The Quads Visit, Update on Mother and Sunflower Therapy....

Thursday afternoon we were ready and waiting for the quads to arrive!

*Photo taken by Harrison later that day*

I love the sign Summer gave me -

WHAT HAPPENS HERE 

WILL BE POSTED ON FACEBOOK!

We heard them drive up and Granddad opened the door while I had my video on.

It's all about GRANDDAD!!!!!

I had told the kids we had a surprise for them and that it was in the guest room.

They couldn't wait to get in there and then came tearing back down the hall to get the others!!

They were EXCITED!!!!!!

As wild as the video was, they calmed down and all four of them - one at a time - went in and told Granddad 'Thank YOU!' for putting the bunk bed in there.

Kailey stayed excited longer than anyone. She went up the staircase as Amber and I were visiting in the guest room and she spread her arms out and said, "I just don't know what to SAY! I LOVE it!!!!"

Amber, Mike and I hung out for a little while just talking and the kids scattered around the house finding toys they haven't played with in months.

I was going to do a purge of the toys but I'm glad I waited until after this visit.

They played with things that were really too young for them but they had good memories.

Doesn't hurt to have one more time with some of their favorites.

We had a late lunch that day.

Smiles all around!!!

Once the sun went below the fence, we went outside.

Logan manned the leave blower and did a dang good job of it!

Kailey did some weeding.

Everyone went out and did something.

Trystan and Harrison opened up the big tub of dinosaurs and they pretty much played with them all the time they were here.

Harrison and I made a trip to Aldi to pick up breakfast items I had forgotten to get and to buy Tea Cakes for the Tea Party on Friday! It's fun to get in a little one on one time.

We ate all our meals in the dining room.

Dinner was salad - the girls helped make it - and spaghetti that Louis Dean had cooked earlier.

Harrison helped do the garlic bread and dinner was served.

While I cleaned up the kitchen, they entertained Granddad. Then we all went out to the gazebo to close out our evening. A small campfire and roasted marshmallows was the highlight of the night.

I didn't actually have marshmallows so we roasted the Easter marshmallow chicks I had that I hadn't used at Easter. Then it was bedtime and they were all more than willing to go!

I put Harrison on top......see the guard rail Louis Dean made?

He wasn't taking any chances on him falling over.

Once they were all sound asleep - and it didn't take long - I put a tray of snacks to ensure I didn't have to get up early. Remember the rule? You don't wake MeeMaw up!!

Works like a charm.

They slept until after 8:00 and I slept until nearly 10:00.

Granddad was up earlier and they had plenty to keep them occupied.

We fixed a huge breakfast which was served closer to lunch.

Kailey is the little gardener and cut some parsley up with the herb scissors to garnish the plate of scrambled eggs. Hash brown patties, bacon, biscuits, watermelon and jams and honey rounded out the menu.

The kids requested we do the Rules of the House.

There are 21 Rules and we started them in 2017. 

Looks like we will have them finished by the end of 2018.

These kids are water babies.

Can you see what they think of when you say 'Open it?'

The pool! At least two of them did!!

You can see someone swimming laps in the upper right one.

These are all good rules and at breakfast they were all telling us the ones they remembered.

Harrison thought we were on Rule #15 and he was right!

The afternoon was full of projects, crafts and 'activities.'

The quads like that word.

Sewing.....

Checkers.....

and then the long awaited Tea Party!

They all love their tea parties!

It touched my heart when the girls went in to the drawer that holds their party dresses and tried their best to squeeze their size 5 and 6 bodies into the the 2T-4T dresses.

Trystan was the most successful.

The dresses now fit her more as long tops.

Kailey found a ballerina skirt and Logan found a cute denim skirt to fit.

We used the tea dishes Uncle Dean had given us a few years ago.

Our High Tea Menu:

Bread and butter tea sandwiches with a sprinkle of raw sugar.

Tea Cookies - lemon creams and Angel Wings.

Fresh strawberries with raw sugar for dipping.

Tea Cakes

Hot herbal tea so they could use a sugar cube and then add ice.

Cold tea already sweetened.

It was a lovely tea party!

We spent some more time in the front yard cutting flowers and watering before their parents arrived.

Friday Night Popcorn/Movie/and Cokes are a tradition from Amber's childhood.

From 2 years old until she left home for college at 17 we did this nearly every single Friday night!

This movie was awesome and one she had seen as a child.

It was made in 1997 and reminds me of both Home Alone and The Money Pit!

They brought not only the movie but the popcorn and the Cokes! 

AND the pizzas!!!

It was a wonderful ending to our Quad visit!

 

And then they were gone with their goodbyes floating out behind them as they drove away.

We went to the gazebo to close down the night with a glass of wine and talk about the highlights of the visit! Granddad was very pleased with himself and getting that bunk bed ready for them.

I forgot to mention that earlier on Thursday before they arrived, he had to make a third trip to the DAV for a part exchange on the Hollywood bed frame. 

Friday afternoon he put the it under the mattress and box springs and now the room is done.......

