GRANDCHILDREN BLESSINGS

          It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m hoping I can keep my eyes open until at least 9:00 pm. I had the grandkids, Arayli and Xander, for the day yesterday and overnight last night. All went well during the day. We played games and I introduced them to Mexican Train. We played one more game this morning before I took them home and Xander won. We also went to the park yesterday since it wasn’t raining and Xander played on all the equipment, Arayli practiced basketball and I wandered around watching them both.

Arayli (11) and Xander (5)

          Nana also ordered two new movies from Red Box. Some Dora movie that Xander picked out and Maleficent for Arayli. Xander really liked Maleficent, but Arayli spent more time on her phone and Tic-Tok (whatever that is), than she did watching her movie.

          Tired from the day’s activities, birthday dinner making, etc., as well as sporadic sleep Friday night, I was happy to pack Xander and myself off to bed around 10:00 pm. Arayli was on the couch and going to watch a little TV before she retired.

As we older people tend to do, I got up at 1:25 am to pee and found Xander sitting in his bed crying. I hadn’t heard him and have no idea how long he’d been awake. I sent him to my bed, went pee and returned to join him in a twin bed. Well, he’s a hot (as in temperature) little bundle and snores like a longshoreman (I have no idea how longshoremen snore, but it shounded good), so I got out of bed and tried sleeping in my recliner. I know some people say they sleep really well in their recliners, but that’s not the case for me.

I sort of dozed on and off the remainder of the night. When the dogs began making noise at 8:40 am, I rushed out, hoping they hadn’t waked the kids. I put them out and began making myself a latte. My hope of having five minutes all to myself before Arayli and Xander woke up came to naught. Arayli showed up in the living room before I let the dogs back in and Xander came out before my latte was done.

Needless to say, Nana was a trifle crabby today. The kids, of course, were raring to go immediately. Xander wanted to know even before my first sip of coffee if we could play train now. Then Arayli asked if we could play train. I managed to put them off until after we’d all been showered, shampooed and they had packed up their stuff.

In times past, I could have put Xander, or even Arayli, in Grandpa’s big bed with him and the doggies. And until the last six months to a year before he died, John would have been up with them and letting me have a bit more time in my bed. I seriously missed John and his consideration of my needs this morning. I soldiered on alone and think/hope Arayli and Xander had a good “boring” time at Nana’s.

Their visit also made me realize I simply HAVE TO finish cleaning out John’s room. As it is now, the bed is covered with boxes, empty and stuffed, as well as a variety of other items. I’ve already been asked a few times if I was going to move back into the martial bed/bedroom. I think if I’m going to have the grandkids overnight often, then it’s an absolute necessity I free up that room and that bed…whether I inhabit it or not.