Ehlana, Ethan, Naomi, and Aiden:
We have a lot to write about; so let’s start from where we left off yesterday.
The chores to get ready for our weekend guests and Aunt Leanne’s birthday dinner didn’t include anything newsworthy. Zack and Eli were too-fired-up; so kid control before, during, and after dinner was a challenge. That’s also why we took the pre-dinner play time outdoors – to keep from annoying the parents too. It didn’t really get all that warm out yesterday, but we stayed warm with the games we played in the back yard until we needed to go inside again and get cleaned up for dinner.
We – the kids – were in the sunroom for that meal, but there was some birthday interaction with the adults in the dining room when Aunt Leanne opened her gifts and for the rest of the usual birthday fun. The food was great, and included fussy-kid-friendly options; so we didn’t have any problems getting our younger cousins and their friends to eat. We did have problems with Zack, Eli, and some of the boys thanks to their usual games, but while that was messier than we’d have liked; it didn’t get out of hand. We weren’t in on the birthday roasting for Aunt Leanne, but know that the adults in the house had fun with that. Dad, by the way, got home in time for dinner, since there were delays at the clinic for the doctors and nurse in the family; and dinner didn’t start until nearly six-thirty.
That changed the timing for the rest of the evening. There was parental help for the clean-up, but the four of us were put to work; while Patrick and Jessica arrived and took the rest of the kids upstairs to the third floor. Aunt Leanne had a group with her that left soon after we finished dessert to head for Sheldon’s Pub and the rest of her birthday party fun; and the adult members of the clean-up crew joined them once the work was done. We spent nearly an hour doing that; and then we came upstairs too.
Mom and Dad were not going to have a late night at the pub – especially after his long work day and trip home; so Patrick and Jessica were only with us for a bit more than three hours total. Video gaming ruled the lounge for most of that time, but we had some Halloween movie-watching going on too; our younger cousins and their friends played with toys and games; and we generally had a blast. When Mom and Dad got home, Patrick and Jessica helped out for another fifteen minutes - which for Patrick meant keeping Zack and Eli busy while the girls helped with getting the younger kids ready for bed. Mom and Dad still had more to do after their babysitters left, but we helped out; and it wasn’t that much longer before all of the youngest kids were in their beds for the night – if not asleep.
Getting Zack, El, and a few of the guys they recruited to help with their pranks and jokes took longer – which was why Mom and Dad left dealing with that up to us while they went to bed too. “Dealing with them’ meant defending ourselves in the lounge, and while we did that; it was still more than an hour before even Zack got bored with trying to sneak up on us for a scare or just to spy on us; so we were able to wrap up our day with a little co-ed cuddle time while watching the end of another Halloween movie. With a house full of younger kids, we did not have a co-ed sofa sleepover. Once the movie was over; the boys headed for Ethan’s room; and we stayed in the lounge because Brianna, Faith, and Silkie had taken over my room.
Staying up late didn’t keep us from getting up on-time this morning. Tai Chi by the river was cool, but not frosty; and the weather today was really good – even for a fall clean-up day. Mom and Dad had the full gang to feed a hot breakfast, but Brianna was the only extra exercise buddy to wake up with us for our workout. Zack must have been a bit tired; since he didn’t really get anything started with the guys while demolishing three rounds of pancakes. Fall chores aren’t usually newsworthy, but today was a bit different; since we had extra helpers – and more houses to work at with help from some of the parents.
While Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne eventually went out for a play day; our fall chores included putting gardens to bed for the winter; raking leaves away from trees and gardens so that they could be sucked up by the garden tractor vacuum; and the rest of our usual chores. The highlight of our work day was doing the Halloween decorations at those houses, and even though there won’t be trick-or-treating this year; we’re still in the spirit of the season and going to have fun. Our road will be on the parade route too; so we’ll be lit up and festive for that – though we have toned it down a bit this year compared to normal. Without kids visiting the house; there wasn’t any point in using some decorations that only work when close to them.
There were work breaks, with the longest happening at lunchtime, but we also got a lot done; and finished up by four o’clock. We got cleaned up first; and then took time for a Naomi and the Phantoms band practice. That was fun – and a hit with the parents and kids in and around the house that could hear us. Mom and Dad hosted another dinner – this time, a barbeque that was easy to throw together and clean up after. We don’t have all of the kids with us tonight, but Zack and Brianna are here; and they picked Eli and Amelia for their sleepover buddies. Faith was a bit disappointed, but Amelia was happy; and we won’t comment on the kid-free night that we’ve heard that her parents are now getting. We’re also sure that Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace will make sure that Faith and Caleb have a fun night.
Before we move on to the evening news; let’s cover the top news of the day for our little town – though the four of us had no involvement in it at all.
Congratulations, Kyle and Erin Landry – you’re married! The Landry and Green families are still celebrating as we write this – along with the rest of their guests, but with limited seating available at the Inn; we were not invited to the reception. Mom and Dad did take an afternoon break from the chores to attend the ceremony at the church, but Kyle and Erin have a lot of friends; so the guest list for their parents was kept fairly-small. We should mention that Rowen and Tim are home for the weekend because he’s one of Kyle’s groomsmen, but while Tim and Kyle are close; Cassie and Michael aren’t really part of their group of friends. They didn’t come home this weekend too because they’re continuing to have a heavy study load; and this trip is just making that harder for Rowen and Tim. We are sure that Kyle and Erin are having a happy day; and we’re especially-glad that they got to have a nice weather day for their wedding!
Moving on to our entertainment for tonight, while everyone else went home after dinner; we set up for a Halloween movie in the living room; and the boys opted for video games in the lounge – even though at least two of them would have preferred to cuddle with their favorite girls instead. Brianna and Amelia picked Girl vs. Monster for the movie; mostly because they love the songs. We were okay with that; had fun for that hour and a half; and then we added in a bonus Sofia the First Halloween episode – the giggling goblin one – before heading upstairs. It was bath or Jacuzzi time for some of us – with Brianna and Amelia taking a dunk in Mom’s Jacuzzi while Naomi and I took turns in mine and the boys continued the video gaming.
Bedtime stories and songs followed bath time; Mom and Dad headed for bed then; and we watched another movie in the lounge while dealing with another round of pranks and annoyances from Zack and Eli. We didn’t let that get in the way of the cuddle time; Zack and Eli got bored even earlier than last night; and then they stayed in their guest room across the hall from the lounge and played video games on their portables until they fell asleep. Our movie is nearly done as we write this; and we haven’t decided whether to go for the co-ed sofa sleepover or not.
We’ll use that for our journal update cliff-hanger; and let you know how that goes for us while we wrap this up; cuddle some more; and at least have a bedtime chat before either going to bed or just staying here for the night.
This is Ehlana Proctor and gang; live from the hidden home of the Magi of the Light – and May the Magi Force be with you!