EXCEPT that the rug will have to come up.

It simply will not work in there.

But that can happen later. We are going to take it to the ranch and use it there. Later.

Saturday afternoon I visited Reaoma.

She was sleeping here but she woke up and I told her all about the kids visiting.

Amber had been up to see her on Thursday after she left the quads with us.

I talked. She listened.

I played country songs for her on my phone.

Barbara Mandrel, George's Strait and Owens, Elvis Presley, Glen Campbell.....

Pam is such a great daughter to Reaoma!

She always has something interesting in her room.

This is an old picture when Reaoma was about 10 - I'm just guessing.

She has always been beautiful!

Funny but I can't remember how old she is now. 

A little older than I am, I know that.

I left Reaoma and went back by the house to get in the truck and we headed to Fort Worth.

On our way, I told Louis Dean that he needed to know something.

I said if I were a glass of water, I would be one drop from spilling over.

From the time we came home from the country, I have been churning through all my emotional energy. First the guest room and painting and getting it ready for the bunk beds and then picking them up and getting them IN the guest room! Then all the days of putting them together. Louis Dean did the work. I just hovered and helped. But it was draining.

Emotional energy can be good and it can be sweet and it can be stressful.

But in the end, it's all the same as far as your body is concerned.

I gave my good energy to the quads and my sweet energy to Reaoma.

I had already given a good amount of energy to Mother last week and then so much energy to the guest room redo that I was just about out.

We went to see Deanie and Charlie first.

They are a comfort to visit. Their home is so calm and quiet and peaceful.

They are at peace and it shows.

I was hoping this would give me what it would take to get through the visit with Mother.

I knew in my heart that this time I would see what my sisters have already seen.

Mother appears to have lost her mind. Not all of the time but some.

It was all of the time with that visit on Saturday.

Old habits die hard.

I wondered whether to take a selfie - as is our tradition - but decided to do it since I never know but what it could be the last one.

Mother acted like she knew what she was doing at that point and looked at the camera and smiled. 

Then I showed her the pics and she nodded at the one she wanted me to use. Just like old times. Just like we always do.

But this pic does not reflect the trauma I felt at that visit.

Mother doesn't know what she's doing.

She has piles of clothes heaped up on the bed and chairs and stays busy with changing the piles around. I sat and watched her push the chair control as she sat in her wheelchair.

She would raise the chair up and then lower it back to a reclining position - over and over again.

There were other things I don't need to document but it was awful.

I knelt on the floor beside her chair and had prayer with her. For a moment she was 'there' and then she wasn't. I told her I had to leave and I would be back soon. She wanted to go out of her room and back down to Lillian's. That's been a problem. Another problem was I had visited Lillian on my way down to Mother and had left my purse in her room as well as Louis Dean was in there. I didn't see any reason for him to see Mother knowing the condition she was in.

That's when I freaked out. I didn't know what to do. I can move faster than Mother so I got out of there and ran back down to Lillian's room. I peeked out the door and saw that Mother was coming.

Then I pretty much lost it. All of a sudden, I was 11 years old and hiding from my stepfather.

I thought, 'What can I do??' There are curtains to give privacy in Lillian's room so I thought I would pull those. Or hide in the bathroom. Louis Dean saw the look in my eyes and he said, "I'll take care of this." And he did. He went back to Mother who was still in the doorway of her room - she's just a couple of doors down.

He did so good!

Mother has always loved him so he was able to get her back in the room, calm her down and they talked. Not that she made sense but he didn't care. He knew how to keep her engaged and that gave me a chance to calm down. I talked to Lillian and cried and finally got control of myself. 

Bless her heart. Lillian is such a wonderful lady. We all love her!

Finally I called Louis Dean on his phone and that gave him an out and he told Mother he had to go.

He had got her into bed by that time so we made a clean getaway.

I came home and went straight to the bathroom and took a long hot shower.

Then I had this neurotic but irresistible urge to bleach and clean my entire bathroom - which I did.

I put all my clothes including the Skechers I was wearing - just like the ones Mother had on that night. We had bought them together.

I was still a basket case so I sat in the gazebo with Louis Dean and had a glass of wine.

Finally I was able to go to bed.

Sunday I stayed in bed all day.

I was in a stupor and couldn't seem to do anything about it.

I felt sick - in heart, soul, mind and body.

Today (Monday) I woke up feeling  better.

Not good but better.

We meant to go to the ranch today but I wasn't capable of getting ready and doing that.

So what would make me feel better?

Sunflowers!

I went out to the storage building and brought in five tubs full of sunflowers.

I put some in the hall and in the dining room.

I decorated the den tree with cotton and sunflowers.

I put my sunflower pillow in the living room.

I tucked little bouquets all over the house.

And I started to feel better.

Then the rain came.

Sunflowers and rain! 

They were my therapy today.

Tomorrow we will go to the ranch.

I am going to rest, read and paint.

I am still in a fragile state. I thought I was better but the least little thing can set me all in a whirl. Again.

I think the next several days will calm me back down.

I am counting on it.