Happy Thanksgiving

Uh-oh, it looks like this is about to turn into a Holiday-only blog -- I guess I'll have to work on that.

We just got back from Thanksgiving with my parents in Reedville. In addition to getting to see my parents, we also got to see my niece, Chloe, which was nice. My parents have a little house, though, and having three kids in it can get pretty rough, so we spent a lot of time keeping them occupied. Among the things we did:

1. Play Croquet. I have never played croquet (in my memory), but my mother has a set and Xavier seems pretty keen, so one of the first things he did when we got there on Wednesday was to set up the wickets. Every morning after breakfast, Adam would go out with Gwen and Xavier (Chloe was less than keen) and play a game.

One day, Adam came in after a vigorous game and gave us the highlights. "... and it was really close, and Gwen lost, but she is coping really well." This was stated with his back to the window; meanwhile, my mom and I are looking past him to where Gwen is sitting on the ground, venting her fury on the grass.

My mother said drily, "Not anymore."

2. Go to the Playground. This activity was also pursued every day, although sometimes the scent of burning leaves or the "Smell of Money" (as odors from the Menhadden plant are euphimistically called) kept active play to a minimum. The kids like to play a game called "Evil Zorg", where the supervising grownup chases them around the playground and, after catching them, puts them on a swing to "catapult them into Outer Space."

One of the complications of this game is that Chloe and Xavier tend to get jealous of each other during play (perhaps because they are the same age), so when I am Evil Zorg, if I try to catch Gwen or Chloe, Xavier keeps placing himself in my way, saying, "Here I am!" (and usually ends up switching sides, becoming "Evil Mini Zorg.") If Adam is Evil Zorg, then Chloe is the one who keeps getting in his way. Given that the playground is built for kids (read: low hanging bars), the combination of equipment and children throwing themselves in your path makes for quite an obstacle course.

On Wednesday, after we played for awhile, Chloe asked if we could return to the house, because she was pretty cold. "Okay," I replied, "although I was thinking of walking to the end of Main Street to see if the ice cream store is open."

"All right, let's do that," she replied.

3. Going to the Movies. We saw "The Muppets", and aside from a tussle over popcorn and our disappointment that Pepe did not play a larger role, a good time was had by all. Evidently its failure to satisfy our "Pepe" craving was a bigger deal than I thought, because Xavier (and, to a lesser extent, Chloe) spent the rest of the weekend trying to imitate him ("I'm going to the bathroom now, okay?" in a very poor imitation of a Spanish accent.)

4. Teaching the Kids to Play Spades. The kids had a lot of fun with this, but the nuances of some of the strategies escaped them. "Chloe, you can't go nil with the Ace of Spades."

5. Riding Scooters. Actually, only Gwen and Chloe had scooters, so Xavier and I were often left WAY behind. One time when we were on our way home and the girls were out of sight, I suddenly heard a distant, "Mandy! Mandy!" Chloe zipped into view. "Mandy! Come quick! Gwen fell and hurt herself!" Message delivered, she whipped around and started zipping off, Xavier racing behind her, and me (carrying all the coats and not the fastest runner in the best of times) running a distant third. We ran a little less than half a mile to where Gwen waited crying on the side of the road ... in front of the house next door to my parents house.

"You know, Chloe, you could have gotten Gwen's dad in less time than it took you to come get me," I pointed out.

"Well, I asked her what she wanted me to do," Chloe conceded, "and she told me to come get you."


Despite the risk of boredom, we actually did not allow the kids to play video games very much -- we tried to keep them occupied in other ways. Still, no matter what the day was, even on Friday, when we went to the playground AND the movies AND the model trains exhibit at the museum, when Chloe's mom would call and ask what Chloe had been doing that day, her response was always, "Playing on my Nintendo DS." I shudder when I think of what a great impression we must have made on her mom.


Last but not least ... I got Gwen and Chloe matching Christmas outfits at Target. Chloe thought this "twinning" was pretty cool. As I was braiding her hair the day they wore the outfits, Chloe remarked, "Mandy, just think, if Xavier were a girl, and we were all wearing the same outfit, you would have to braid Gwen's hair into three braids, mine into two, and Xavier's into one just so you could tell us apart!" Never mind that they are different heights, have different hair colors, etc. ... sometimes I shudder when I think of what a great impression I must have made on Chloe.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and safe trips!