Song and Dance

Baby Ben and I made roll dough last night.  He is a great helper.

This morning I baked. I believe I have mastered the cranberry filling.  It's better than the cinnamon.  We ate an entire batch of rolls before noon.

I had been promised that we could watch Star Trek today.  I made sure that happened.

We don't just watch.

There is a lot of indoctrination going on.

For example, they now know the difference between a Klingon and a Romulan.

I was pleased with how many joined our sessions today.

Nathan was fine watching as long as I warned him about the scary parts.

Will.  This was funny.  He sat across the room for 30 minutes until it became obvious he was listening.  He finally joined us.

Jacob watches because he wants to be my favorite grandchild.  But Baby Ben?  He was eating this up.  He danced when Captain Picard sang "Frere Jacques."

Melanie creamed, and I mean creamed me in Blink.  She reveled.

Jacob finally won, fair and square, in Blink.  He burst into song and sang, "For the first time in forever!"  It was worth losing to be part of this.

When he beat me again, he sang "For the second time in forever."

Julia was very polite when she beat me in I Spy Memory.  She is amazing.  She sings a lot.  She sings to Baby Ben when she helps me change his diaper.  She sings safety instructions when we take him for walks.  She is pure joy.

She knows I like I Spy Memory, but she prefers the tile Memory.  We tied this round.

Julia helped her mom make brownies and wash the dishes.

David finished some handyman chores for Corinne today.  Then he took a break. I love his breaks.

The kids really enjoy Studio C and it kept them occupied as dinner got closer.  I love love love hearing them laugh together.

When Uncle Jeff arrived, he offered to help.  He cleared the kids from the table before he set it. They moved en masse.

Shifts at Minecraft happened all day long.  Will's turn ended just before dinner.

Kate's help in the kitchen is always welcome.  My pile of cilantro is on the cutting board.

If you are wondering where Jacob is. it was his turn for Minecraft.  No one noticed.  He missed dinner.  There was none left by the time he realized we were finished.

I have worked on my butter chicken recipe for years.  I think I finally got it right.

Carolyn's and Julia's brownies were excellent.  They were also Jacob's dinner.

When in Texas...enough said.

A Winning Day

The morning started off with company.  Baby Ben's cousins stopped in for a visit.

Zaheire and Ben got along famously.

They all played well together.  These are great kids!

Baby Ben's aunt Jacquiel is in the center.  She and I talked family history for a long time. Yes, the day was off to a good start!

After lunch at Jeff's, I found these three in the pantry.  Don't ask.  I don't know.

In a three-way game of memory tiles, I actually won, but not all my tiles showed up in the picture.  If the girls are looking wet, it's because several of us ventured out a couple times in the rain. Don't ask.  I don't know.

Then we put together a new puzzle.  You can ask about Matt.  I still don't know.

Jacob challenged me in Go Fish.

Opposing players included Team Jane/Matt.

Fortunately, Julia was on my team.  She had an incredible turn of seven straight matches, bringing in the victory.

We took a break for pie.  I'm generous with whipping cream.  I have found it a real bargain in building bonds with grandchildren.

Why didn't I do this when I was a young mother?  Don't ask.  I don't know.

I know how this started.  Don't ask.  I won't tell.

Ben was revolted and curious at the same time.

Turns out Ben likes his whipped cream with pie.

But once we got started, it was hard to quit.

It takes a surprising amount of faith to let someone else shoot whipped cream in your mouth.  Jane and I apparently don't have that kind of relationship yet.

Papa Ben was one of the rain walkers.  Jeff got a fire started for him afterward.

One of us, and by that I mean Dave, was smart enough to not go out in the rain.

Three times in a row I creamed Jacob in Blink.  It was awesome.  I did not do a victory dance but I did gloat.

In the meantime, Baby Ben got some lunch.

Then he wanted dessert.

Ben was on my left.  Julia, however, was on my right.  We needed to finish this great puzzle.

I was just a little distracted.

Removing the lid solved a lot of problems.

Just at that moment, Melanie and Ella arrived home.  Ben said, "Sip? Sip?"  Melanie said yes.

Julia felt she was old enough to play I Spy Memory. This was stunning.  First time ever, and she creamed me.  I had reduced the deck, but 8 to 4?  I actually was quite pleased.

Children being tended by distracted adults often get in a little trouble.

Don't ask.  I don't know.