Jaimie and Kaitlyn had fun with us this week, but if their reaction this morning was any indication; they’re both missing their parents too, and ready to go home.
After Tai Chi with Mom and Dad this morning, I was kept busy helping my cousins fed, dressed, and ready to travel before Grandma and Grandpa came over to pick them up at nine o’clock. Aunt Leanne brought Kara, Eddie, and Nicole over in time to say goodbye to Jaimie and Kaitlyn; and then she left the kids with Mom and Alicia while she needed to spend the morning at work dealing with some month-end business that she and Claire needed to be taken care of before the weekend.
I was recruited to help out with the morning entertaining, and we mostly played in the back yard until having lunch with Dad, Aunt Leanne, and Uncle Adam. Aunt Leanne was spending the afternoon with Kara, Eddie, and Nicole, and though I was invited to go along, I stayed home to help Mom with getting four guest bedrooms; the lounge; and three bathrooms – including mine – cleaned and ready for our incoming cousins. Aunt Leanne and the kids were back again in time for her to help Mom with making dinner, and I had my work done by then; had gone for a short cool-down swim; and took over as entertainment co-coordinator until Grandma and Grandpa got home with our four guests.
Warning! You are now entering the twilight zone!
I haven’t spent very much time with Rebecca and Jenny this summer, other than a chat here and there when we see each other around town. They’re almost always hanging out with their usual group of friends; and boys in full-goof mode are usually nearby trying to impress them. While I had expected to see them a lot over the next two weeks, I was surprised when they came over about two minutes after Grandma and Grandpa pulled into the driveway. Yes, I’d been busy with Kara, Eddie, and Nicole, and didn’t notice them, but they must have been out on Rebecca’s front porch waiting to get there at almost the same time that I made it around to the front of the house with the three younger kids in tow.
Chris and Martin put up their usual protests when I hugged each of them, but Martin in particular seemed to be very happy to have Rebecca and Jenny there to welcome them too. They didn’t hug my cousins in front of everyone too, but I definitely got the impression that they would have liked to. Chris will be fifteen in a few months, and starting Grade Ten; which is probably why he isn’t quite as impressed with Rebecca and Jenny as Martin is. I don’t think about them from the same perspective as my older friends do, but I guess that they’re both really good looking guys. Let’s just leave that train of thought right there and move on.
Dawn and Jillian were both fired up about getting to spend two weeks with us, and the three of us, with help from Violet and Kara, went up to the third floor with their bags as soon as we could. Dawn was in the room across the hall from Violet, and Jillian had the room across from the lounge and next to the back stairs, but I expected that we’d be doing quite a few sleepovers with Rowen in my room and the lounge – our camping in the back yard. Chris and Martin had the two river view guest bedrooms on the second floor, and Mom and Aunt Leanne had plans to have them split their nights – and Jonathan’s – between the two houses.
Rowen was coming over for dinner, and Mom earned some bonus parent points when she invited Rebecca and Jenny to stay for dinner too. They hung out with Chris and Martin after that while Dawn, Jillian, and I continued to play with Kara, Eddie, and Nicole until dinner was ready – with help from Rowen once she joined us. Grandpa, Dad, and Uncle Adam took turns working the grills, and it was going on six o’clock by the time we sat down to eat. Chris and Martin were, thankfully, not scarfing food to impress tonight, but that didn’t keep them from devouring what seemed like everything in sight. By the time we’d finished dinner, Dad was suggesting that he and Mom should have warned the grocery store that they’d need to order more stock for the next couple of weeks to keep up with the extra demand.
Once they were re-fueled, Chris and Martin were ready to go again, and Rebecca and Jenny were happy to go with them to meet up with some of their friends. That worked out for Dawn, Jillian, Rowen, and me, and while the boys were away, we went for a bike ride; played at the park for a while when Mom, Dad, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne took the five younger kids there for some playground action; and went for a long swim after getting home again. Rowen was staying overnight, so we made a trip to her house so she could pack a bag, and we were already hanging out in the lounge and watching a movie by the time that Chris and Martin got home again – along with Rebecca, Jenny, and six more teens.
I wouldn’t have been surprised if Rebecca and Jenny had suggested staying with us tonight too, but they didn’t. Maybe they didn’t think that the benefits were worth hanging out with a bunch of ‘kids’ all night. We didn’t stop our movie or anything, but Dawn and Jillian happily passed on regular teen reports as they sat in the window alcove and kept an eye on the action in the back yard. That included swimming, snacks and drinks by the river, and a lot of loud chatter, laughter, and horsing around. Chris, Martin, and the other guys and girls gave us lots of material to keep entertained with for the next few hours, but we also had a lot of catching up to do too – especially since Dawn hadn’t been home since the Memorial Day weekend.
We watched two movies, and Chris and Martin have said goodnight to their friends and moved on to playing video games in the living room. Dawn and Jillian are asleep on the sectional sofa, and Rowen and I are in my bed with Mandy; and we’re both doing a little computer surfing. I hadn’t really paid any attention to the news all day, but the Olympic Games started today in London; and we watched a few highlights from the opening ceremony while I was doing my usual email and work checks.
There isn’t going to be any Olympic glory in my personal future, but it must be really cool getting to compete at that level – and represent your country on that kind of stage. Somehow, I don’t see the world being ready for a Magi-powered super-athlete anytime soon, but Rowen and I entertained ourselves for a while imagining what that might be like. I liked the idea of a hundred meter dash in a fraction of a second, or high jumping that pole-vaulters would be jealous of; while Rowen thought that diving with one or two dozen mid-air flips followed by a slow-motion, zero splash finish would be amazing. I wonder if Mom and Dad would let us try that out at Quarry Lake sometime? Okay, yes, we know what the answer to that would be.
Anyway, it’s going on one o’clock, and we’ve got a busy day ahead of us, so it’s time to call it a night.
Live from Witch Falls; this is Cassie and Rowen, signing off!
