SPRING BREAK
Buon giorno and Good Day!
Greetings to all the moms, dads, grandmothers and grandfathers who may be experiencing "Spring Break" with your beloved children. It turns out that in Terre Haute, Indiana, it is Spring Break for all the school children, where my sons, Scott, Jeff, their wives, Jenn and Tami, and their eight children live.
About 3 months ago, I got the bright idea to suggest that 5 of these grandchildren spend their Spring Break with Grandma, Rosalie Harpole. The suggestion flew to the top of the chart, especially with their parents. The children, who had been counting the days ever since it was decided, were all packed and on their way days before their Grandpa picked them up.
The children arrived last Saturday evening, April 4, and will leave to go back home this Saturday, April 11th. They are: Roman Anthony 8, Grant Nehemiah Carleton 8, Max Geoffrey 7, Reagan Brack 5, and the only girl in the bunch, Alexandra Von, 4.
Did I mention they have been here a full 6 days, 144 hours, 8,640 minutes and 518,400 seconds?They have asked at least 437 questions per day and have eaten every 10 minutes for 12 consecutive hours each day. They have leaped over tall buildings, swung off my ceiling lamps and gone through 3 tubes of triple antibiotic ointment.
Since the first full day they were here was Sunday, and Church Day, it so happened that I had to work that day. When my husband brings all of the children to the hospital so that I can inspect their clothes and comb Allie's hair, they suddenly become the stars of the floor, visiting the patients and reciting their Bible Verses. One dear patient forgot that she needed pain medicine and began crying for joy to see the little darlings. Her husband had to comfort her.
The next day on Monday evening, since I had a previous ladies group coming, my husband thought it would be nice to take them to a place we have in St. Charles, MO, called Chucky Cheeses; a huge game room complete with tokens, tickets, and prizes. They played, he said for 3 hours and were about to go home, when one of the boys, Max, starting finding lost tickets and tokens under people's tables. This turned into a 5-kid man-hunt, with all of them finding enough tokens to stay an additional hour. The manager was grateful because he said he didn't have to sweep that evening.
The following days included "The Magic House," The St. Louis Zoo," and yesterday, "The City Museum," which unfortunately, or maybe blissfully, I missed because I again was the nurse working. The children informed me last evening at the supper table that the "City Museum" was the greatest fun ever! Loaded with giant tunnel mazes and 3-story slides, they said the fun never ended.
Today is Easter Basket day, and Grandma is boiling eggs as I write. Each child will have their own egg dying kit and can color eggs complete with stickers, crayons and sparkles. I have had my husband to line the entire kitchen with plastic and duct tape including the ceiling, walls, and floor, so I really don't care if they dye the eggs, themselves, or the dog. On second thought, I haven't see Cappuccino (my Shih Tzu) in 4 days. Oh, yes he is in the back closet pretending he is a stuffed animal.
All in all, it has been great fun, especially if you know that "this too will pass." The house may need carpet cleaning, walls painted, furniture repaired, and Grandma and Grandpa revived with Cardio Electric Shock Waves. Have I mentioned that I have 26-plus hours to go? God Save Grandma!
The two older boys, Roman and Grant, asked if they each could have their own signed copy of *Rosalie Serving Italian* cookbook. They wanted to look at their pictures in the book and some day "remember Grandma and "SPRING BREAK"! As for me and Grandpa- WE WILL NEVER FORGET!
Look for me tomorrow, April 11, 2009, at John Viviano's and Sons, down on "The Hill" for Book Signing and a taste of "Italian Cream Cake." By the way, you can see our grandchildren…they will be with Grandpa at the "Science Center. "
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