Taking on the little ones overnight

With great joy and fun, we offered to take little Allegra and Mason overnight last night.  It was our son Dan's birthday and they could go out and have a nice time without having to worry about little ones bouncing on their bellies first thing in the morning!

They packed up their little suitcases and I picked them up Friday afternoon.  I really enjoy listening to their stories and observations as we drive the 35 miles back to our house.  The stuff they come up with keeps me in stitches!  It really makes my heart swell to see them roll their suitcases into the house, so excited to spend time with us.

They helped me unpack groceries and get things ready for supper.  Allegra decided she would set our dining table up for a "tea party" ....   She and Mason had little candies for their tea, and she baked "tea cupcakes" in the tin pans and served us all tea.

Even though she set the diningroom table, we do try to feed them in the kitchen on the vinyl flooring instead of the carpeted dining room.  That's okay, they like that too!

Granfaddah Pfun came home work to squeals of delight and silliness and games.  By the time Steveio gets home, I get help tag-teaming both of them, so we can enjoy what they are up to and watch what they are playing with.

This little guy Mason keeps us amazed with all the things he does. He could hear the water running in the dishwasher so he had to get down and inspect it himself, trying to figure out how it works!  (he is only one and half years old)    He also decided my treasure chest by the fireplace would make a perfect bucking bronco riding horse for a little cowboy!

After supper, we bundled the wee ones up in warm clothes and went for a walk. It was a dark and windy fall evening, but we went 2 blocks up to the Dairy Queen for a treat.  Mason didn't want any ice cream at all....  but Allegra gobbled down her cone and the rest of Mason's too!

It was a shivery walk home but we got there in time to watch the segment on Undercover Boss featuring the stores that our daughter Erin manages in her district here in NE Wisconsin.  I think we wore out Allegra from the walk, because she was zonked by 7:30 p.m. sitting straight upright on the couch!  

Steve carried her up to bed, and we got Mason down by 8:30, so at last it was peace and quiet for us for the rest of the evening.   Or so we thought.

By 11:30 p.m., little footsteps came down the hall and into our bedroom.  Upsie Daisy I lifted her up and into our bed came Allegra!   She tosses and turns and flip flops all over the bed, but we made room for her.  Then about 2 a.m. I could hear little Mason stirring and crying in the other bedroom.

When I tried to get up outta bed, too late, I realized Allegra had moved my little stepping stool alongside our very tall bed.

(here is the stool I use to get up into bed) 

Well, like I said, she had moved the stool when she came into our bed.....  and WHAM!   I fell down on the stool, slamming my arm, shoulder, and ribs on the stool, and my hip down onto the hardwood floor!!!  OH my.....   I was hurting pretty bad and checking for broken bones, while Steveio jumped up and took care of Mason.  Allegra slept through it all!  LOL   I gingerly felt all over and slowly got up into the bed.   Soooo in comes Mason now to hop in the bed with us after a diaper change.  Now THAT wakes up Allegra... not my falling or swearing or her brother crying.

It's 2:30 in the morning and we have TWO kids up in the middle of our king sized bed and I am feeling so sore I can't even move or think to return them to their own bedroom with my aching body.

I was hurting and trying to keep from tossing and turning, trying to get both the kids in between us back to sleep.  Of course in ten minutes Steve was snoring.  I found some cartoons on tv in the middle of the night on PBS of all things, and that kept the kids settled till their eyelids drooped again.

I think about 5 a.m. I was able to sleep a bit, but by 6:30 both of our little sweeties were up and bright as birds in the early morning sunrise!   LOL   I love our early morning snuggles, and it erases all the memories of the long long night of kids and bruises and broken step stools and snoring husbands....

We read our favorite story book in bed this morning.... actually Allegra "read" it to her little brother, what a cutie.  I made a little video of it:

Allegra reading Brown Bear Brown Bear to Mason

It was a good snuggly morning, full of innocence of grandchildren.

Sadly it was not to last.

Because their grandfather (our daughter-in-law Heather's dad Phil Dufek)  passed away during the night. Dan came to get the kids.   Our sweet babies had to learn today that they would no longer have their "Pop Pop" in their lives.  It breaks our hearts to know someone who loves them as much as we do will be gone from their day to day fun and growing up.   But he will be in their hearts.

Our deepest condolences to our daughterinlaw Heather's family on this sad sad day.