Eight Kids for Ten Days

Remember you are 73, my sister told me when I announced that I was going to babysit son Ben's 8 children for 10 days.  His Jessica flew to Taiwan to check out the possibility of taking the whole family there for the summer.  Jessica is a very high energy girl.  I"m not.  So I determined that it would be necessary for Layne to accompany me on this babysitting adventure.  Perhaps the two of us older kids could cover for one very energetic daughter-in-law.  We headed to California on Tuesday the 16th, arriving that evening.  It was a pleasant flight and offered a dazzling view of the San Francisco Bay Area as we flew in for a landing.  The whole area glowed in amber light, looking something like a treasure chest filled with gold jewels.

Everyone was awake when we arrived and greeted us with great enthusiasm.  Jessica left the next day and, suddenly, we were in charge of 8 children, ranging in age from 13 down to almost 1.  Three of the children were pre-school; the rest were school bound every weekday morning.  Afternoons were filled with lessons of all sorts for all the school kids.  There was soccer, tennis, basketball, drums, piano, violin, art.  With all of that going on I think it was smart of me to suggest to Layne that he be the delivery guy.  He filled every afternoon with driving the various kids to their various lessons.  They were hardly home!  The pre-schoolers, on the other hand, were always home.  With me.  And they all wanted me, just about all of the time.  So while Layne was on the road, I was home, hardly leaving the house.  Sigh.  It was a very demanding 10 days!

Here's one of my preschool playmates, Jonathan, in the back yard.  He was jumping his energy back so we could continue our game of super heroes.

I planned meals and snacks, washed clothes and organized various places to make my job a little easier.  Ben and Jessica had cleaners come in every week day, which helped.  I found myself on my feet all day long.  Bedtime every night found us falling into bed and sleeping soundly in spite of a less than ideal bed.  In spite of all the demands and work, I loved being with the children.  Spending time with them was so rewarding.  The baby, still nursing, bonded with me from the start.  In fact she wanted me to hold her just about every waking hour.  I sang her to sleep for her naps and at night time.  She loved it.  She became my baby.  In fact, when Jessica returned home, the baby, Olivia, wasn't at all sure she wanted to go to her.  But once the opportunity to nurse presented itself, she was all about her mommy.

Here's Olivia playing in the family room and looking at me hoping for a lift onto my lap.  

Victoria (Tia) is my spark plug girl, always running around full of giggles, and tears when things didn't quite go her way.  "Grandma, I don't sleep when the sun is up," she told me.  So, no naps for this girl. 

Having 8 children is intense!  But we made it through the 10 days and even had some time with Ben, in the evenings.  Jessica enjoyed Taiwan for the most part and thinks it would be a great place to take all the family for some extended time.  She is up for great adventures with their large family.  I so admire it but think myself incapable of such grand adventures with so many children to look out for.  I found the children loving and cooperative though, and under our watch they all seemed to do fine.

On our last day we snapped this picture of Jacqueline (13), me (do I look tired?), Alexis (12), and Abigail (7) in front.

We headed for home on Friday morning and felt so grateful that we got the last two seats on the early flight.  By the time we got home we were exhausted!  We napped the rest of the day away and the next one as well.  This Sunday I'm feeling almost normal again.  It is sweet to be back in our quiet home, with everything just where I want it to be.  The simple life.  I've become used to it.

A Utah Trip

My sister Maryanne has Parkinson's Disease.  It has affected her movements and has provided her with a tremor in her left hand.  It is a disease that progresses although it has been somewhat gentle with her so far.  The medications that treat the symptoms of the disease cause side effects for her that are unacceptable.  That became something of a blessing as it made her a candidate for a brain surgery that has a very high success rate for stopping most of the symptoms of the disease.  She had the first phase of the surgery week before last.  I so wanted to be there for that surgery, so, after 4 days home from our Taiwan trip, I drove to Draper, Utah, to be with her and Bob.

The surgery inserted wires in her head which will be connected to a battery in her chest which will be programmed to stimulate the part of her brain that is needed to stop the tremors and increase her muscle coordination.  It is an amazing procedure.  She will receive a remote, which she can use to turn the battery on and off.  We are so excited to see how it works for her.  The last part of this procedure will take place in March.  I'll have a full report then!

Here's a lovely view of the mountains outside of Maryanne's hospital window.

It was a lovely drive to Draper.  I worried about the weather but, while the roads were surrounded by snow, the roads themselves were clear.  I enjoyed the drive and felt enveloped with peace and safety, driving both directions.  It was so enjoyable to spend time with Bob and Maryanne.  She came through the surgery very well and appears to  be healing quickly.  The front half of her hair was shaved, giving her quite a unique look!  What a blessing that hair grows!

Here's a snap of post-surgery Maryanne with her panama hat to cover her bald top.

While staying with the Berretts, I took a little time to connect with our foster daughters, Laura White and her sister, Lesly Carter. We met for a Jamba Juice and had a fun visit.  Both are currently single, but doing well and seem happy.  Meeting up with people I love is so rewarding.  So I wonder why I don't do more of it.  I think I need to put myself out a bit more in that regard.  So I'm going to try.

Here are my girls, Laura on the left and Lesly on the right.  It's a selfie so its a bit goofy.

On this Valentine's Day I'm so grateful to have a love in my life.  Over the years it seems that Layne and I have worked out most of our angst.  We are both strong-willed and, could I say, stubborn people.  But time softens things and I find myself quite content with this man of mine.  He is strong, intelligent, capable, unselfish, pure-hearted and loving.  I don't know how long it will last, but for now, I'm enjoying this time of my life very much.