feel than planning for 40-some children and adults.  Almost relaxing.  I wasn't even going to do a theme or decorations but I decided at the eleventh hour to theme it up a little.  

Just because the eight year olds don't care, doesn't mean I can't.  

Printed up some minecraft blocks and designed some banner letters and got a little bit of crepe paper and voila! 

Quite possibly the ugliest color scheme ever. But crepe paper makes everything festive. Also I was very proud of myself for letting the children take over the placement of the wall decor.  It's not easy for me to let go with decorating tasks...

A horrible picture of the goody bags.

Enderman returns for another night of ugly cake decoration.  I do like the square plates to represent the pixels...

 When the boys arrived, they were quickly banished to the yard.  What followed was an hour of this:

 (with a little of this-- a posed re-creation of a shot from 5 years ago...)

This boy!  He's EIGHT years old.  He is so tall, so strong, so full of attitude-- yet still so full of hugs.  I sure do love him.

With the exception of the balloon creepers, who were popped in a matter of seconds, there were no injuries!  Miraculous.  They're good kids.  

Feeding the hungry troops. Pre-dinner snacks can be laid back for 6 boys (a bowl of popcorn and a pitcher of water on the patio table), and dinner itself-- all Jack's choice-- was pretty simple too.

Pizza and Doritos with some Coke on the side.  Dinner of champions. 

Makes Jack look like this:

 Finally, finally, finally -- the much awaited video games begin.

The boys actually did a pretty amazing job playing together.  Despite much (very vocal) arguing and yelling and carrying on, there was no real conflict and some real collaboration and conversation that emerged.  Loudly.

Did I mention that having 6 eight year olds in your house is really LOUD?

Cake and Present time...

Checking out the loot.

I have no idea what was so funny about the card Finn made for Jack-- but they were losing it.  Little boy giggles are the best. 

Jack spent most of the morning putting this together.  He's not been interested in Legos in the least for quite a while.   But Minecraft Legos... that's another story!


Getting ready for bed....Pokemon cards and Nerf guns and 6 boys in one room...

With the help of one private room and one "blanket tent" to make it darker in one area of the room, we had all of them tucked in and asleep by 11:00.  Not too bad, really...

Morning-after Minecraft.  A kinder, gentler game in the morning.  The troops were up at 7 and fed by 8 and thoroughly enjoyed playing on screens without restriction until their pickup by 10.



I think they all had fun.

Now, excuse me while I get a nap. 

Friends and Family

Carrying on here, in what has been a whirlwind week of work and play. In between festivals and reunions and visiting guests, I made it through my first 5-day week of the school year, had a (disappointing) yard sale, and planned and decorated for 2 (small) parties for Jack's 8th birthday. Whew. 

Taking 35 seconds for myself here in my backyard.  The chickens are out, pecking about and peeping and chasing one another.  Corydon is sacked out on the patio.  I am drinking some iced coffee, and sorting through the last 7 days...

1. My 20-year High School reunion.

At first, I thought I might just boycott it altogether.  Then, I thought I ought to at least go to the family meet-up at the park. Ended up going to that and the dinner event and I am so grateful that I did.  I have so many mixed emotions about High School.  Looking back, I had plenty of good times.  Got my start in theater, sang some wonderful choral music with the world's best directors, went to so so many formal dances, had some pretty cute boyfriends.  Yet all of my memories have this overlay of unhappiness.  I spent, I think, the majority of my time in 6-10th grade being dissatisfied with my looks and my social status, pining away for the unattainable goal of preppy popularity, and being treated with low-grade disdain by those I longed to be friends with.  Its such a shame, for all that pettiness to have colored my memories for so long.   

I left High School definitively behind when I went off to Hiram, recreating myself and distancing myself from the shy and uncomfortable girl I used to be.  I was so busy being deliriously happy with my new life, I lost track of my old friends without even noticing.  

Enter last weekend.  Through Facebook, I have "reconnected" with most of the people I cared about back in the day.  Thought that was enough.  I hadn't counted on just how good it felt to really see, talk to, hug them all.  And those popular girls?  A lot of them were there, and a lot of them look like they are still all that.  But I was pleased to notice that I could look at them and wish them well, and move on. 

Shooters, where the dinner event was held, has one heck of a view.

Some of my besties from not just High School, but middle school.

 Turns out the people I spent the most time with, who I wished for more face time with, were in fact the ones I have known the longest.  Make new friends but keep the old... or, in this case, find them again and try harder not to let go this time. 


Here's a random picture of my girl water our tomatoes, as a little segue.

And a picture of a chicken.  This is Brahma, and she is our friendliest and bravest girl, who will take a mealworm from anyone's hand.  She is also a herder and a bit of a bully.  And pretty cute.

Also, my children in the Piccadilly photo booth. We had a spate of 65 degree weather this week which totally put us in the mood for frozen yogurt.

And then Thursday!   Time for the lake!

Corydon and I feel totally the same way about the lake.  Its our happy place, all the way.

 And not just the lake but cousins too!  Claire and the triplets came in town for Jack's birthday and it was a treat in every way.

Oh I just love these children! They splashed in the waves and wrote their names at a giant scale in the sand and were just so happy together.

Visit, day two.  Art museum.  I was at work so I am as grateful for these photos as you are.

We are so blessed to be a part of this wonderful extended family.  People who go out their way to be together.  Who not only love each other but like each other, too.  A mother-in-law I love and admire.  Cousins who are also role models.

Cherishing them all right now...

Well, party number two is nearly a go.  Soon I will have 6 boys ready to run amok with swords and video games.  Time to be on duty!  Birthday / Party post to follow!

Abiding

The first week of school has come and gone. Remarkably smooth so far.  A splendid  summer-sunshine weekend after, picture perfect time with friends in our beautiful city.

 I'm still working on coming up for air.

I've been reticent to add to the blog, you see, because the person I have been writing for these past eight years, will not be reading it any more.  I used to like to think that I was writing this blog as an archive for my children to enjoy in the future.  But really, I wrote for my dad.  He was so crazy about his grandchildren, it was hard to believe.  The once-curmudgeon turned into a big ol' softie around these little ones, and followed their progress from afar with intense dedication.  It got me off my duff and writing each week, to know that he was going to be checking for updates.  I felt, with my production of these grandchildren and subsequent blogging about them, that I was earning my dad's approval in a more real way than I ever had before.  Good inspiration for more writing, indeed.

I am not sure what to do now.  

Keep writing,  I suppose.  Keep writing for him. 

 He was never effusive with praise or responses; the knowledge that he was reading, appreciating, thinking of me and my family-- that was always enough.  We didn't have to talk often.  I knew he was there, off in the West, golfing and hunting and singing and carrying me in his heart, and his guidance and influence were there in me.  And so we carried on.  

You think you have all the time in the world.  You think that they'll be there, your parents, always abiding with you.  You take them for granted, you put things off, you feel frustrated and ungrateful sometimes.  Even when you know time is short, you forget to really appreciate them.  You get too busy with the day-to-day to put a rush order on taking an oral history, singing more arias, writing that book. And then suddenly, time is up.  

And you're not sure what to do.

Keep writing, I suppose. 

More later.

For now, pictures of kites and bunnies and children, and the words to a hymn that is resonating with me right now.   

 Thou on my head in early youth didst smile;

And though rebellious and perverse meanwhile,
Thou hast not left me, oft as I left Thee,
On to the close, O Lord, abide with me!

I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me!

I fear no foe with Thee at hand to bless:
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.