Brothers

We had Hunter and Colton this weekend. We met Becca and Clint at Baybrook Mall for the hand off Friday afternoon. They spent some energy walking around the mall, after being cooped in their car for three hours. We picked up the movie Marmaduke at Walmart and stopped to pick up a pizza on the way home. After baths, we watched the movie and ate pizza.

Saturday morning I searched the computer to see what kind of fun stuff I could find for us to spend a Saturday doing. We had a choice of a dinosaur exhibit at the zoo, Imax theatre, or train museum in Galveston. I showed the boys each website and let them choose. We decided on the dinosaurs. I fixed drinks, crackers and peanut butter, oranges, and bananas. While I was dressing the boys, the bottom fell out of the sky and the rain came pouring out. Odie pulled the radar up and said it should pass shortly, so we waited...and waited...and waited. Finally after about an hour (Do you know how long an hour is to little boys?), we bundled the boys up and shuffled them through the rain to the truck. According to the radar, it wasn't raining in Houston.

The rain wasn't letting up, so we decided to stop in Pearland and eat lunch at Gringo's. After lunch it was still raining, so we headed to Bass Pro to wait until the weather cleared up some. All my grand babies love Bass Pro. We spent over an hour looking at the fish, shooting the guns, pretending 1 minute naps in the tents that were set up, driving the boats, riding the elevator, checked out all the different stuffed animals, and petted a stuffed deer snuggled up next to a fence on the second floor. We came out to face more rain. Odie and I realized the dinosaur exhibit wasn't happening today.

I got out the iPhone to check what movies were out that the boys might want to see. We checked out the movie Alpha and Omega. We went to the Brazos Mall to see the movie. I got both boys some popcorn, sprite, and candy. I just got Odie a coke figuring we could share with the boys. About the third time that Odie reached over to get some of Colton's popcorn, Colton moved his popcorn away from Pawpaw and informed him that this popcorn was his and Pawpaw could get his own popcorn. This was a great movie that I will be adding to my kid's movie collection when it comes out on dvd.

We finished the movie and headed out in (you guessed it) the rain. Hunter had been promised a trip to Tokyo, so we headed there for dinner. It was Colton's first time to get to eat there. There was another couple at the table, and I made sure they had no problem sharing their table with a couple of little boys. The other couple got a kick out of the boy's reactions and a good time was had by all. We all tried catching rice with our mouths, watched an onion volcano that turned into an onion train, watched eggs roll, and fingers on fire. The food was as wonderful as always and way more than we could possibly eat. Colton was falling asleep as we drove home. There were baths to be had. I cuddled up in bed with the boys to read as they watched the movie Robots. Colton made it through about 20 minutes before he was out. Hunter and I lay there talking and catching up on school.

He shyly told me he has a girl friend that is very pretty. Her name is Kara. I asked what his least favorite thing at school was. He said he hated when he got a sad face. Every day at the end of the day you either get a happy face or a sad face. He had shown me his folder, when we were changing vehicles. He actually only had a couple of sad faces. He loves school, his teacher, riding the bus, and learning. Hunter can be very head strong, but he really wants to please and learn.

Sunday morning we stopped for breakfast at IHOP before heading out to Mainland Mall to pass the boys back to their parents. It was such a short fast paced weekend, but this Grammy loved it very much.

I don't live close enough to any of my Grand Babies to see them on a daily basis. I hope that grandparents that are that fortunate realize how lucky they are. I consider myself lucky, though, because I don't live more than 4 hours away from any of them. I only get them a day or two a month, so I try to pack as much fun in the short time I get to share with them.

This is one blessed Grammy!

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Towel Animals

Last week we went on a wonderful cruise to the Bahamas with Travis, Jonda, Carissa, Raymond, and Cassandra. This is the second cruise we have been on with Carissa. We were on one with her a little over a year and a half ago, and she wasn't too interested in Kid's Camp. She would go a little, but didn't stay long. Wow what a difference time makes. She loved Kid's Camp this time.

I will probably leave some of the fun stuff out, but she had a schedule every day just like the adults did of things going on. She came in one night growling with her face all painted up like a lion or a tiger. One night she was painted like a pirate. There was a scavenger hunt that was a family affair where her, Jonda, and Travis worked as a team. They won first place taking away a genuine gold plastic ship on a stick. Carissa was very proud of her trophy, as she should be beating out children older than her. There were tee shirts to paint, cookies to decorate, and a dog to build. I think she also painted a back pack, but Grammy missed seeing that. She had pajama parties, played hide and seek with flash lights, and ate pizza. We can't forget the wonderful 24 hour available ice cream machine that was only one floor up from our rooms that Carissa and I would have to visit in the afternoon.

The first night we ate dinner, Carissa finished her pasta early since that was her only course. The rest of us had many courses. A little too many courses. I didn't need or want to dessert, so her and I headed back to the room for a game of crazy eights while the rest of our group indulged in their wonderful desserts. On the first day, Carissa started calling our room the hotel room. When we got to the hotel room, there was a towel walrus waiting for us on the bed along with wonderful chocolates. Carissa is picky about some snacks, but she loved these chocolates. She had to be limited to how many chocolates she was allowed that late at night, so I think she brought enough extras home for another week.

Every day when mine and Carissa's path would cross, we would have a discussion as to what kind of towel animal we thought we would find in our bed that night. I am partial to the hanging monkey that I got on other cruises, but we didn't find him hanging out until the last day of the cruise. We had a towel dog, elephant, and crab that were also cute. I lined them along the back of the sofa.

Travis had to fly out to Kentucky Sunday afternoon on the day we got back from our cruise. As he was getting ready to leave, Carissa told him not to forget to send her a picture of his towel animal every night in his hotel room. Thursday night, I received four pictures of the towel animals that my son created in his hotel room every night. It is heart warming to know that as tired as my son was from being gone and working out of town that he loved his daughter enough to take the time to create an animal for her each night. It is also good to know in this ever decreasing economy that he seems to have a talent for another line of work...creating towel animals.

I am so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful, caring family and extended family.

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